Shakespeare, Sex, and Love - Hardcover

Wells, Stanley

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0199578591 ISBN 13: 9780199578597

Publisher: Oxford University Press, 2010

Synopsis

Here is a lively look at how Shakespeare's treatment of human sexuality in his plays and poems relates to the sexual conventions, sexual mores, and actual sexual behaviors of his day.
Pre-eminent Shakespeare critic Stanley Wells draws on historical and anecdotal sources to present an illuminating account of sexual behavior--and its consequences--in Shakespeare's time, particularly in Stratford-upon-Avon and London. Shakespeare's Stratford was a hotbed of small-town gossip; the town's records reveal many cases of slander involving accusations of cuckoldry and whoredom, as well as many prosecutions for fornication, sexual "incontinence," and adultery. Wells thoroughly explores this milieu, demonstrating what we know or can deduce of the sex lives of Shakespeare and members of his family and providing a fascinating account of depictions of sexuality in the poetry of the period. Wells even points to specific recorded events that find their way into lines and subplots in the plays.
In the second half of the book, Wells goes on to explore the variety of ways in which Shakespeare treats sexuality in his plays and how he relates sexuality to love. Chapters cover everything from the fun that Shakespeare gets out of sex in his comedies; to the ways he relates sexual desire to both lust and love; to sexual jealousy in four major plays; and to Romeo and Juliet as the play in which Shakespeare focuses most centrally on issues relating to sex, love, and the relationship between them. "Whores and Saints" looks at his portrayals of the extremes of womanhood, and a final chapter, "Just Good Friends," investigates his depiction of same-gender relationships.
Whether as a source of comedy, drama, debate, or passion, sex in Shakespeare's plays and poems is always intriguing, and there is no better guide to this subject than Stanley Wells.

About this title

About the Author:

Stanley Wells, described by Roy Hattersley as "Our greatest authority on Shakespeare's life and work," is Chairman of the Trustees of Shakespeare's Birthplace, Emeritus Professor of Shakespeare Studies of the University of Birmingham, and Honorary Emeritus Governor of the Royal Shakespeare Theatre. He is the author and editor of many books including The Oxford Shakespeare: The Complete Works, 2nd Edition (OUP 2005); The Oxford Dictionary of Shakespeare (OUP, 2003); and Shakespeare in the Theatre (OUP, 1997).

From Booklist:

As anyone who has read the non-Bowdlerized editions of his plays can attest, Shakespeare loved a lusty line. His plays are filled to the brim with bawdy puns and sly double entendres. Just how packed the Bard's plays are becomes quickly clear in Wells' sober, clearly written, scholarly examination of love and lust in Shakespeare's life, times, and work. Wells begins with a quick summary of sexual mores in Shakespeare's England, including the prevalence of the crime of “incontinency”—premarital and extramarital dalliances—in the country in general, and in Shakespeare's Stratford in particular. He then moves on to a brief but fascinating survey of how Shakespeare's contemporaries handled sexual themes. (No surprise here; the Elizabethans were not very Victorian.) The heart of the book, though, is Wells' close study of the plays and of noteworthy contemporary productions that have increasingly emphasized the erotic in the Bard's words. In lively prose, Wells covers issues of love and romance, sexual jealousy, the prevalence of “whores and saints” among Shakespeare's women, and the homoerotic elements in his plays and poetry. --Jack Helbig

About this edition

• Publisher: Oxford University Press
• Publication date: 2010
• ISBN 10: 0199578591
• ISBN 13: 9780199578597
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 282