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Cabbala e occultismo nell'età elisabettiana
Cabbala e occultismo nell'età elisabettiana è l'ultimo importante lavoro di Frances Yates. In questo studio l'Autrice compie un «arrischiato tentativo» di esplorare alcuni punti chiave della cultura religiosa, letteraria, politica tra Quattrocento e Seicento. Ne risulta, per la storia del pensiero, un'indagine che, attraverso credenze, filosofie, pratiche magiche, liturgie segrete, sa iniziare il lettore a uno dei capitoli certo più affascinanti, ma dai piú difficili accessi, della storia delle idee rinascimentali e secentesche. Frances Yates traccia per grandi linee, e soffermandosi sui personaggi di maggior rilievo, la storia della filosofia occulta, cominciando con Raimondo Lullo come esempio di cabbala cristiana in Spagna, procedendo poi da Pico della Mirandola a Reuchlin, Francesco Giorgi, Enrico Cornelio Agrippa e Dürer. La seconda parte approfondisce le figure di John Dee, Marlowe, Chapman e infine di Shakespeare, soprattutto nel Re Lear e nella Tempesta.
240 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1979
38 people are currently reading
1773 people want to read
About the author
Frances A. Yates
39 books203 followersDame Frances Amelia Yates DBE FBA was an English historian who focused on the study of the Renaissance. In an academic capacity, she taught at the Warburg Institute of the University of London for many years, and also wrote a number of seminal books on the subject of esoteric history.
Yates was born to a middle-class family in Portsmouth, and was largely self-educated, before attaining a BA and MA in French at the University College, London. She began to publish her research in scholarly journals and academic books, focusing on 16th century theatre and the life of John Florio. In 1941, she was employed by the Warburg Institute, and began to work on what she termed "Warburgian history", emphasising a pan-European and inter-disciplinary approach to historiography.
In 1964 she published Giordano Bruno and the Hermetic Tradition, an examination of Bruno, which came to be seen as her most significant publication. In this book, she emphasised the role of Hermeticism in Bruno's works, and the role that magic and mysticism played in Renaissance thinking. She wrote extensively on the occult or Neoplatonic philosophies of the Renaissance.
Yates was born to a middle-class family in Portsmouth, and was largely self-educated, before attaining a BA and MA in French at the University College, London. She began to publish her research in scholarly journals and academic books, focusing on 16th century theatre and the life of John Florio. In 1941, she was employed by the Warburg Institute, and began to work on what she termed "Warburgian history", emphasising a pan-European and inter-disciplinary approach to historiography.
In 1964 she published Giordano Bruno and the Hermetic Tradition, an examination of Bruno, which came to be seen as her most significant publication. In this book, she emphasised the role of Hermeticism in Bruno's works, and the role that magic and mysticism played in Renaissance thinking. She wrote extensively on the occult or Neoplatonic philosophies of the Renaissance.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews
June 21, 2010
I wanted to read this book but delayed because it seemed too dry. No. couldn't put it down. The relationships between Alchemy & Shakespeare was the best part of the book.
December 23, 2016
Starting from Hermes Trismegistus, this book traces the path of occult philosophy as it entered the Renaissance world in the form of Christian Cabala, largely by attempts made by Pico Della Mirandola and others to introduce Christian symbolism into the Jewish Cabala . They showcased the semblance as the highest kind of learning and tried to remove any dark/devilish interpretations from the practices to make them pristine. Frances Yates argues that it is this form of Christian Cabala that managed to leak into Elizabethan England and came to influence the mood of the period, so much so that its ripples can be felt in the works of Shakespeare.
It explains how the expulsion of Jews from Spain and the resulting refuge in other European regions suddenly introduced the scholars in different countries to the relatively unknown practice of the Cabala, and that is how Pico Della Mirandola and later the infamous Cornelius Agrippa chanced upon such a knowledge. Agrippa's book De Occulta Philosophia would emerge as the main source for the later Elizabethan scholars to carry forward their work.
