What do you think?
Thinking Through Shakespeare
How Shakespeare’s exploration of central human questions—about identity, politics, religion and right and wrong—explains his lasting power, popularity and relevance
In the eighteenth century, Samuel Johnson famously argued that Shakespeare is enduringly popular because he “is above all writers, at least above all modern writers, the poet of nature; the poet that holds up to his readers a faithful mirror of manners and of life.” Johnson’s view largely prevailed until the late twentieth century, when it was challenged by a growing scepticism about the existence of a general human nature. In Thinking Through Shakespeare, eminent literary critic David Womersley pushes back against this change by exploring how Shakespeare’s plays think through—and invite us to think through—deep human questions of lasting importance.
Thinking Through Shakespeare explores four perennial human personal identity, the distinction between civilization and barbarism, the relation between political power and religious authority and the tension between means and ends. It examines the history of these problems, from antiquity to today, and traces how Shakespeare engages with them in the great tragedies—Othello, Hamlet, Macbeth and King Lear—but also in his other plays. Without arguing that human nature is universal or unchanging, or that Shakespeare has some special access to timeless wisdom, the book makes the case that his drama is powerful because it serves as a forensic tool, probing rival perspectives on questions that have preoccupied many people in many societies over many centuries.
By revealing in new ways how Shakespeare’s plays are animated and driven by central human problems, and why he should again be viewed as the great poet of human nature, Thinking Through Shakespeare opens up a richer understanding and appreciation of his work.
In the eighteenth century, Samuel Johnson famously argued that Shakespeare is enduringly popular because he “is above all writers, at least above all modern writers, the poet of nature; the poet that holds up to his readers a faithful mirror of manners and of life.” Johnson’s view largely prevailed until the late twentieth century, when it was challenged by a growing scepticism about the existence of a general human nature. In Thinking Through Shakespeare, eminent literary critic David Womersley pushes back against this change by exploring how Shakespeare’s plays think through—and invite us to think through—deep human questions of lasting importance.
Thinking Through Shakespeare explores four perennial human personal identity, the distinction between civilization and barbarism, the relation between political power and religious authority and the tension between means and ends. It examines the history of these problems, from antiquity to today, and traces how Shakespeare engages with them in the great tragedies—Othello, Hamlet, Macbeth and King Lear—but also in his other plays. Without arguing that human nature is universal or unchanging, or that Shakespeare has some special access to timeless wisdom, the book makes the case that his drama is powerful because it serves as a forensic tool, probing rival perspectives on questions that have preoccupied many people in many societies over many centuries.
By revealing in new ways how Shakespeare’s plays are animated and driven by central human problems, and why he should again be viewed as the great poet of human nature, Thinking Through Shakespeare opens up a richer understanding and appreciation of his work.
- GenresShakespearePhilosophy
423 pages, Kindle Edition
Published March 10, 2026
About the author
David Womersley
49 books5 followersDavid Womersley, Ph.D., (Trinity College, Cambridge University, 1983; B.A., Trinity, 1979), is the Thomas Warton Professor of English Literature at the University of Oxford, and a professorial fellow of St Catherine's College.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
September 5, 2026
It has been a long while since I have enjoyed reading a book as much as David Womersley's coupling of some core concepts in Western thought with various Shakespeare plays. I really enjoy it when a talented writer brings a number of subjects into a discussion and demonstrates how they relate. Womersley does even more. He explains with great erudition and a comprehensive history the critical concepts of personal identity, what it means to be part of a "civilization" or to be considered the "other", the relationship between the political state and religious authority, and then the complicated philosophical approaches to moral reasoning. With each of these topics, Womersley not only demonstrates how they are reflected in certain of Shakespeare's plays, but he also helps the reader gain a deeper understanding of the play itself.
Almost as icing is to the cake, the reader is introduced or reintroduced to a world of thoughtful and insightful people: Sophocles and Seneca, Hobbes and Hume and Locke, Kant and Rawls, are just examples. Womersley has an immense vocabulary, and I spent a meaningful amount of time learning new words. But I never thought the author was being pretentious; rather, simply, specific. He is clear, logical, and compelling in thought, analysis, and most critically, a gifted writer.
This book requires careful and focused reading. Putting in that effort pays off many multiples. I haven't been able to secure his other books, but my effort will continue.
Almost as icing is to the cake, the reader is introduced or reintroduced to a world of thoughtful and insightful people: Sophocles and Seneca, Hobbes and Hume and Locke, Kant and Rawls, are just examples. Womersley has an immense vocabulary, and I spent a meaningful amount of time learning new words. But I never thought the author was being pretentious; rather, simply, specific. He is clear, logical, and compelling in thought, analysis, and most critically, a gifted writer.
This book requires careful and focused reading. Putting in that effort pays off many multiples. I haven't been able to secure his other books, but my effort will continue.
September 9, 2026
It's a pretty difficult text, and he goes way outside of Shakespeare at times and talks a lot about Aristotle, etc. He often lost me when this happened, but his central tenant was good, and I did like the parts of the chapters I read that I understood.
Basically, Shakespeare is universal because his works take us through the "thinking" involved in various human dilemmas: how we act when faced with 2 conflicting values or needs. But he does this without landing on any specific opinion of how to solve these conflicts. The author highlights that we don't know what Shakespeare really thinks about anything; we don't know what his political views or opinions are. He takes us through central conflicts in human experience without giving us firm answers about how they should be solved.
Basically, Shakespeare is universal because his works take us through the "thinking" involved in various human dilemmas: how we act when faced with 2 conflicting values or needs. But he does this without landing on any specific opinion of how to solve these conflicts. The author highlights that we don't know what Shakespeare really thinks about anything; we don't know what his political views or opinions are. He takes us through central conflicts in human experience without giving us firm answers about how they should be solved.
July 17, 2026
I chose this book because I love Shakespeare, but this requires a master's or PHD in philosophy to understand. So, a lot of this was over my head, I have to admit. The parts about Hamlet and Lear were more enlightening for me.
August 6, 2026
The parts I could understand (or not were in literally French) I enjoyed.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews