Shakespearean Neuroplay: Reinvigorating the Study of Dramatic Texts and Performance through Cognitive Science (Cognitive Studies in Literature and Performance)

Shakespearean Neuroplay provides a methodology for applying cognitive science to the study of drama and performance. With Shakespeare’s Hamlet as a test subject and the cognitive linguistic theory of conceptual blending as a tool, Cook unravels the “mirror held up to nature” at the center of Shakespeare’s play. Hamlet’s mirror becomes a conceptual structure that invisibly scaffolds our understanding of the play. A lucid explanation of both contemporary science and Hamlet, Shakespearean Neuroplay unveils Shakespeare’s textual theatrics and sheds light on blind spots in theatre and performance theory.