Here is Frances Yates in her own words:
"The Elizabethan world was populated, not only by tough seamen, hard-headed politicians, serious theologians. It was a world of spirits, good and bad, fairies, demons, witches, ghosts, conjurers. This fact about the Elizabethans, reflected in their poetry, is too well known to need elaboration. The epic poem in which the aspirations of the age found expression evolved around a ‘fairy’ queen; one of the most significant figures in the poem is an enchanter (Spencer's The Faerie Queene). And the greatest plays of the greatest poet of the age are suffused in the atmosphere of the occult. Macbeth meets witches; Hamlet is haunted by the ghost. Was this preoccupation with the occult derived solely from popular traditions or influences? Or did it have some deep-seated connection with the philosophy of the age?"
She suggests the influence of John Dee on the Elizabethan age, who was in turn inspired by the likes of Agrippa: "He appears as truly a man of the late Renaissance developing Renaissance occult philosophy in scientific directions, involved in the religious and reforming side of the movement, but overtaken by the reaction of the later sixteenth century." The reaction she talks about are the attempts to link occult with witchcraft by many a gentlemen of that age, prominently among them was Marlow whose Doctor Faustus is looked upon as propagandist literature, which suggested harsh punishment for those involved in the occult, considering it a dark art. The Faust figure was a subtle dig at Agrippa according to Yates. Passionate defenses were produced as well, Chapman's Shadow of night among them, and surprisingly The Tempest, which is seen in a completely new light in this book: "In The Tempest, written after Dee’s death and during the period of ‘the Elizabethan revival within the Jacobean age’, Dee is shadowed through Prospero in this most daring play which presents a good conjurer at a time when conjuring was a dreaded accusation of the propaganda of the reaction."
Calling this book an attempted history of the Christian Cabala, the writer acknowledges that whereas a lot of Hebrew historians have attempted a proper study of Jewish Cabala, very little is written on the subject she addresses in this book and believes that it is just the beginning of a long line of work that can be followed up by later historians. In the epilogue she writes: "The subject is of immense importance, nothing less than the new approach to the Judeo–Christian tradition made in the enthusiastic revival of Hebrew studies at the Renaissance. In its profoundly religious approach, Christian Cabala almost repeats the original situation from which Christianity derived. The early Christians appropriated a Christianised form of the Jewish religion. Similarly, the Christian Cabalists of the Renaissance appropriated Jewish mysticism or Cabala and used it for their own religious ends."
What Frances Yates produces here is a thrilling work of scholarship, and I am in no position to comment on it. The way it works for me is to help me understand the many ways in which history works, and how different ways of looking produces different meanings. Given my fascination for the esoteric, this book was quite interesting to read. I am sure something like this cannot be achieved without hours and hours of systematic research. It makes me respect genuine scholars because when they think they are sure about something, bloody hard-word has gone into it. Shouldn't harm us to spare a thought about it, especially in the "social media" milieu where every tom, dick, and harry has something to say about everything.
It explains how the expulsion of Jews from Spain and the resulting refuge in other European regions suddenly introduced the scholars in different countries to the relatively unknown practice of the Cabala, and that is how Pico Della Mirandola and later the infamous Cornelius Agrippa chanced upon such a knowledge. Agrippa's book De Occulta Philosophia would emerge as the main source for the later Elizabethan scholars to carry forward their work.
Here is Frances Yates in her own words:
"The Elizabethan world was populated, not only by tough seamen, hard-headed politicians, serious theologians. It was a world of spirits, good and bad, fairies, demons, witches, ghosts, conjurers. This fact about the Elizabethans, reflected in their poetry, is too well known to need elaboration. The epic poem in which the aspirations of the age found expression evolved around a ‘fairy’ queen; one of the most significant figures in the poem is an enchanter (Spencer's The Faerie Queene). And the greatest plays of the greatest poet of the age are suffused in the atmosphere of the occult. Macbeth meets witches; Hamlet is haunted by the ghost. Was this preoccupation with the occult derived solely from popular traditions or influences? Or did it have some deep-seated connection with the philosophy of the age?"
