ABSTRACT
This chapter explores psychotherapeutic interpretations of Shakespeare’s drama – in particular those informed by psychoanalysis – and then describe other contributions from Shakespeare studies. Psychotherapists can make valuable contributions to an appreciation of drama because of their close acquaintance with a wide range of human dilemmas, their powers of observation, their attention to the nuances in verbal and non-verbal communication and their understanding of the wellsprings of extreme emotions. When psychoanalysts interpret Shakespeare plays, they often end up approaching the individual protagonist and even the playwright himself from the position of therapist to patient. Feminist critiques of Shakespeare’s tragedies confront many different levels, including rampant misogyny in many of the plays, theatrical practices in which women are played by boy actors, the gender composition of Elizabethan audiences and the sexist biases of critics.
