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简介:"When Cleopatra expresses a desire to die 鈥檃fter the high Roman fashion鈥? acting in accordance with 鈥檞hat鈥檚 brave, what鈥檚 noble鈥? Shakespeare is suggesting that there are certain values that are characteristically Roman. The use of the terms 鈥橰ome鈥?and 鈥橰oman鈥?in Julius Caesar, Antony and Cleopatra, or Jonson鈥檚 Sejanus often carry the implication that most people fail to live up to this ideal of conduct, that very few Romans are worthy of the name. Chernaik demonstrates how, in these plays, Roman values are held up to critical scrutiny. The plays of Shakespeare, Jonson, Massinger and Chapman often present a much darker image of Rome, as exemplifying barbarism rather than civility. Through a comparative analysis of the Roman plays of Shakespeare and his contemporaries, and including detailed discussion of the classical historians Livy, Tacitus and Plutarch, this study examines the uses of Roman history - 鈥檛he myth of Rome鈥?- in Shakespeare鈥檚 age"--