92 of 95 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Profound and original work ; diagree with previous review, July 23, 2005
John Guy, Fellow of History at Clare College, Cambridge, and winner of the Whitebread Prize, has written that if even half of the insights in this wonderful book are true, it is the most visceral, challenging, and compelling work on Shakespeare's place in history in twenty years. I agree with this perpective: Clare Asquith's insights are profound, and this book has the potentially to fundamentally change how we view Shakespeare and the plays, in a way that only adds to their majesty.
"Shadowplay" is a very strong work in an area that is only beginning to gain academic attention--namely, the heretofore hidden or suppressed history of a persecuted minority during one of the more fascinating and influential periods in English (and European) history. Historians and literary scholars have only recently focused on this topic, their early work is highly compelling, and it bears much future promise.
As the above suggests, I admire this book very much, and am hoping that it will gain greater attenion in the mainstream media and in academia. It's argument is original and compelling; it also beautifully and succinctly written, often quite moving in its insights, and an overall pleasure to read. Highly recommended to anyone that is interested in Shakespeare, the culture of the English Renaissance, and England under Elizabeth I and James I, it deserves the starred reviews it has received so far as well as the endorsements from well-regarded, thoughtful scholars (see above in summary of reviews to date provided by Amazon).
One comment on the previous review--even a superficial reading on Asquith's book makes it clear that the author knows. very well, that Elizabeth and James' church is not Puritan, but is engaged in the decades-long process of hammering out what would become the "Anglican solution" or "the middle way" between Catholicism and Calivinism/Puritanism. According to the book's hypothesis, Shakespeare's very strong motivation throughout his plays is to bring to his audience's (and the Crown's) attention the importance of traditional English Chrisitanity--i.e., the Roman Catholic faith and culture that had produced the English Renaissance and the humanism of Thomas More, and which carried within its mores a proto-Reformation that anticipated some of the demands of the Protestant refomers as well as the Roman Catholic reforms implemented at the Council of Trent. Over time, this motivation is coupled with a plea to Elizabeth and James to modify the regime's suppresion of this traditional Catholicism and allow for the toleration of the different, competing forms of Christianity--Catholicism, Calvinism, and emerging Anglicanism. This toleration, Shakespeare believes, will enable the traditional Catholicism to which he is so devoted to continue to flower (rather than to wilt under the suppression of what today would be called a police state and to eventually be forgotten or scorned).
Asquith knows the political, social, and literary history of the era quite well, her reading of the plays is detailed and nuanced, and her argument comprehensive and often quite subtle. I think it is important to take these into account in assessing the book's strengths and weaknesses.
Bottom line: one of the best books I have read in a very long-time, and one that adds immeasurably to my appreciation of William Shakespeare and my enjoyment of his plays and poetry.
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29 of 34 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A fascinating study, September 5, 2005
In 16th century England loyal subjects were asked to either serve their monarch or their God, creating a break between God and country which widened into a vast theological/political conflict under Elizabeth 1. Executions and terror arise - through it all one of the most famous figures of his times, William Shakespeare, seemingly made no comment about affairs - or did he? Clare Asquith, a Shakespeare scholar, traces the common code used covertly by writers of his times and reveals the master of the code himself - Shakespeare. His attacks and exposes of the crown are seen from a new perspective, examining his work and his code and its impact. A fascinating study.
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12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
If you love Shakespeare and you are passionate about history., June 8, 2006
This book is an incredible accomplishment. Clare Asquith has revealed a history of the Protestant reformation in late 16th century England that must have some of the persecuted dead rejoicing from their graves. This is less a book than a revelation. It hardly seems possible that Shakespeares' plays could be even more brilliant and more penetrating then they are already reveared ro be. But that is exactly the case. Mrs. Asquith shows us that with allegory and uncanny symbolism Shakespeare chronicles the history of his country's persecution of Catholics. Written from the vantage point of his own family's persecuted Catholic roots, his plays were a guarded appeal to the Queen herself and the nobility of the day to heal the deep wound suffered when England's faithful became divided.
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