Swearing and Perjury in Shakespeare's PlaysPsychology Press, 2005 - 174 pages First published in 1979. How do the elements of swearing and perjury work in Shakespeare's plays? What effect did Shakespeare intend when he wrote them? How did they contribute to the delineation of character? These questions are investigated by combining a history of ideas approach with close textual analysis. The book begins by bringing together material from a wide range of contemporary sources in order to create a sense of popular awareness of oaths in Queen Elizabeth's time. Out of this emerges a scale of the relative strength of various oaths, an awareness of the ways in which people regarded perjury, and an appreciation of the attempts to prohibit profanity. Shakespeare's work is then examined against this background. |
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accusation action allegiance anger Antony audience Berowne Bertram Blasphemers Boyle braggart called Cassio casual swearing censor characterises characters Cleopatra Cloten comedies comic contrast Coriolanus court Cressida Cursory History Cymbeline declares Desdemona despite E. K. Chambers earlier Elizabethan emphasise English faith Falstaff fashionable feel Ferrarius forswearing forsworn Gentlemen of Verona God's gods Hamlet heaven Heilman Helena Henry Henry IV plays honour Hotspur Iago Iago's John Jonson King King Lear Lady later Lear London Lord Love's Labour's Lost lovers Midsummer Night's Dream mild never noted Nowell oaths occasionally Othello Parolles perjury phrases Pistol play Portia Prince profane protestations Proteus punished Puritan Quarto Queen realise recognises references revenge Richard Richard III Roderigo satire Sblood scene seems serious Shakespeare Sharman Shylock sincere soldier soul speech swearers sword swore sworn tension thee thou swearest Titus Andronicus tragedies Troilus truth utterances vows witness words York young Zounds