Stephen Greenblatt at Luiss: William Shakespeare and Politics

The relationship between literature, history, and contemporary politics is at the heart of the keynote lecture by Stephen Greenblatt, Professor of English Literature at Harvard University and one of the leading scholars of William Shakespeare.

The event, entitled William Shakespeare and Politics: Strategies for Survival, took place as part of Politics is Culture, the annual event organised by the Luiss School of Government in collaboration with the Department of Political Science. Its aim is to revisit the ideas of great intellectuals from the past in light of current affairs.

An internationally renowned scholar, Greenblatt was awarded the Pulitzer Prize in 2012 for The Swerve: How the World Became Modern. His lecture offered a reflection on Shakespeare's ability to view reality from fresh perspectives: an “oblique gaze” capable of stimulating critical and lateral thinking and providing tools for interpreting the complexities of the present.

The lecture also highlighted the role of the humanities within a university of Social Sciences, and the contribution that literature and culture can make to political analysis.

The event began with a welcome address from Luiss Rector Paolo Boccardelli, followed by an introduction from Giovanni Orsina, Head of the Department of Political Science. The actors Roberto Latini and Elena Bucci performed readings of a selection of passages. Gaetano Quagliariello, Dean of the Luiss School of Government, was entrusted with delivering the concluding remarks.