Clare Asquith is a scholar whose work focuses on uncovering hidden meanings within literary texts. Her groundbreaking theories propose that Shakespeare's plays contain a coded layer of meaning, utilized by the Catholic underground during England's Reformation, simultaneously serving as a subtle plea for toleration. Inspired by her observations of coded messages in Russian dissident theater, Asquith's approach delves into the subtext of literary works, revealing a unique perspective on historical communication and artistic expression. Her scholarship highlights the intricate relationship between art, politics, and clandestine communication.
Set in 16th century England, the narrative explores the tension between loyalty to the crown and faith in God during a time of authoritarian rule and fear. Amidst a climate of oppression and paranoia, the story examines the silence of William Shakespeare, a towering figure of creativity, regarding the tumultuous political landscape. It raises questions about the role of art and the artist in a society fraught with danger, delving into the complexities of creativity in an era marked by conflict and repression.
Shakespeare's largely misunderstood narrative poems contain within them an explosive commentary on the political storms convulsing his country The 1590s were bleak years for England. The queen was old, the succession unclear, and the treasury empty after decades of war. Amid the rising tension, William Shakespeare published a pair of poems dedicated to the young Earl of Southampton: Venus and Adonis in 1593 and The Rape of Lucrece a year later. Although wildly popular during Shakespeare's lifetime, to modern readers both works are almost impenetrable. But in her enthralling new book, the Shakespearean scholar Clare Asquith reveals their hidden contents: two politically charged allegories of Tudor tyranny that justified-and even urged-direct action against an unpopular regime. The poems were Shakespeare's bestselling works in his lifetime, evidence that they spoke clearly to England's wounded populace and disaffected nobility, and especially to their champion, the Earl of Essex. Shakespeare and the Resistance unearths Shakespeare's own analysis of a political and religious crisis which would shortly erupt in armed rebellion on the streets of London. Using the latest historical research, it resurrects the story of a bold bid for freedom of conscience and an end to corruption that was erased from history by the men who suppressed it. This compelling reading situates Shakespeare at the heart of the resistance movement.
