A discussion of inter-racial sexual relations in Anglo-American literature from the English Renaissance to today.

Contains essays and studies by critics and cultural historians from both hemispheres as well as substantial reviews of books and essays dealing with medieval and early modern English drama. This work addressed topics ranging from local drama in the Shrewsbury borough records to the Cornish Mermaid in the Ordinalia.

Is William Shakespeare's Antony and Cleopatra a sequel to the earlier Julius Caesar? If this question raises issues of authorship and reception, it also interrogates the construction of dramatic sequels: how does a playtext ultimately become the follow-up of another text? This book explores how dramatic works written before and after Shakespeare's time have encouraged us to view Shakespeare's Julius Caesar and Antony and Cleopatra as strongly interconnected plays, encouraging their sequelization in the theater and paving the way toward the filmic conflations of the twentieth century. Uniquely blending theories of literary and filmic intertextuality with issues of race and gender, and written by an experienced author trained both in early modern and film studies, this book can easily find its place in any syllabus in Shakespeare or in media studies, as well as in a wide range of cultural and literary courses.

When decorated Moorish general Othello appoints Cassio as his chief lieutenant, Iago gets jealous and plots revenge, alleging that Othello's wife, a much younger white woman, is having an affair with Cassio. In many ways, Shakespeare's Othello remains a potent expression of race and racism three-hundred years after its publication. This volume offers compelling interpretations of the actions and the characters that have made this play so controversial. Essays discuss the question of Othello's color, the contradictory notions of black and white in the play, sexuality and racial difference, and whether Desdemona's marriage to Othello incites racism. Contributors include Ania Loomba, Peter Ackroyd, and Doris Adler.

Compelling and troubling, colorful and dark, black figures served as the quintessential image of difference in nineteenth-century European art; the essays in this volume further the investigation of constructions of blackness during this period. This collection marks a phase in the scholarship on images of blacks that moves beyond undifferentiated binaries like ?negative? and ?positive? that fail to reveal complexities, contradictions, and ambiguities. Essays that cover the late eighteenth through the early twentieth century explore the visuality of blackness in anti-slavery imagery, black women in Orientalist art, race and beauty in fin-de-si?e photography, the French brand of blackface minstrelsy, and a set of little-known images of an African model by Edvard Munch. In spite of the difficulty of resurrecting black lives in nineteenth-century Europe, one essay chronicles the rare instance of an American artist of color in mid-nineteenth-century Europe. With analyses of works ranging from G?cault's Raft of the Medusa, to portraits of the American actor Ira Aldridge, this volume provides new interpretations of nineteenth-century representations of blacks.

Explores the challenges of maintaining bonds, living up to ideals, and fulfilling desire in Shakespeare’s plays In Thinking About Shakespeare, Kay Stockholder reveals the rich inner lives of some of Shakespeare’s most enigmatic characters and the ways in which their emotions and actions shape and are shaped by the social and political world around them. In addressing all genres in the Shakespeare canon, the authors explore the possibility of people being constant to each other in many different kinds of relationships: those of lovers, kings and subjects, friends, and business partners. While some bonds are irrevocably broken, many are reaffirmed. In all cases, the authors offer insight into what drives Shakespeare’s characters to do what they do, what draws them together or pulls them apart, and the extent to which bonds can ever be eternal. Ultimately, the most durable bond may be between the playwright and the audience, whereby the playwright pleases and the audience approves. The book takes an in-depth look at a dozen of The Bard’s best-loved works, including: A Midsummer Night’s Dream; Romeo and Juliet; The Merchant of Venice; Richard II; Henry IV, Part I; Hamlet; Troilus and Cressida; Othello; Macbeth; King Lear; Antony and Cleopatra; and The Tempest. It also provides an epilogue titled: Prospero and Shakespeare. Written in a style accessible for all levels Discusses 12 plays, making it a comprehensive study of Shakespeare’s work Covers every genre of The Bard’s work, giving readers a full sense of Shakespeare’s art/thought over the course of his oeuvre Provides a solid overall sense of each play and the major characters/plot lines in them Providing new and sometimes unconventional and provocative ways to think about characters that have had a long critical heritage, Thinking About Shakespeare is an enlightening read that is perfect for scholars, and ideal for any level of student studying one of history’s greatest storytellers.

An examination of the interrelationship between gender, race, narrative, and nationalism in black politics specifically within American politics as a whole. The author not only highlights the critical role of race and gender, she goes further to show how they operate to define political discourse and to determine public policy.

Ayad Akhtar, the American Nation, and Its Others After 9/11: Homeland Insecurity examines playwright and novelist Ayad Akhtar’s contributions to multiple genres including film and theatre. This book situates Akhtar’s oeuvre within the social and political context of post-9/11 American culture, marked by the creation of the Homeland Security State and the racialization of Muslims, Arabs, and South Asians. It departs from many traditional studies of 9/11 literature by challenging the binary of victim and perpetrator and examining the continuing impact of the event on questions of American nationalism and belonging. Tracing a literary genealogy for Akhtar, it explores a broad range of issues represented in Akhtar’s works such as globalization, the decline of American industry, terrorism, torture, generational conflicts, interracial love, gender and violence, the conflict between secular and religious values—all issues which affect American nationalism both within and outside the nation’s borders, and shape the lives of South Asian American Muslims. Employing the lenses of trauma studies, transnational feminism, postcolonial theory, and performance studies, this book is attentive to the controversial reception of Akhtar’s works and the paucity of authentic representation of Muslim Americans. It combines literary interpretations of Akhtar’s works with sociological analysis of post-9/11 racial formation, a personal interview with Akhtar, and observations of plays and post-play discussions.

An up-to-date survey of the key themes and debates surrounding screen adaptations and productions of Shakespeare's Othello.

An introductory guide to Othello in performance offering a scene-by-scene theatrically aware commentary, contextual documents, a brief history of the text and first performances, case studies of key productions, a survey of screen adaptations, a sampling of critical opinion and further reading.