Bargains with Fate

The enduring appeal of Shakespeares works derives largely from the fact that they contain brilliantly drawn characters. Interpretations of these characters are products of changing modes of thought and thus past explanations of their behavior including Shakespeares no longer satisfy us. In this work Bernard J. Paris an eminent Shakespearean scholar shows how Shakespeare endowed his tragic heroes with enduring human qualities that have made them relevant to people of later eras.Bargains with Fate employs a psychoanalytic approach inspired by the theories of Karen Horney to analyze Shakespeares four major tragedies and the personality that can be inferred from all of his works. This compelling study first examines the tragedies as dramas about individuals with conflicts like our own who are in a state of crisis due to the breakdown of their bargains with fate a belief that they can magically control their destinies by living up to the dictates of their defensive strategies.Filled with bold hypotheses supported by carefully detailed accounts this innovative study is a resource for students and scholars of Shakespeare and for those interested in literature as a source of psychological insight. The authors combination of literary and psychoanalytic perspectives guides us to a humane understanding of Shakespeare and his protagonists and in turn to a more profound knowledge of ourselves and human behavior.