She suggests the influence of John Dee on the Elizabethan age, who was in turn inspired by the likes of Agrippa: "He appears as truly a man of the late Renaissance developing Renaissance occult philosophy in scientific directions, involved in the religious and reforming side of the movement, but overtaken by the reaction of the later sixteenth century." The reaction she talks about are the attempts to link occult with witchcraft by many a gentlemen of that age, prominently among them was Marlow whose Doctor Faustus is looked upon as propagandist literature, which suggested harsh punishment for those involved in the occult, considering it a dark art. The Faust figure was a subtle dig at Agrippa according to Yates. Passionate defenses were produced as well, Chapman's Shadow of night among them, and surprisingly The Tempest, which is seen in a completely new light in this book: "In The Tempest, written after Dee’s death and during the period of ‘the Elizabethan revival within the Jacobean age’, Dee is shadowed through Prospero in this most daring play which presents a good conjurer at a time when conjuring was a dreaded accusation of the propaganda of the reaction."
Calling this book an attempted history of the Christian Cabala, the writer acknowledges that whereas a lot of Hebrew historians have attempted a proper study of Jewish Cabala, very little is written on the subject she addresses in this book and believes that it is just the beginning of a long line of work that can be followed up by later historians. In the epilogue she writes: "The subject is of immense importance, nothing less than the new approach to the Judeo–Christian tradition made in the enthusiastic revival of Hebrew studies at the Renaissance. In its profoundly religious approach, Christian Cabala almost repeats the original situation from which Christianity derived. The early Christians appropriated a Christianised form of the Jewish religion. Similarly, the Christian Cabalists of the Renaissance appropriated Jewish mysticism or Cabala and used it for their own religious ends."
What Frances Yates produces here is a thrilling work of scholarship, and I am in no position to comment on it. The way it works for me is to help me understand the many ways in which history works, and how different ways of looking produces different meanings. Given my fascination for the esoteric, this book was quite interesting to read. I am sure something like this cannot be achieved without hours and hours of systematic research. It makes me respect genuine scholars because when they think they are sure about something, bloody hard-word has gone into it. Shouldn't harm us to spare a thought about it, especially in the "social media" milieu where every tom, dick, and harry has something to say about everything.
October 17, 2009
Yates' last book is a great read, touching upon essential points in the philosophy of a great many central figures of the esoteric renaissance. She makes a case for Christian Qabbalah being one of the most important uniting strains of thought in the works of these figures (Giorgi, Pico Della Mirondola, Dee, etc.), and does so convincingly.
At the same time, the works of such authors are linked to the literature and mythology of the Elizabethan age, which adds fascinating parts of art and literary history to this book. Add to that that the book's written in a clear and well-paced style, and you end up with one of the essential works of the history of renaissance philosophy and culture. Highly recommended!
At the same time, the works of such authors are linked to the literature and mythology of the Elizabethan age, which adds fascinating parts of art and literary history to this book. Add to that that the book's written in a clear and well-paced style, and you end up with one of the essential works of the history of renaissance philosophy and culture. Highly recommended!
May 28, 2019
Confieso que mi acercamiento al hermetismo comenzó con la curiosidad de entender el Tarot y no fue tan errado el tiro. Mucho más complejo que el juego de cartas de Marsella y sus precedentes, el tema de este libro de Frances Yates -clásico ya- es una referencia obligada para tener una mejor comprensión de los lindes de la era premoderna y la Modernidad, justo antes de la era newtoniana; cuando el Renacimiento era una esperanza de lo total... Ahora, las premisas herméticas soslayadas por el cuento de la superación personal y nuestra perspectiva cientificista (que no científica) deben resonar con fuerza desde los espacios imaginarios de lo poético.
