Paul Adrian Fried / HAMLET'S BIBLE

How do we make sense of recent events in the US, after the death of George Floyd, held down by four cops, one kneeling on his neck for eight minutes? [ CNN photo ] Does Shakespeare matter, help, or get in the way at times as we strive to make sense of the unfolding chaos, of the actions of provocateurs, the violence of the police and national guard against peaceful protesters? I'd like to offer a brief account of my understanding of the context, and then just a few insights from a handful of Shakespeare's plays, not an exhaustive list. [Note: I am not observing "Blackout Tuesday" in part because some have criticized it for being counter-productive at a time when people in the US should have access to information and discussion of current events , but I don't criticize or judge anyone who observes it due to their own convictions.] GEORGE FLOYD IN CONTEXT George Floyd was accused of trying to pass a counterfeit $20 bill. We don’t know if in fact it was ...

Richard Utz: Race, Racism, and the Middle Ages When Shakespeare fans and scholars speak of antisemitism and racism, they often talk of The Merchant of Venice (with its shylock the Jew), Othello (with a black Muslim as its title character), and The Tempest (with its "savage" Caliban) for starters. Richard Utz and "friends at The Public Medievalist" have assembled a wonderful and thought-provoking list of readings more related to the Middle Ages than Shakespeare, but some of my connections may find it interesting and helpful. It is intended in part to counter the tendencies of certain people of the far right to hijack the Middle Ages (via arm-chair revisionism) for white supremacy. - PF https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/race-racism-middle-ages-richard-utz/ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Links to a description of my book project: On LinkedIn: https://lnkd.in/eJGBtqV On this blog: https://pauladrianfried.blogspot.com/2017/05/hamlets-bible-my-bo...