Shakespeare's theory of international relations : diplomacy, romance, and aesthetics

This book treats William Shakespeare’s romances as international relations (IR) theory plays depicting paths to peace abroad, showing that the playwright sounds the depths of human emotions and resolves diplomatic crises threatening entire populations overseas. Remarkably, Shakespeare vindicates Renaissance concepts of IR classical realism, as well as our modern definitions of IR realism, defensive realism, and constructivism. These late plays reveal the playwright at the height of his aesthetic powers, for, by virtue of his art, his antagonistic state actors restore frayed international alliances and reap the benefits of a renewed sense of universal well-being. Table of Contents Acknowledgments Introduction 1. Cymbeline: An Unexpected Song of Peace 2. Pericles: Ethical and Metaphysical Dances 3. The Moral Architecture of IR Theory: The Tempest 4. The Ephemeral Art of IR Theory: The Winter’s Tale 5. The Two Noble Kinsmen: The Art of an Unethical Global System 6. IR Theory in Shakespearean and Renaissance Drama 7. Coda: Shakespeare’s IR Debt to Christopher Marlowe Conclusion Appendix A Notes Bibliography Index