Presence in Absence: Beneath Shakespeare's Poetic Surface (Shakespeare's Philosophical Sources)

"Presence in Absence; Beneath Shakespeare's Poetic Surface" reveals 'things nobody knows' about Shakespeare's plays. S.W.Stout does this by quoting from the works of some of the most controversial philosophers of the Renaissance period and reveals how their understanding of the world found a place in Shakespeare's verse. This book consists of seven essays with each essay revealing something you never knew before about one of Shakespeare's plays. Because of the author's use of primary documents it is a useful resource to college and university students. But his informal style also makes the work a source of intelligent entertainment for any interested reader.

Sidney Wade Stout has an Honours degree in Chemistry and a Master's degree in Biochemistry. His long interest in Renaissance alchemy has been put to use in his study of Shakespeare by revealing patterned use of magical ideas that were drawn from the cutting edge of Renaissance science. Because of this, Shakespeare's work mimics present day science fiction more than just fiction and goes a long way towards explaining why these plays were written in the first place.