April 12, 2023
Denna bok var annorlunda än vad jag väntat mig. Det är mindre en idehistorisk översikt, och mer en berättelse om hur idéerna om en förenad judeokristen-paganistisk perennialistisk filosofi skulle kunna se ut. Boken är lärd och lättläst, och Shakespearenördar kommer uppskatta de litterära referenserna. Däremot är den inte en djupgenomgång av tänkarnas resonemang.
December 24, 2024
Part I: The Occult Philosophy in Renaissance and Reformation
1. Medieval Christian Cabala: The Art of Ramon Lull
2. The Occult Philosophy in the Italian Renaissance: Pico della Mirandola
3. The Occult Philosophy in the Reformation: Johannes Reuchlin
4. The Cabalist Friar of Venice: Francesco Giorgi
5. The Occult Philosophy and Magic: Henry Cornelius Agrippa
6. The Occult Philosophy and Melancholy: Dürer and Agrippa
7. Reactions against the Occult Philosophy: the Witch Craze
Part II: The Occult Philosophy in the Elizabethan Age
8. John Dee: Christian Cabalist
9. Spenser's Neoplatonism and the Occult Philosophy: John Dee and The Faerie Queene
10. Elizabethan England and the Jews
11. The Reaction: Christopher Marlowe on Conjurors, Imperialists and Jews
12. Shakespeare and Christian Cabala: Francesco Giorgi and The Merchant of Venice
13. Agrippa and Elizabethan Melancholy: George Chapman's Shadow of Night
14. Shakespearean Fairies, Witches, Melancholy: King Lear and the Demons
15. Prospero: The Shakespearean Magus
Part III: The Occult Philosophy and Rosicrucianism and Puritanism. The Return of the Jews to England
16. Christian Cabala and Rosicrucianism
17. The Occult Philosophy and Puritanism: John Milton
18. The Return of the Jews to England
1. Medieval Christian Cabala: The Art of Ramon Lull
2. The Occult Philosophy in the Italian Renaissance: Pico della Mirandola
3. The Occult Philosophy in the Reformation: Johannes Reuchlin
4. The Cabalist Friar of Venice: Francesco Giorgi
5. The Occult Philosophy and Magic: Henry Cornelius Agrippa
6. The Occult Philosophy and Melancholy: Dürer and Agrippa
7. Reactions against the Occult Philosophy: the Witch Craze
Part II: The Occult Philosophy in the Elizabethan Age
8. John Dee: Christian Cabalist
9. Spenser's Neoplatonism and the Occult Philosophy: John Dee and The Faerie Queene
10. Elizabethan England and the Jews
11. The Reaction: Christopher Marlowe on Conjurors, Imperialists and Jews
12. Shakespeare and Christian Cabala: Francesco Giorgi and The Merchant of Venice
13. Agrippa and Elizabethan Melancholy: George Chapman's Shadow of Night
14. Shakespearean Fairies, Witches, Melancholy: King Lear and the Demons
15. Prospero: The Shakespearean Magus
Part III: The Occult Philosophy and Rosicrucianism and Puritanism. The Return of the Jews to England
16. Christian Cabala and Rosicrucianism
17. The Occult Philosophy and Puritanism: John Milton
18. The Return of the Jews to England
July 16, 2019
Yates has better-known books and frankly I think I should have started with one, but I enjoyed this considerably anyway. Yates' theme - here and throughout her career - is that the Renaissance blossomed with considerable quantities of esoteric-magical lore, from the Hermetic tradition that got entangled with neo-Platonism to, especially here, the Christian Cabala, before being beaten down by the Nasty Jesuits of the Counter-Reformation (on Continong) and more humourless forms of Protestantism (in Blighty, slightly later).
Her method is mostly to (a) announce her intuitions and then (b) to announce that her intuitions are convincing, and I guess some more pedantic historiographers may not be up for that but I am fine with it, and we after a briefing on the Christian Cabala tradition we whirl merrily through the careers of John Dee, Marlowe and Some Of Shakespeare (she has at least one other whole book on Shakespeare's late plays). It's all great fun and a fascinating (if silly) cosmology, and I enjoyed it if anything too much.
