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Shakespeare On Politics

Detail of an illustrated posture with a man as Macbeth.
Public Domain / Library of Congress
Thos. W. Keene. Macbeth (1884)

Tuesday, scholar Stephen Greenblatt joins us to talk about Shakespeare's tyrants. In many of his tragedies, he grappled with this question: why would anyone be drawn to a leader unsuited to govern?

RadioWest divider.

Tuesday, scholar Stephen Greenblatt joins us to talk about the catastrophic leaders that populate the pages of Shakespeare’s work. Of course, the Bard had to be very careful about the critiques he levied against Queen Elizabeth and her court, so he used historic and mythic rulers like Richard III, Macbeth, and Lear to explore how dangerous demagogues come to power. We’ll discuss the lessons in his tragedies, and why Greenblatt says Shakespeare believed tyrants would ultimately fail.

Stephen Greenblatt is the Cogan University Professor of Humanities at Harvard University. His latest book is called Tyrant: Shakespeare on Politics [Indie bookstores|Amazon|Audible]

Doug Fabrizio has been reporting for KUER News since 1987, and became News Director in 1993. In 2001, he became host and executive producer of KUER's RadioWest, a one hour conversation/call-in show on KUER 90.1 in Salt Lake City. He has gained a reputation for his thoughtful style. He has interviewed everyone from Isabel Allende to the Dalai Lama, and from Madeleine Albright to Desmond Tutu. His interview skills landed him a spot as a guest host of the national NPR program, "Talk of the Nation." He has won numerous awards for his reporting and for his work with RadioWest and KUED's Utah NOW from such organizations as the Society of Professional Journalists, the Utah Broadcasters Association, the Public Radio News Directors Association and the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences.
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