Shakespeare and the Apocalypse : Visions of Doom from Early Modern Tragedy to Popular Culture

235 Pages·2012·1.25 MB·English

by  Shakespeare

Shakespeare and the Apocalypse
Continuum Shakespeare Studies
Passion, Moderation and Prudence in Shakespearean Drama, Unhae Park Langis
Shakespeare and His Authors: Critical Perspectives on the Authorship Question,
Edited by William Leahy
Shakespeare in China, Murray J. Levith
Shakespeare in Japan, Tetsuo Kishi and Graham Bradshaw
Shakespeare and Moral Agency, Edited by Michael D. Bristol
Shakespeare in the Spanish Theatre, Keith Gregor
Shakespeare and the Translation of Identity in Early Modern England, Edited by
Liz Oakley-Brown
Shakespeare’s Cues and Prompts, Murray J. Levith
Shakespeare’s Musical Imagery, Christopher R. Wilson
Shakespeare and the
Apocalypse
Visions of Doom from Early Modern
Tragedy to Popular Culture
R. M. Christofides
Continuum Shakespeare Studies
Continuum International Publishing Group
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© R. M. Christofides 2012
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in
any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying,
recording or any information storage or retrieval system, without prior permission
in writing from the publishers.
R. M. Christofides has asserted his right under the Copyright, Designs and Patents
Act, 1988, to be identified as the Author of this work.
British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
ISBN: HB: 978-1-4411-7994-4
e-ISBN: 978-1-4411-8322-4
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Christofides, R. M.
Shakespeare and the apocalypse : visions of doom from early modern
tragedy to popular culture / R. M. Christofides.
p. cm. – (Continuum Shakespeare studies)
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-1-4411-7994-4 (hardcover : alk. paper) – ISBN 978-1-4411-8322-4
(ebook pdf) – ISBN 978-1-4411-0130-3 (ebook epub)
1. Shakespeare, William, 1564-1616–Criticism and interpretation.
2. Apocalypse in literature. 3. English drama–Early modern and
Elizabethan, 1500-1600–History and criticism. 4. English drama
(Tragedy)–History and criticism. I. Title.
PR3011.C47 2012
822.3’3–dc23 2011046645
Typeset by Deanta Global Publishing Services, Chennai, India
For Jodie and Belinda, may our little family always be this happy.
vi
Contents
Acknowledgements viii
A Note on Typography ix
List of Figures x
Preface xii
Chapter 1: The Reechy Painting and the Old Church Window 1
Chapter 2: Hamlet and the Living Dead 19
Chapter 3: Masochistic Damnation in Othello 65
Chapter 4: Macbeth and the Angels of Doom 109
Chapter 5: The Promised End of King Lear 149
Chapter 6: The End 185
Bibliography 203
Index 213
Acknowledgements
Thanks to the innumerable and unsung custodians of the wall paintings
and stained glass I have had the pleasure of seeing in churches throughout
England and Wales: their unheralded work not only made a book like this
possible but, far more importantly, maintains for public consumption the
few remnants of a glorious, but largely overlooked, cultural and artistic
heritage. Nascent versions of some of the ideas in Chapter 3 appeared in
‘Iago and equivocation: the seduction and damnation of Othello’, Early
Modern Literary Studies, 15:1. Thanks to Catherine Belsey for her exemplary
advice and guidance over the years. Thanks to Jodie Matthews for her
invaluable comments and suggestions as well as her unstinting support; this
book is as much yours as mine.
A Note on Typography
When using early modern texts, I have modernized ‘i’, which also served for
‘j’. Also, I have replaced the long ‘s’ with the familiar modern version
throughout. Where I have maintained the capitalization of theological
terms, for example, Doom, Judgement, Judge, Last Judgement and
Apocalypse, it is to emphasize their specifically Christian resonance.
Moreover, I have also maintained the capitalization of quotations from
Shakespeare and the Bible.