Western Canon Book Club: Shakespeare’s inadequate kings: Prospero, Hamlet, Richard III.

Writer Henry Oliver joins the Western Canon Book Club series for a salon about three unusual Shakespearean kings.

What do Hamlet, Prospero, and Richard III have in common? They are all inadequate rulers. Prospero abandoned his dukedom for his library, Richard III is a criminal tyrant, and Hamlet is impolitic. Taken from three different stages in Shakespeare’s career (early, middle, and late) this is a fresh way to think about power and leadership in Shakespeare’s plays. All three characters are charismatic, controlling, dangerous, and power-hungry. They are three of Shakespeare’s most compelling creations.

But none of them offers a model for a good ruler or a proper use of power. This salon will be a discussion about what makes for a successful leader in three of Shakespeare’s best plays.

Recommended Reading (or Viewing):

Before the salon, either read The Tempest, Hamlet, and Richard III, or watch the films.

Richard III with Ian McKellan

Hamlet with Kenneth Branagh or Richard Burton.

The Tempest with Helen Mirren.