Suchergebnisse

In my course, I have students read the Federalist
and some of the antifederalist writings. And I require them to read
as much of Tocqueville's Democracy in America as
possible. But I begin with Shakespeare's
Coriolanus. This choice of text is peculiar, and I
here address myself to that peculiarity. My aim is to show that
Coriolanus fits with these other works and to
show, given the depth and breadth of its themes, that it might also
profitably be read and studied in other political science courses.
To put it in the briefest compass: the more prominent themes of
Coriolanus—the nature of ancient politics,
political expertise, regimes, and the interplay of honor and
ambition—make it well suited to the exploration of politics in
general.

Discusses the usefulness of Shakespeare's Coriolanus for teaching courses in American government. The play's representation of contentious Roman politics vividly illustrates the kind of critiques put forth in the Federalist. The play also dramatizes the complexities of political strategy, the identification of a republic's values with its regime, & the problematics of political ambition. Coriolanus may be studied in conjunction with Tocqueville's Democracy in America as well as with the Federalist papers to engage student interest in democracy, political expertise, leadership, regime types, & social values such as honor & ambition. 11 References. K. Coddon