A downside of the Kindle edition is that the plates are grubby little black and white things that are hard to access or view.
Her method is mostly to (a) announce her intuitions and then (b) to announce that her intuitions are convincing, and I guess some more pedantic historiographers may not be up for that but I am fine with it, and we after a briefing on the Christian Cabala tradition we whirl merrily through the careers of John Dee, Marlowe and Some Of Shakespeare (she has at least one other whole book on Shakespeare's late plays). It's all great fun and a fascinating (if silly) cosmology, and I enjoyed it if anything too much.
A downside of the Kindle edition is that the plates are grubby little black and white things that are hard to access or view.
November 12, 2020
Een van de vreemdste en fascinerendste boeken die ik ooit gelezen heb.
August 28, 2016
Dame Frances Yates’ work is a study of Christian cabalism as it was understood in Elizabethan England. She argues that “occult” philosophy was the dominant philosophy and sees Cabala as “supposed esoteric tradition passed down from Moses through the ages. It includes the ‘Sephiroth,” “intermediaries or emanations of the divine” (Yates 2).”
Cabalism didn’t arise in a vacuum but was mediated through several countries, religious groups, and wandering philosophers (Bruno et al). These men gave us the idea of the Magus. A magus is “a lofty figure, endowed with powers of operating on the world” (21).
The Renaissance magicians thought of themselves as “white magicians.” Angels and not demons. Angelic influences pour down through the Sephiroth (77).
Lull’s Theory
“Everything in the natural world is composed of the four elements...to [which correspond] the elemental qualities--cold, moist, dry, hot” (12).
Lull doesn’t believe in astrology in the sense of horoscope. Rather, he holds that the planets correspond to Neo-Platonic powers (very similar to CS Lewis in That Hideous Strength). These forces weren’t evil per se. They are good (as all of God’s creation is). Rather, they can be used for evil purposes and in that sense can become a terror to the wielder (29).
While respectable academics might scoff at any “occultism,” few doubt the Neo-Platonism of the time as seen in Spenser and others. The Neo-Platonic poets posited a mystical, Arthurian side of the British Empire (93). And Yates’ genius is able to make sense of otherwise difficult moments in the Spenserian tradition. By positing a hermetic undertone, Yates opens up mysteries in why Spenser opted for 12 Books when there are not 12 Aristotelian virtues. Yates suggests that for Spenser the “12” is a combination of both 12 Aristotelian virtues and the sign of the Zodiac (119).
Yates advances the conclusion that Spenser’s poem is not only a Neo-Platonic manifesto (which is true and rarely disputed) but one that is based on the Christian cabala of Giorgi and Agrippa (123).
As always, Yates gives us top-notch scholarship. There are only a few minor qualms. Parts of the book repeat itself and other parts don’t appear immediately relevant.
Cabalism didn’t arise in a vacuum but was mediated through several countries, religious groups, and wandering philosophers (Bruno et al). These men gave us the idea of the Magus. A magus is “a lofty figure, endowed with powers of operating on the world” (21).
The Renaissance magicians thought of themselves as “white magicians.” Angels and not demons. Angelic influences pour down through the Sephiroth (77).
Lull’s Theory
“Everything in the natural world is composed of the four elements...to [which correspond] the elemental qualities--cold, moist, dry, hot” (12).
Lull doesn’t believe in astrology in the sense of horoscope. Rather, he holds that the planets correspond to Neo-Platonic powers (very similar to CS Lewis in That Hideous Strength). These forces weren’t evil per se. They are good (as all of God’s creation is). Rather, they can be used for evil purposes and in that sense can become a terror to the wielder (29).
While respectable academics might scoff at any “occultism,” few doubt the Neo-Platonism of the time as seen in Spenser and others. The Neo-Platonic poets posited a mystical, Arthurian side of the British Empire (93). And Yates’ genius is able to make sense of otherwise difficult moments in the Spenserian tradition. By positing a hermetic undertone, Yates opens up mysteries in why Spenser opted for 12 Books when there are not 12 Aristotelian virtues. Yates suggests that for Spenser the “12” is a combination of both 12 Aristotelian virtues and the sign of the Zodiac (119).
