Overview

'Powerful and illuminating' James Shapiro, author of 1599: A Year in the Life of William Shakespeare, winner of the Baillie Gifford 'Winner of Winners' 2023 'Insightful, passionate, piled with facts and has a warm, infectious love for theatre and Shakespeare running through every chapter' Adrian Lester, CBE Professor Farah Karim-Cooper grew up loving the Bard, perhaps because Romeo and Juliet felt Pakistani to her. But why was being white as a ‘snowy dove’ essential to Juliet’s beauty? Combining piercing analysis of race, gender and otherness in beloved plays from Othello to The Tempest with a radical reappraisal of Elizabethan London, The Great White Bard entreats us neither to idealise nor to fossilise Shakespeare but instead to look him in the eye and reckon with the discomforts of his plays, playhouses and society. If we persist in reading Shakespeare as representative of only one group, as the very pinnacle of the white Western canon, then he will truly be in peril. But if we dare to bring Shakespeare down from his plinth, we might unveil a playwright for the twenty-first century. We might expand and enrich his extraordinary legacy. We might even fall in love with him all over again.

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9780861548095

Table of Contents

Reviews

"'Vivid… a thorough analysis but also a kind of love letter… Karim-Cooper sees Shakespeare as holding a mirror to this society, with his plays interrogating live issues around race, identity and the colonial enterprise. Her critique is at its most absorbing and original when she shows how complicated his approach was… Her arguments come to feel essential and should be absorbed by every theatre director, writer, critic, interested in finding new ways into the work.’ -- Guardian 'Suffused with genuine passion.' -- The Times 'Anyone reading the contents page alone of Dr Farah Karim-Cooper's The Great White Bard will have their minds blown. Dive in and your whole cultural landscape will be refreshed and reframed. A book of great scholastic yet accessible detail, demanding that we pay attention with new understanding to the work of our greatest playwright, to the staging of that work and its unacknowledged impact on the 21st-century lives of all of us who unwittingly absorb its cultural norms – for good and ill. A challenging, riveting read, The Great White Bard reminds us how powerful the stories we tell can be on our lives.' -- Adjoa Andoh ‘This glorious book… is insightful, passionate, piled with facts and has a warm, infectious love for theatre and Shakespeare running through every chapter. Thank you to Farah Karim-Cooper for underlining the fact that we all have a right to claim Shakespeare’s work.’ -- Adrian Lester CBE 'The Great White Bard is conscientiously constructed and vitally important. The book is pitched perfectly for the general reader, and it provides clear and compelling models for how to read Shakespeare with race in mind.' -- Ayanna Thompson, author of Blackface ‘She concludes… “We all have the right to claim the Bard”  Amen to that.’ -- Daily Telegraph 'There are plenty of books on Shakespeare: but this one is different. This is Shakespeare as we’ve (most of us) never been willing to see him – and the works emerge from the analysis as newly complicit, powerful and yet recuperative.’ -- Emma Smith 'Farah Karim-Cooper has long been at the center of conversations about race in Shakespeare’s plays, drawing on her experiences as a woman of color, director of research and education at the Globe Theatre, and Shakespeare professor.  The Great White Bard is a powerful and illuminating result of this sustained engagement, grappling with how Shakespeare can be reimagined as a playwright who speaks to (and is spoken by) those excluded from the dominant culture.  