Deadwood and Shakespeare

<p> Set in politically unstable environments Shakespeare's history plays--<I>Richard II 1 Henry IV 2 Henry IV and Henry V</I>--and HBO's Western series <I>Deadwood</I> (2004-2006) all stand as critiques of myths of national origin the sanitized stories we tell ourselves about how power imposes order on chaos.</p><p> Drawing parallels between the Shakespeare plays and <I>Deadwood</I> the author explores questions about legitimate political authority the qualities of an effective leader gender roles and community and the reciprocal relationship between past and present in historical narratives.</p>