The Hollow Crown: Shakespeare on How Leaders Rise, Rule, and Fall (Hardcover) (ISBN-13: 9781541644861)

What Shakespeare's plays can teach us about modern-day politics

William Shakespeare understood power: what it is, how it works, how it is gained, and how it is lost.

In The Hollow Crown, Eliot A. Cohen reveals how the battling princes of Henry IV and scheming senators of Julius Caesar can teach us to better understand power and politics today. The White House, after all, is a court--with intrigue and conflict rivaling those on the Globe's stage--as is an army, a business, or a university. And each court is full of driven characters, in all their ambition, cruelty, and humanity. Henry V's inspiring speeches reframe John F. Kennedy's appeal, Richard III's wantonness illuminates Vladimir Putin's brutality, and The Tempest's grace offers a window into the presidency of George Washington.

An original and incisive perspective, The Hollow Crown shows how Shakespeare's works transform our understanding of the leaders who, for good or ill, make and rule our world.

Author: Eliot a. Cohen
ISBN-10: 1541644867
ISBN-13: 9781541644861
Publisher: Basic Books
Language: English
Published: 10/24/2023
Pages: 288
Format: Hardcover
Weight: 1.05lbs
Size: 9.30h x 6.00w x 1.10d

Review Citation(s):
Kirkus Reviews 09/01/2023