Yates advances the conclusion that Spenser’s poem is not only a Neo-Platonic manifesto (which is true and rarely disputed) but one that is based on the Christian cabala of Giorgi and Agrippa (123).
As always, Yates gives us top-notch scholarship. There are only a few minor qualms. Parts of the book repeat itself and other parts don’t appear immediately relevant.
November 14, 2011
In this followup to her paradigm changing, Giordano Bruno and the Hermetic Tradition, Frances Yates explores the influences such disparate themes as the emergence of Christian Cabala, the influence of Cornelius Agrippa's (1486-1535) transvaluation of the Saturnine upon Albrecht Dürer (1471-1528), the complex relationship between the Continental Reformation and the Hermetic revival, and John Dee's (1527-1608) influence on Elizabethan culture and literature. In all areas analyzed, Yates treats the subjects with enough depth to make this study stand up as a worthy successor to her prior work. Of particular interest to me was the treatment of John Dee as an English Neoplatonist par excellence. Provided Yates' analysis is correct, Dee's influence upon the intellectual landscape of Elizabethan England, in particular the phenomenon of British Imperialism, was tremendous—a fact I was wholly ignorant of prior to reading this book. While not as tightly focused as other books of hers, The Occult Philosophy in the Elizabethan Age, weaves a tightly argued picture of previously unexplored areas of esotericism in the Renaissance.
March 19, 2009
Éste es un libro literalmente seminal que ayudó a ampliar la visión que se tenía de la época isabelina y la interpretación de algunas de las obras literarias más representativas de esa época. A través de su amplia, pero no por ello menos detallista, recreación del ocultismo en la época de Isabel I, Yates nos presenta una época en que la filosofía, las religiones y la política se entrelazaban de manera fascinante, aunque no siempre amistosa. La primera parte del libro es una excelente y erudita introducción a la filosofía neoplatonista y el cabalismo cristiano de Europa continental. Una excelente introducción para los neófitos y un delicioso manual de referencia rápida para los expertos. La segunda parte explora las manifestaciones del cabalismo cristiano y el iluminismo rosacruz en Inglaterra, centrándose en la figura "maldita" del Doctor Dee. Finalmente, Yates explora las influencias filosófica en la literatura de la época, desde las obras "retrógadas" de Marlowe, hasta las cambiantes visiones sobre los judíos, las brujas y los magos en las obras de Shakespeare.
March 21, 2017
An excellent book by Fraces Yates which examines the occult philosopy (Hermeticism, Neoplatonism, Christian Cabala, magic, and the Rosicrucian) in the Elizabethan age and the Renaissance! The book also examines the works of great men of letters (e.g. Spenser, Sidney, Marlow, Johnson, Shakespeare, Francis Bacon, John Dee, Aggripp, Marsilius, and della Mirandola). through that philosophic lens! I found the book so enlightening and interesting, though difficult in some places. However, the book shows the importance of understanding the historical, cultural, and intellectual context of a literary or artistic work if one whishes to understand and appreciate it appropriately. I would also recommend reading Yates' book "Giordano Bruno" and the Hermetic Tradition".
September 3, 2013
Fascinating! The Importance of Christian Kabbalah and other occult philosophies in the development of Renaissance thought and their role in the Reformation. Exploring works by Durer, Spenser, Marlowe, Shakespeare and Milton from an "occult philosophy" perspective. I could go on.
Reading this book, one gets the impression that this incorporates (sometimes summarizing, sometimes drawing new connections) material Yates wrote about in previous books and articles. That makes it seem like a great introduction to her scholarship.
Reading this book, one gets the impression that this incorporates (sometimes summarizing, sometimes drawing new connections) material Yates wrote about in previous books and articles. That makes it seem like a great introduction to her scholarship.