Historically grounded, engagingly written, richly informed by stage history, and always attuned to the ""form and pressure"" of our time, The Great White Bard could not be more timely.' -- James Shapiro, author of 1599: A Year in the Life of William Shakespeare ‘Insightful… Karim-Cooper’s chapter on Antony and Cleopatra tackles with clarity and energy the question of why the Queen of Egypt's racial difference, though flagged in the text, has been consistently ignored in the play’s production history until quite recently… Karim-Cooper provides a good discussion of Othello and a helpfully provocative reading of The Tempest.’ -- New Statesman 'Farah Karim-Cooper's analysis comes from a wide and fascinating perspective. This is an accessible yet scholarly book guiding the reader through essential questions about race, gender and so much more in Shakespeare’s plays. It is personal, refreshing and necessary. She has helped me reframe and understand Shakespeare in a different way. Read it and learn!' -- Lolita Chakrabarti OBE ‘A bracing and illuminating read.’ -- Bookseller 'The Great White Bard is essential reading for teachers, students, practitioners and artists. It makes clear why the exploration of Shakespeare’s plays must expose the 400-year-old cultural attitudes contained in them if we are to discover their real relevance and resonance. Farah Karim-Cooper has written an important, illuminating and accessible work that invites our active participation in debate about the plays; to interpret and interrogate them, not to venerate.  It belongs in every Shakespeare classroom.' -- Jacqui O’Hanlon, Director of Learning, Royal Shakespeare Company 'The rigorous and nuanced analysis stimulates, and Karim-Cooper’s evenhanded approach refuses to excuse Shakespeare’s racism while insisting that his plays still have much to offer modern audiences. This is a vital contribution to the shelf on Shakespeare.' -- Publishers Weekly, starred review 'Illuminating both words and performance—[The Great White Bard is] an essential addition to Shakespeare studies.' -- Kirkus, starred review ‘To the contradictory suggestions that Shakespeare be either cancelled or fossilized, Karim-Cooper offers a wise and pragmatic third way… provocative… in its argument that Shakespeare continues to be a writer condemned to be interpreted and reinterpreted by the lights of outdated principles, be they aesthetic or political or as you like them, The Great White Bard has tremendous value.’ -- Brixton Review of Books ‘[The Great White Bard] combines textual analysis and historical context that will enrich any teacher’s knowledge and support pupils studying the work of Shakespeare at A Level or undergraduate level. Essential questions about race, gender, colonialisation and representation in Shakespeare’s plays and how this has shaped cultural Britain need to be asked. We must question how we read, teach and experience the theatrical canon… provocative… This book is an excellent reference point to those studying the original performance conditions and context of Elizabethan theatre. There is a wealth of rich historical information and Karim-Cooper uses her expert knowledge as director of education at Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre to paint a picture of the world in which Shakespeare’s ideas were conceived and written… this well-written book.’ -- Drama and Theatre ‘Karim-Cooper’s close reading of the plays for their racism is valuable… Karim-Cooper is strongest on he contemporary presentation of these plays… This book is not simply about Shakespeare and race: it is, in large part, a love letter to the bard.’ -- Irish Independent"

