This insightful book illustrates the powerful role that film can play in transmitting a Shakesperean understanding of war, the family, the state, and statesmanship to a global audience. Herbel masterfully demonstrates how filmmakers give us the opportunity to gain a deeper understanding of the complex dynamics of Shakespeare's political world through an art form that is not often associated with profound reflection.

John P. “Jack” Moran, Kennesaw State University, USA

Jerry Herbel demonstrates why William Shakespeare's plays endure as pillars of Western civilization. Even in film-a medium worlds away from the stage on which this poetry was originally performed-the Bard's moral imagination helps us confront the reality of the human condition in all its glory and shame. This book is a valuable companion for any seeking to better understand Shakespeare as a political thinker.

Michael Lucchese, founder and CEO, Pipe Creek Consulting, USA

Shakespeare and Politics in Film Adaptations shows how filmmakers, by translating the plays' conflicts, characters, and language to the screen, reveal the enduring political principles at the heart of Shakespeare's thought. War's double edge, the fragile bond between family and state, the pull of higher law, and the contradictions of statesmanship all emerge with renewed clarity when brought to life through film. Jerry Herbel demonstrates that modern adaptations do more than retell Shakespeare - they make visible the timeless political questions his works have always asked, and thereby counterbalance the dominant deconstructionist schools by communicating the eternal in Shakespeare. This book is essential reading for anyone interested in how great art shapes our understanding of civic life.

Mark Kremer, Hillsdale College, USA