MW: 10 scenes from Shakespeare that fit Donald Trump’s presidency – streaming now

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MARKETWATCH writes:

Donald Trump‘s pseudo-monarchical politics have thrown America into a Shakespearean tragedy. It’s a story of an amoral Machiavellian, hungry for power, manipulating the people’s anger, fear, and hatred of the government; of self-serving and hypocritical career politicians around him preserving their power by perpetuating social and economic inequality; of the stunning moral compromises a resentful populace is willing to make for the comic relief provided by a charismatic clown; and of the social catastrophe that can unfold when power is centralized in one man who becomes unstable.

William Shakespeare foretold it all, in a mix of tragedies, comedies and historical tales. These 10 scenes from Shakespeare resound most alarmingly in the age of Trump. And with theaters closed due to the coronavirus, many are available online through the generosity of both leading cultural institutions and the Shakespearean acting community.

Macbeth: Act I, Scene vii

Like Trump, Macbeth’s ambition is bound up with his sense of manhood, which is challenged in this scene by Lady Macbeth. Both the Scottish king and the American president respond with the politics of machismo.

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