{"product_id":"9781472958228","title":"Death By Shakespeare : Snakebites, Stabbings and Broken Hearts","description":"\u003cstrong\u003eDeath By Shakespeare\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor(s): Kathryn Harkup\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAn in-depth look at the science behind the creative methods Shakespeare used to kill off his characters. \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIn \u003ci\u003eDeath By Shakespeare\u003c\/i\u003e, Kathryn Harkup, best-selling author of\u003ci\u003e A is for Arsenic\u003c\/i\u003e and expert on the more gruesome side of science, turns her expertise to William Shakespeare and the creative methods he used to kill off his characters. Is death by snakebite really as serene as Cleopatra made it seem? How did Juliet appear dead for 72 hours only to be revived in perfect health? Can you really kill someone by pouring poison in their ear? How long would it take before Lady Macbeth died from lack of sleep? Harkup investigates what actual events may have inspired Shakespeare, what the accepted scientific knowledge of the time was, and how Elizabethan audiences would have responded to these death scenes. \u003ci\u003eDeath by Shakespeare\u003c\/i\u003e reveals this and more in a rollercoaster of Elizabethan carnage, poison, swordplay and bloodshed, with an occasional death by bear-mauling for good measure.\u003cbr\u003eIn the Bard's day death was a part of everyday life. Plague, pestilence and public executions were a common occurrence, and the chances of seeing a dead or dying body on the way home from the theater was a fairly likely scenario. Death is one of the major themes that reoccurs constantly throughout Shakespeare's canon, and he certainly didn't shy away from portraying the bloody reality of death on the stage. He didn't have to invent gruesome or novel ways to kill off his characters when everyday experience provided plenty of inspiration.  \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eShakespeare's era was also a time of huge scientific advance. The human body, its construction and how it was affected by disease came under scrutiny, overturning more than a thousand years of received Greek wisdom, and Shakespeare himself hinted at these new scientific discoveries and medical advances in his writing, such as circulation of the blood and treatments for syphilis.  \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eShakespeare found dozens of different ways to kill off his characters, and audiences today still enjoy the same reactions--shock, sadness, fear--that they did over 400 years ago when these plays were first performed. But how realistic are these deaths, and did Shakespeare have the science to back them up?\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eReview(s):\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e“[Harkup] speculates about what Shakespeare knew about causes of death; like other contemporary playwrights, he did know that audiences loved violence. \u003cb\u003eA brisk, informative, and startling look at Shakespeare.\u003c\/b\u003e” -\u003ci\u003e Kirkus\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“\u003cb\u003eFans of the Bard are sure to devour this\u003c\/b\u003e, but even those with only a passing familiarity with Shakespeare’s oeuvre will find Harkup’s survey tough to resist.” - \u003ci\u003ePublishers Weekly STARRED review\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“The research is concrete, and the writing is infused with sly humor. \u003cb\u003eHarkup serves a delectable stew of history, science, and wit that is sure to sate the appetite of any Anglophile.\u003c\/b\u003e” - \u003ci\u003eBooklist\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Harkup leaves no stone unturned in her immensely thorough and compelling distillation of the Bard's work, \u003ci\u003eDeath by Shakespeare\u003c\/i\u003e...Her narrative will attract and intrigue readers who appreciate the macabre, eager for the enriching wisdom offered by two masters in their fields. \u003cb\u003eA fascinating, thorough examination and scientific analysis of notable deaths that pervade the stage works of William Shakespeare.\u003c\/b\u003e” - \u003ci\u003eShelf Awareness\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“For fans of the Bard, \u003ci\u003eDeath by Shakespeare: Snakebites, Stabbings, and Broken Hearts\u003c\/i\u003e is the book they didn’t know they always wanted to read.” - \u003ci\u003eBookPage\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“The author of \u003ci\u003eA Is for Arsenic\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eMaking the Monster: The Science Behind Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein\u003c\/i\u003e continues her macabre cultural musings with \u003cb\u003ean immensely readable roundup of Shakespearean death\u003c\/b\u003e.” - \u003ci\u003eSmithsonian Magazine\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Light enough to be a quick read for fun but hefty enough to educate, this is a book that any student would be happy to study for a class, and it’s a solid addition to any nonfiction or Shakespearean fan’s collection. Yet again, \u003cb\u003eHarkup has delivered a satisfying, sterling examination of an iconic figure’s literary contributions to history.\u003c\/b\u003e” - \u003ci\u003eCriminal Element\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Well-written and intriguing, the book provides a rich behind-the-scenes look at science and historical fact, using the focus on death to deepen understanding of Shakespeare’s life and work. Hereby hangs a tale.\" - \u003ci\u003eHistorical Novel Society\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Harkup dives into Shakespeare’s deadly times with an eye for detail and anecdote and a scientist’s detachment from the gruesome details of the fate in store for so many in the days before antibiotics and vaccines...Death By Shakespeare is a \u003cb\u003emacabre but fascinating read, rich in historical context, scientific insight, and intriguing asides\u003c\/b\u003e.” - \u003ci\u003eEllery Queen's Mystery Magazine\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Harkup’s enjoyable and informative survey presents this somatic Shakespeare for the Horrible Histories generation” - \u003ci\u003eTimes Literary Supplement\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Were I a school-teacher introducing phone-addicted teens to Macbeth or Romeo and Juliet, I'd go in big on Shakespeare's 'violent delights'.” - \u003ci\u003eDaily Mail\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Serious scholarship meets horrid histories. Kathryn Harkup located\u003ci\u003e Death by Shakespeare\u003c\/i\u003e within the contexts of science and medicine, health and safety, crime and punishment, and in the process gives us tour de force descriptions of Juliet's deep coma, Cleopatra's asp, Ophelia's drowning and the carnage at Agincourt, among other celebrated exits. \u003cb\u003eIt's a good read – never morbid, and full of insights into the Tudor way of death and how far we've come” - \u003ci\u003eProfessor Sir Christopher Frayling, cultural historian, writer and broadcaster\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eISBN:  9781472958228\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e ","brand":"Bloomsbury Sigma","offers":[{"title":"Hardback","offer_id":40713192571086,"sku":"9781472958228","price":28.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0600\/7029\/7806\/products\/getimage_f554cff3-d462-4b3b-801b-16ca17ea1212.jpg?v=1643272815","url":"https:\/\/pickwickbookshop.com\/products\/9781472958228","provider":"Pickwick Bookshop","version":"1.0","type":"link"}