"'Vivid… a thorough analysis but also a kind of love letter… Karim-Cooper sees Shakespeare as holding a mirror to this society, with his plays interrogating live issues around race, identity and the colonial enterprise. Her critique is at its most absorbing and original when she shows how complicated his approach was… Her arguments come to feel essential and should be absorbed by every theatre director, writer, critic, interested in finding new ways into the work.’ -- Guardian 'Suffused with genuine passion.' -- The Times 'Anyone reading the contents page alone of Dr Farah Karim-Cooper's The Great White Bard will have their minds blown. Dive in and your whole cultural landscape will be refreshed and reframed. A book of great scholastic yet accessible detail, demanding that we pay attention with new understanding to the work of our greatest playwright, to the staging of that work and its unacknowledged impact on the 21st-century lives of all of us who unwittingly absorb its cultural norms – for good and ill. A challenging, riveting read, The Great White Bard reminds us how powerful the stories we tell can be on our lives.' -- Adjoa Andoh ‘This glorious book… is insightful, passionate, piled with facts and has a warm, infectious love for theatre and Shakespeare running through every chapter. Thank you to Farah Karim-Cooper for underlining the fact that we all have a right to claim Shakespeare’s work.’ -- Adrian Lester CBE 'The Great White Bard is conscientiously constructed and vitally important. The book is pitched perfectly for the general reader, and it provides clear and compelling models for how to read Shakespeare with race in mind.' -- Ayanna Thompson, author of Blackface 'The Great White Bard contributes to an essential discussion on Shakespeare and race, one that must include literary scholars, historians, etymologists, audiences and, yes, even actors. Let us all debate and think critically about the issues Karim-Cooper raises. At the end of the day, such tough love can guide us to truly love Shakespeare.' -- New York Times ‘She concludes… “We all have the right to claim the Bard.” Amen to that.’ -- Daily Telegraph 'There are plenty of books on Shakespeare: but this one is different. This is Shakespeare as we’ve (most of us) never been willing to see him – and the works emerge from the analysis as newly complicit, powerful and yet recuperative.’ -- Emma Smith 'Farah Karim-Cooper has long been at the center of conversations about race in Shakespeare’s plays, drawing on her experiences as a woman of color, director of research and education at the Globe Theatre, and Shakespeare professor.  The Great White Bard is a powerful and illuminating result of this sustained engagement, grappling with how Shakespeare can be reimagined as a playwright who speaks to (and is spoken by) those excluded from the dominant culture.  Historically grounded, engagingly written, richly informed by stage history, and always attuned to the ""form and pressure"" of our time, The Great White Bard could not be more timely.' -- James Shapiro, author of 1599: A Year in the Life of William Shakespeare 'Although Karim-Cooper’s new book tackles a long-standing scholarly question, it is remarkable for its accessibility, both to nonspecialist readers and to those who find themselves more invested in today’s politics than those of early English modernity.' -- Washington Post ‘Insightful… Karim-Cooper’s chapter on Antony and Cleopatra tackles with clarity and energy the question of why the Queen of Egypt's racial difference, though flagged in the text, has been consistently ignored in the play’s production history until quite recently… Karim-Cooper provides a good discussion of Othello and a helpfully provocative reading of The Tempest.’ -- New Statesman ‘A bracing and illuminating read.’ -- Bookseller 'Farah Karim-Cooper's analysis comes from a wide and fascinating perspective. This is an accessible yet scholarly book guiding the reader through essential questions about race, gender and so much more in Shakespeare’s plays. It is personal, refreshing and necessary. She has helped me reframe and understand Shakespeare in a different way. Read it and learn!' -- Lolita Chakrabarti OBE 'The Great White Bard is essential reading for teachers, students, practitioners and artists. It makes clear why the exploration of Shakespeare’s plays must expose the 400-year-old cultural attitudes contained in them if we are to discover their real relevance and resonance. Farah Karim-Cooper has written an important, illuminating and accessible work that invites our active participation in debate about the plays; to interpret and interrogate them, not to venerate.  It belongs in every Shakespeare classroom.' -- Jacqui O’Hanlon, Director of Learning, Royal Shakespeare Company 'The rigorous and nuanced analysis stimulates, and Karim-Cooper’s evenhanded approach refuses to excuse Shakespeare’s racism while insisting that his plays still have much to offer modern audiences. This is a vital contribution to the shelf on Shakespeare.' -- Publishers Weekly, starred review 'Illuminating both words and performance—[The Great White Bard is] an essential addition to Shakespeare studies.' -- Kirkus, starred review ‘To the contradictory suggestions that Shakespeare be either cancelled or fossilized, Karim-Cooper offers a wise and pragmatic third way… provocative… in its argument that Shakespeare continues to be a writer condemned to be interpreted and reinterpreted by the lights of outdated principles, be they aesthetic or political or as you like them, The Great White Bard has tremendous value.’ -- Brixton Review of Books ‘[The Great White Bard] combines textual analysis and historical context that will enrich any teacher’s knowledge and support pupils studying the work of Shakespeare at A Level or undergraduate level. Essential questions about race, gender, colonialisation and representation in Shakespeare’s plays and how this has shaped cultural Britain need to be asked. We must question how we read, teach and experience the theatrical canon… provocative… This book is an excellent reference point to those studying the original performance conditions and context of Elizabethan theatre. There is a wealth of rich historical information and Karim-Cooper uses her expert knowledge as director of education at Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre to paint a picture of the world in which Shakespeare’s ideas were conceived and written… this well-written book.’ -- Drama and Theatre ‘Karim-Cooper’s close reading of the plays for their racism is valuable… Karim-Cooper is strongest on he contemporary presentation of these plays… This book is not simply about Shakespeare and race: it is, in large part, a love letter to the bard.’ -- Irish Independent"

"'Vivid… a thorough analysis but also a kind of love letter… Karim-Cooper sees Shakespeare as holding a mirror to this society, with his plays interrogating live issues around race, identity and the colonial enterprise. Her critique is at its most absorbing and original when she shows how complicated his approach was… Her arguments come to feel essential and should be absorbed by every theatre director, writer, critic, interested in finding new ways into the work.’ —Guardian 'Anyone reading the contents page alone of Dr Farah Karim-Cooper's The Great White Bard will have their minds blown. Dive in and your whole cultural landscape will be refreshed and reframed. A book of great scholastic yet accessible detail, demanding that we pay attention with new understanding to the work of our greatest playwright, to the staging of that work and its unacknowledged impact on the 21st-century lives of all of us who unwittingly absorb its cultural norms – for good and ill. A challenging, riveting read, The Great White Bard reminds us how powerful the stories we tell can be on our lives.' —Adjoa Andoh 'This glorious book… is insightful, passionate, piled with facts and has a warm, infectious love for theatre and Shakespeare running through every chapter. Thank you to Farah Karim-Cooper for underlining the fact that we all have a right to claim Shakespeare’s work.' —Adrian Lester CBE 'Farah Karim-Cooper has long been at the center of conversations about race in Shakespeare’s plays, drawing on her experiences as a woman of color, director of research and education at the Globe Theatre, and Shakespeare professor. The Great White Bard is a powerful and illuminating result of this sustained engagement, grappling with how Shakespeare can be reimagined as a playwright who speaks to (and is spoken by) those excluded from the dominant culture. Historically grounded, engagingly written, richly informed by stage history, and always attuned to the ""form and pressure"" of our time, The Great White Bard could not be more timely.' —James Shapiro, author of 1599: A Year in the Life of William Shakespeare 'There are plenty of books on Shakespeare: but this one is different. This is Shakespeare as we’ve (most of us) never been willing to see him – and the works emerge from the analysis as newly complicit, powerful and yet recuperative.' —Emma Smith, author of Portable Magic 'The Great White Bard is conscientiously constructed and vitally important. The book is pitched perfectly for the general reader, and it provides clear and compelling models for how to read Shakespeare with race in mind.' —Ayanna Thompson, author of Blackface 'The Great White Bard contributes to an essential discussion on Shakespeare and race, one that must include literary scholars, historians, etymologists, audiences and, yes, even actors. Let us all debate and think critically about the issues Karim-Cooper raises. At the end of the day, such tough love can guide us to truly love Shakespeare.' —New York Times 'Suffused with genuine passion.' —The Times ‘She concludes… “We all have the right to claim the Bard.” Amen to that.’ —Daily Telegraph 'Insightful… Karim-Cooper’s chapter on Antony and Cleopatra tackles with clarity and energy the question of why the Queen of Egypt's racial difference, though flagged in the text, has been consistently ignored in the play’s production history until quite recently… Karim-Cooper provides a good discussion of Othello and a helpfully provocative reading of The Tempest.' —New Statesman ‘[The book] opens up territory that [Karim-Cooper] explores with unfailing dexterity. Karim-Cooper thus puts herself in dialogue with much of the excellent work on Shakespeare and race published over the past 30 years. Still, the examination of Shakespearean drama through the lens of race has seldom been achieved with the verve, clarity and attention to textual detail that she displays here. Her love for the plays is everywhere apparent.’ —Prospect 'Farah Karim-Cooper's analysis comes from a wide and fascinating perspective. This is an accessible yet scholarly book guiding the reader through essential questions about race, gender and so much more in Shakespeare’s plays. It is personal, refreshing and necessary. She has helped me reframe and understand Shakespeare in a different way. Read it and learn!' —Lolita Chakrabarti OBE 'The Great White Bard is essential reading for teachers, students, practitioners and artists. It makes clear why the exploration of Shakespeare’s plays must expose the 400-year-old cultural attitudes contained in them if we are to discover their real relevance and resonance. Farah Karim-Cooper has written an important, illuminating and accessible work that invites our active participation in debate about the plays; to interpret and interrogate them, not to venerate. It belongs in every Shakespeare classroom.' —Jacqui O’Hanlon, Director of Learning, Royal Shakespeare Company ‘A bracing and illuminating read.’ —The Bookseller 'The rigorous and nuanced analysis stimulates, and Karim-Cooper’s evenhanded approach refuses to excuse Shakespeare’s racism while insisting that his plays still have much to offer modern audiences. This is a vital contribution to the shelf on Shakespeare.' —Publishers Weekly, starred review 'Illuminating both words and performance – [The Great White Bard is] an essential addition to Shakespeare studies.' —Kirkus, starred review"

Author Information

Farah Karim-Cooper is Professor of Shakespeare Studies, King’s College London and Director of Education at Shakespeare’s Globe. She has written two Shakespearean scholarship books published by Arden and is a General Editor for Arden’s Shakespeare in the Theatre series.

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