Holding a Mirror up to Nature : Shame, Guilt, and Violence in Shakespeare

This volume is for both lovers of Shakespeare and those who are concerned about the danger that humanity's propensity for violent behaviour poses to the very survival of our species. Through his characters, Shakespeare shows us both what causes violence and how to prevent it.

Shakespeare has been dubbed the greatest psychologist of all time. This book seeks to prove that statement by comparing the playwright''s fictional characters with real-life examples of violent individuals, from criminals to political actors. For Gilligan and Richards, the propensity to kill others, even (or especially) when it results in the killer''s own death, is the most serious threat to the continued survival of humanity. In this volume, the authors show how humiliated men, with their desire for retribution and revenge, apocryphal violence and political religions, justify and commit violence, and how love and restorative justice can prevent violence. Although our destructive power is far greater than anything that existed in his day, Shakespeare has much to teach us about the psychological and cultural roots of all violence. In this book the authors tell what Shakespeare shows, through the stories of his characters: what causes violence and what prevents it.