Of Philosophers and Kings

This innovative work argues that Shakespeare was as great a philosopher as he was a poet, and that his greatness as a poet derived even more from his power as a thinker than from his genius for linguistic expression.

Leon Harold Craig is a professor emeritus in the Department of Political Science at the University of Alberta.

'Craig has articulated a powerful theory that may serve as a guide for a great deal of subsequent interpretation of Shakespeare's plays, and in doing so, he has provided a touchstone by which many contemporary studies of the political importance and understanding of Shakespeare may be (and should be) judged.'

Paul Cantor:

'Craig has articulated a powerful theory that may serve as a guide for a great deal of subsequent interpretation of Shakespeare's plays, and in doing so, he has provided a touchstone by which many contemporary studies of the political importance and understanding of Shakespeare may be (and should be) judged.'