Office and Duty in King Lear

This book advances five original readings of Shakespeare's  King Lear , influenced by Giorgio Agamben, but tempered by primary research into Jacobean literature, law, religion, and philosophy. To grasp  Lear ’s   encounter between politics and identity, the play demands a wider understanding of the religious influence on political thought. As Lear himself realises, sovereignty is an extreme, glamorous example of a deeper category: sacred office.  Lear  also shows duty in