Friday, April 21, 2023
Shakespeare's environmentalism: how his plays explore the same ecological issues we face today
theconversation.com: Climate change, urban sprawl, air pollution, deforestation, depleted fish stocks, biodiversity and species loss: these are not exclusively modern problems that only sprang up in the last few hundred years. In fact, the common but misleading phrase “industrial revolution” masks the long history of resource extraction and ecological degradation in the British Isles stretching back at least to the arrival of the tin-hungry Romans.
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Well I had most certainly never thought about Shakespeare and climate change in the same context. and I’m still not sure I fully understand the explanation given in the article about the timing of this first wave of industrialization. I do, however, I think it’s quite interesting that when Shakespeare was tasked with writing plays to entertain the noblemen and women he would use that to try and influence their thoughts, perhaps I simply need to read more Shakespeare in order to see this. Some of the examples listed in the article I have yet to read. I definitely think in future readings of Shakespeare, that will be a lens, through which I will read the show that being said, I often wonder about the interpretation of Shakespeare, and how much we create versus what is been placed intentionally or society is known to create evidence to what we wish to believe. I wonder if we can see more of Shakespeare’s environmental opinions in non-theatrical work?
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