April 29, 2013
The first part of Yates' book is devoted to reviewing the most important thinkers of "the occult philosophy." I found this the most interesting section of the book. I felt that her interpretations of Elizabethan literature in light of the occult philosophy (which most of the rest of the book was devoted)were rather a stretch and not always believable. But as she herself notes, she uncovers enough of value to make the topic worth pursuing.
October 29, 2021
Unfortunately I did not like this book nearly as much as the other Yates books that I have read.
Firstly, I did not find the subjects discussed in this book to be of general interest. The book was largely concerned with linking hermetic-cabalist tradition to Elizabethan literature, which is much less interesting to me than learning about the practices and beliefs surrounding hermetism and cabalism. I think perhaps the problem is the title of the book. It should be something like "The Effect of Occult Philosophy on Elizabethan Literature." I would not have bothered with this book if I had realized that it was literary criticism more than anything else. In addition, Yates presumes that you are familiar with all of the art and literature discussed, which does not seem reasonable to me.
Secondly, this book felt somewhat disjointed with each section feeling like a standalone student's term paper rather than a section of a cohesive whole. Overall, I found some parts interesting (especially the first third of the book) but I would not recommend this unless you are specifically interested in the history and context of Shakespeare, Marlowe, Spencer, Milton, etc. Almost everything else here can be gleaned from Yates' other books.
Firstly, I did not find the subjects discussed in this book to be of general interest. The book was largely concerned with linking hermetic-cabalist tradition to Elizabethan literature, which is much less interesting to me than learning about the practices and beliefs surrounding hermetism and cabalism. I think perhaps the problem is the title of the book. It should be something like "The Effect of Occult Philosophy on Elizabethan Literature." I would not have bothered with this book if I had realized that it was literary criticism more than anything else. In addition, Yates presumes that you are familiar with all of the art and literature discussed, which does not seem reasonable to me.
Secondly, this book felt somewhat disjointed with each section feeling like a standalone student's term paper rather than a section of a cohesive whole. Overall, I found some parts interesting (especially the first third of the book) but I would not recommend this unless you are specifically interested in the history and context of Shakespeare, Marlowe, Spencer, Milton, etc. Almost everything else here can be gleaned from Yates' other books.
December 1, 2021
Definitely not for those who know nothing of the kabbalah, hermeticism or the Elizabethian Age. Yates's assumption is that the reader is already conversant in Renaissance magic and Elizabethian culture.
For those who have a working knowledge of the above, there is a lot of speculation to which Yates readily admits.
In the end, there are some interesting ideas regarding Spencer, Marlowe, and Shakespeare for those who power through the relatively slow beginning chapters.
For those who have a working knowledge of the above, there is a lot of speculation to which Yates readily admits.
In the end, there are some interesting ideas regarding Spencer, Marlowe, and Shakespeare for those who power through the relatively slow beginning chapters.
September 8, 2022
can be somewhat opaque and confusing as to what said occult philosophy actually IS but really good work of scholarship about a fascinating strand of thought and time period. definitely makes me want to read more yates and about the time in general…luckily i have 2 other books on john dee and another on kabbalah lined up. kinda strange synchronicity that i finished the day liz ii died.
December 12, 2018
This is a book worth reading if you're at all interested in the time period and subject matter. It's really quite fascinating!
March 9, 2019
Just really, truly fascinating. That's all I've got to say
Read
September 1, 2019Excellent and thrillingly written investigation into occult thought in the English Renaissance.
August 24, 2020
I was impressed by Yates's curious mind, which makes her connect things that are not so easy or obvious for many others. Especially in the section dedicated to the British Literature and its links to the political situation at that time. The differences between Spencer and Marlowe and Shakespeare's works inspired (maybe) by the Neoplatonic ideas of the Italian Renaissance
September 20, 2016
In this book, Frances A. Yates connects the Spanish expulsion of the Jews in 1492 to a search for a Christian Cabala, a synthesis to find a way of blending Judaism with Christianity.
