Elisabeth Bronfen 
Serial Shakespeare 
An infinite variety of appropriations in American TV drama

Shakespeare is everywhere in contemporary media culture. This book explores the reasons for this dissemination and reassemblage. Ranging widely over American TV drama, it discusses the use of citations in Westworld and The Wire, demonstrating how they tap into but also transform Shakespeare’s preferred themes and concerns. It then examines the presentation of female presidents in shows such as Commander in Chief and House of Cards, revealing how they are modelled on figures of female sovereignty from his plays. Finally, it analyses the specifically Shakespearean dramaturgy of Deadwood and The Americans. Ultimately, the book brings into focus the way serial TV drama appropriates Shakespeare in order to give voice to the unfinished business of the American cultural imaginary.

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Introduction: appropriation, dislocation, and crossmapping
1 Shakespeare’s spectres: Westworld
2 Wearing the crown: The Wire
3 Choosing our queen: a series of first female presidents from Commander in Chief to House of Cards
4 Rogue queens: Veep, Homeland, and Scandal
5 All the frontier’s a stage: Deadwood
6 Carnival of spies: The Americans
Bibliography
Index

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Elisabeth Bronfen is Professor at the English Department of Zurich University