Shakespeare and Terrorism PDF
Preview Shakespeare and Terrorism
‘Islam Issa is one of the stars of his generation. Fluent and equable, original and sage, his work floods the topics he turns to with startling, exhilarating light.’ Ewan Fernie, Fellow and Chair, The Shakespeare Institute ‘I have long been a serious fan of Islam Issa and his fresh, open and unflinching perspective on Shakespeare. The illu- minating clarity he brings to Shakespeare’s resonance and difficulty across cultures and histories is making an essential contribution to twenty-first-century Shakespeareans.’ Erica Whyman OBE, Deputy Artistic Director, Royal Shakespeare Company ‘Islam Issa has a profound understanding of the relationship between culture and our intellectual, social, and political values. His groundbreaking work has important significance for the development of international understanding and for the furtherance of humane values.’ Sir Stanley Wells, Honorary President, Shakespeare Birthplace Trust Shakespeare and Terrorism Shakespeare and Terrorism delves into how extremists have responded to Shakespeare – whether they’ve attacked him or been inspired by him – and investigates what the playwright and his works can tell us about the nature, psychology, and consequences of terror. Literary critic and historian Islam Issa takes readers on a journey from Shakespeare’s Stratford-u pon- Avon and London to a variety of locations: from Western Europe to the Balkans to the US, from North Africa to the Persian Gulf to Central Asia, and from the theatre to the digital world. Considering incidents from Shakespeare’s time through today, including the Gunpowder Plot and 9/ 11, as well as pivotal figures from Hamlet and Macbeth to Hitler and Bin Laden, this book brings to light new ideas about key characters, events, and themes both in Shakespeare’s plays and the world around them. A thrilling and accessible read, this ground-b reaking book will enlighten and engage students, researchers, and general readers interested in Shakespeare, social sciences, history, and the complex relationships between life and art. Islam Issa is Reader in Literature and History at Birmingham City University, UK. He is a multi- award- winning writer, cur- ator, and broadcaster. His books include Milton in the Arab- Muslim World and he has presented such documentaries as Cleopatra and Me: In Search of a Lost Queen. Spotlight on Shakespeare Series Editors: John Garrison and Kyle Pivetti Spotlight on Shakespeare offers a series of concise, lucid books that explore the vital purchase of the modern world on Shakespeare’s work. Authors in the series embrace the notion that emergent theories, contemporary events, and movements can help us shed new light on Shakespeare’s work and, in turn, his work can help us better make sense of the contem- porary world. The aim of each volume is two-fold: to show how Shakespeare speaks to questions in our world and to illuminate his work by looking at it through new forms of human expression. Spotlight on Shakespeare will adopt fresh scholarly trends as contemporary issues emerge, and it will continually prompt its readers to ask, “What can Shakespeare help us see? What can he help us do?” Spotlight on Shakespeare invites scholars to write non-exhaustive, pithy studies of very focused topics – with the goal of creating books that engage scholars, students, and general readers alike. Available in this series: Shakespeare on the Shades of Racism Ruben Espinosa Shakespeare in Jest Indira Ghose Shakespeare and Terrorism Islam Issa For more information about this series, please visit: www. routledge.com/Spotlight-on-Shakespeare/book-series/ SOSHAX ISLAM ISSA Shakespeare and Terrorism First published 2022 by Routledge 2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN and by Routledge 605 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10158 Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business © 2022 Islam Issa The right of Islam Issa to be identified as author of this work has been asserted by him in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers. Trademark notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks or registered trademarks, and are used only for identification and explanation without intent to infringe. British Library Cataloguing- in- Publication Data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library Library of Congress Cataloging- in- Publication Data A catalog record has been requested for this book ISBN: 978- 0- 367- 33482- 6 (hbk) ISBN: 978- 0- 367- 33483- 3 (pbk) ISBN: 978- 0- 429- 32008- 8 (ebk) DOI: 10.4324/ 9780429320088 Typeset in Joanna MT by Newgen Publishing UK For… Iman El- Sharkawy (Mama) Omneya Abdelsalam Angelica Duran Beverley Sherry Sarah Wood Contents List of illustrations x Acknowledgements xii Introduction: Terror: identity, freedom, symbolism 1 “Danger from the east unto the west”: One the tragedy of comedy 30 “To me it is a prison”: Two freedom and principled violence 91 “Though this be madness, yet there is method in it”: Three performing ideology and power 125 “As he was ambitious, I slew him”: Four identity and assassination 159 Epilogue: Life imitates art 192 Index 210
The list of books you might like