Pico della Mirandola, Giordano Bruno, Cornellius Agrippa, and John Dee are prominent here. She also describes the pushback in England, fueled by Christopher Marlowe's anti-Semitic play, "The Jew of Malta." Marlowe's play fomented anti-Semitic riots. It is her assertion that Shakespeare wrote "The Merchant of Venice" as a counter argument to Marlowe. Shakespeare's uses of spirits and witches were not fantasy; rather, the population of that time believed witches were in their midst.
It was a very interesting read, and will lead me to search out other works of Elizabethan plays and poetry.
Pico della Mirandola, Giordano Bruno, Cornellius Agrippa, and John Dee are prominent here. She also describes the pushback in England, fueled by Christopher Marlowe's anti-Semitic play, "The Jew of Malta." Marlowe's play fomented anti-Semitic riots. It is her assertion that Shakespeare wrote "The Merchant of Venice" as a counter argument to Marlowe. Shakespeare's uses of spirits and witches were not fantasy; rather, the population of that time believed witches were in their midst.
It was a very interesting read, and will lead me to search out other works of Elizabethan plays and poetry.
December 6, 2011
I picked this up more for the Elizabethan connection than anything else. I think it would help to have a good background in occult studies, something I do not have. I found her connection of certain Elizbethan occult beliefs to Cabbla intersting. My comments are on the literature connection.
I just have to say - Bassanio as a Jew? Nope, sorry. Don't buy it. I'll grant you, Dr. Yates, you made a good agrument. But no, as much as I love Shakespeare; I don't think Merchant was a love poem in ode of Jews.
You might be one to Spenser's strutuce of the fairy queen, and the connections you made between royalty and alcmeny were somewhat interesting.
I just have to say - Bassanio as a Jew? Nope, sorry. Don't buy it. I'll grant you, Dr. Yates, you made a good agrument. But no, as much as I love Shakespeare; I don't think Merchant was a love poem in ode of Jews.
You might be one to Spenser's strutuce of the fairy queen, and the connections you made between royalty and alcmeny were somewhat interesting.
April 26, 2010
Nophoto-m-25x33 So if you thought the melancholic is the most boring of the 4 types of personality (other being phlegmatic, sanguinic, choleric) you're wrong.
Melancholic Saturn weathers all obstacles with stamina and memory.
Descartes fought protestants as a soldier 1620., near White Mountain, and had a vision (Angel coming and saying that nature shall be conquered by number.) 1637. he printed Discours sur la method, renouncing occultism.
Melancholic Saturn weathers all obstacles with stamina and memory.
Descartes fought protestants as a soldier 1620., near White Mountain, and had a vision (Angel coming and saying that nature shall be conquered by number.) 1637. he printed Discours sur la method, renouncing occultism.
June 17, 2007
Very interesting analysis of John Dee's occultism and its effects on Elizabeth's foreign policy and propaganda. Also includes a concise but informative review of the hermetic and occultist traditions that came before and may have influenced Dee. Yates goes so far in her interpretations that sometimes it reads almost like an umberto eco novel, but that is kind of a good thing.
April 18, 2013
Really excellent work by one of the greatest writers on the occult I've ever read. Her mastery is superb and especially helpful when trying to understand works by the likes of Gershom Scholem. Chapter by chapter she elucidates her theory of the development of a Christian Cabala. Cannot recommend it enough.
July 9, 2013
I found this in the gift shop of Shakespeare's Globe of all places, and took me the best part of a year to get around to reading it.
Readable, fascinating and incredibly illuminating. As useful for the purpose of serious academic
learning as it for satisfying an idle curiosity.
Glorious.
Readable, fascinating and incredibly illuminating. As useful for the purpose of serious academic
learning as it for satisfying an idle curiosity.
Glorious.
April 6, 2014
Interesting treatment of religion, society, and the occult, marred by Yates' flights of fantasy and tenuous connections in the second part of the book.
May 13, 2013
Handy book if you are interested in the occult philosophy and its development through time.
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