The World's a Stage: Shakespeare and the Dramatic View of Life

After discussing the structuralism, post structuralism, Marxist, queer and feminist theories of dramatic action and dramaturgical development, the author posits an ontological (and refreshing) vision of Shakespearian stagecraft and dramatic movement. Shakespeare is seen as an actor and Roman Catholic, an outsider in an early modern Protestant state in the process of dynamic cultural, economic reform and political repression. These themes are reflected in the unsettled, morally ambiguous characterizations that Professor Crosman studies: Hamlet, Polonius, McBeth, Henry V and Falstaff among others. Also discussed are the emergent Latin, Greek and Italian literary modes and their effect on English theatrical prosody.Robert Crosman is the author of 'The World's a Stage: Shakespeare and the Dramatic View of Life', published 2005 under ISBN 9781930901926 and ISBN 1930901925.