Harvey Mansfield: recommendation

Transcript context

…What in Shakespeare gives you the most insight into leadership and politics? You could think of Macbeth, the nature of ambition and the character of it, and the way in which it is treated by pacifists or by victorious mastermen. The question of Macbeth is a debate between the pre-Christian view of revenge and the Christian view of God’s peace. The power of ambition and the role of women, Lady Macbeth, urging on her less eager husband, this is a reminder of something that our political science especially overlooks, the importance and the power of human ambition. Our country is really based on a kind of ambition that’s reflected in the separation of powers. I don’t mean to be wandering back and forth, but I think you could learn something about American politics by reading Shakespeare and especially Macbeth. There’s any number of lessons to be learned from Shakespeare. I just pick out this one that comes to mind. If you think of President Trump, where to you does he fit on the Shakespearean map? Tragic, comic, ambition, all of the above?…

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