Soon after James Stuart became king of England in 1603, William Shakespeare, while still working in the public theater, became the royal playwright, and his acting troupe became the premier playing company of the realm. How did this courtly setting influence Shakespeare's work? What was it like to view, perform in, and write plays conceived for the Stuart king? In this fascinating and lively book, one of our most eminent literary critics explores these questions by taking us back to the court performances of some of Shakespeare's most famous plays, examining them in their settings at the royal palaces of Whitehall and Hampton Court. Alvin Kernan looks at Shakespeare as a patronage playwright whose work after 1603 focused on the main concerns of his royal patron: divine-right kingship in Lear, the corruption of the court in Antony, the difficulties of the old military aristocracy in Coriolanus, and other vital matters. Kernan argues that Shakespeare was neither the royal propagandist nor the political subversive that the New Historicists have made him out to be. He was, instead, a great dramatist whose plays commented on political and social concerns of his patrons and who sought the most satisfactory way of adjusting his art to court needs.

Shakespeare, the King's Playwright: Theater in the Stuart Court, 1603-1613

Literature & Fiction

Alvin Kernan

Dramas & Plays

Yale University Press

In this memoir of life aboard aircraft carriers during World War II, Alvin Kernan combines vivid recollections of his experience as a young enlisted sailor with a rich historical account of the Pacific war. Kernan served in many battles and was aboard the Hornet when it was sunk by torpedoes in the Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands. “One of the most arresting naval autobiographies yet published.”―Sir John Keegan “An honest story of collective courage, evocative, well-written, and fixed before the colors fade.”―Kirkus Reviews “[Kernan] recounts a wonderful and exciting American story about a poor farm boy from Wyoming who enlisted in the Navy. . . .[He] has written eight other books. I will go back and read them all.”―John Lehman, Air &amp; Space “Details . . . make the moment vivid; that is what it was like, on the Hornet in its last hours.”―Samuel Hynes, New York Times Book Review

Crossing the Line: A Bluejacket's Odyssey in World War II (Yale Library of Military History)

History

Americas

An exciting new edition of the complete works of Shakespeare with these features: Illustrated with photographs from New York Shakespeare Festival productions, vivid readable readable introductions for each play by noted scholar David Bevington, a lively personal foreword by Joseph Papp, an insightful essay on the play in performance, modern spelling and pronunciation, up-to-date annotated bibliographies, and convenient listing of key passages.

Othello

Sylvan Barnet

William. Shakespeare

Contemporary

Perfection Learning

Crossing the Line: A Blue Jacket's World War II Odyssey

Military

CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform

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Books by Alvin Kernan