In the coming months, Australians will head to the polls for a federal election, following hot on the heels of national elections in the US, UK, France, India and Russia – to name just a few.
Each time today’s political foes vie for power, echoes can be heard in the words of the leaders in Shakespeare’s plays. In this article, Andy McLean picks out some of the most famous (and infamous) leaders in Shakespeare who may or may not share traits and qualities with certain modern-day leaders…
1. The blunt instrument
The prevalence of “strong man” leaders today is notable but also nothing new. For centuries, societies have been ruled by men who exerted an iron grip on power; driven by an unshakable belief in their own rightness. In Coriolanus, Shakespeare reminds us that leaders who live by the sword often die by the sword too.
After his bloody military triumphs, Coriolanus is offered a lofty position in the Roman Senate but he refuses to play the political game. In fact, he’s so convinced of his own superiority that when he’s cast out of Rome, he famously replies “I banish you”. By the end of the play his machismo, political naivety and refusal to compromise have cost him everything.
In 2025, Coriolanuswill be staged by Bell Shakespeare in Sydney, 20 Jun – 19 Jul and Melbourne, 24 Jul – 10 Aug.
John Bell as Coriolanus in CORIOLANUS (1996)
2. The unifier
For people to enthusiastically follow them, leaders must be skilled in the art of persuasion. And that starts with understanding people’s hopes, dreams and fears. This is exactly what Henry V does in his darkest hour. The night before doing battle with the French, he listens to the doubts of his exhausted, ragbag army. Henry’s ability to walk among the common people and understand them allows him to deliver his rousing “band of brothers” speech that inspires his men to victory against the “fearful odds”.
In 2025, Henry 5 will be staged by Bell Shakespeare in Sydney, 1 Mar – 5 Apr, Canberra, 10 – 20 Apr and Melbourne, 11 – 25 May.
3. The shameless egotist
Sometimes the most unlikely, unsuitable people steal the top job. Indeed, political history is littered with former leaders who underestimated opponents and paid the price. As Stephen Greenblatt memorably wrote in 2016, everyone underestimates Richard III
despite his brazen “feeling of entitlement, blustering overconfidence, misogyny and merciless penchant for bullying”. Richard’s lack of ability to govern and his villainy “is readily apparent to everyone” explains Greenblatt, but Richard climbs the greasy pole to power thanks to his own charisma and other people’s complacency, fear and selfishness.
Kate Mulvany as Richard III in Bell Shakespeare's production of RICHARD 3 (2017)
4. The influencer
In public life, the same politicians who are lauded by supporters as “influential” are often branded by opponents as “manipulative”. Lady Macbeth has been described in both these ways, as Bell Shakespeare’s Head of Education Joanna Erskine explains: “As a woman in a fiercely patriarchal society, Lady Macbeth does not possess the same power as her husband – but within the relationship, she oozes leadership qualities. Early on, when Macbeth
wavers, his wife uses every trick in the book to coax him into action. And later, when Macbeth starts to publicly unravel, it’s Lady Macbeth who covers for him and tries to maintain a public veneer of control and authority.”
Jessica Tovey and Hazem Shammas as Lady Macbeth and Macbeth in MACBETH (2023)
5. A figure of speech
Centuries after Shakespeare’s time, public speaking remains a potent skill for leaders, as witnessed in today’s parliaments, political rallies, and party conventions. Convincing speeches can sway audiences and mobilise support, as Mark Antony so consummately does in Julius Caesar. Seconds after Brutus
addresses a crowd to justify the assassination of Caesar, Mark Antony begins one of the most famous speeches in theatre: “Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears…”. In so doing, Antony deftly undercuts Brutus’ case and turns the audience into a seething mob. From that moment on, Mark Antony’s ascent is assured while Brutus and his co-conspirators are doomed.
6. More speed, less haste
During times of anger, grief or stress, leaders can come unstuck when they rush to make decisions without pausing to take stock. In Romeo and Juliet, two different authority figures arrange for Juliet to be hastily wed; first the Friar (secretly marrying Juliet to Romeo) and then Juliet’s father, Lord Capulet (insisting that Juliet marry Paris).
“Despite their obvious flaws, I think the Friar and Capulet both start with good intentions,” says Bell Shakespeare Artistic Director Peter Evans. “By marrying Juliet to Romeo, the Friar hopes to turn the ‘households’ rancour into pure love’. But he forgets his own advice (‘They stumble that run fast’) and rushes it. Then in the wake of Tybalt’s death, Capulet thinks Juliet’s grief will be alleviated by quickly marrying Paris. But in forcing this, he abandons his original position (that ‘she agree, within her scope of choice’). These rash decisions, made without possession of the full facts, have terrible consequences.”
In 2025, Bell Shakespeare will stage a national tour ofRomeo & Juliet including Canberra, 29 Aug – 7 Sept, Perth, 16 – 20 Sept, Sydney, 17 Nov – 7 Dec and many more.
James Evans as Lord Capulet in ROMEO AND JULIET (2023)
7. The ideas man
Away from all the high society balls, royal courts and battlefields, there are less obvious displays of leadership in Shakespeare’s plays. For instance, in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, when a bunch of tradies gather to rehearse their am-dram play, the carpenter/director Peter Quince must manage the exuberance of weaver/actor Bottom, and still maintain control of the theatrical ship.
Bell Shakespeare’s Head of Education Joanna Erskine reflects on how Quince struggles with patience as Bottom's ideas threaten to totally disrupt the process. "When we work with students, there is often at least one person in the room with all the ideas, a big voice, and a propensity to take over. We don't want to discourage them, but we do need to harness and channel that energy. While at first he quashes Bottom's ideas, Quince eventually works out that 'Yes/And' is the best approach with his star actor. In the end, Quince brings out the best in his cast – and while the result isn’t perfect, it’s undeniably joyful.”
Shakespeare knew that "uneasy lies the head that wears a crown". Dive further into the representations of power in Shakespeare and join us for a series of explosive conversations featuring representatives from the worlds of the arts, politics, academia and media, as we explore power and politics in Shakespeare’s plays.
On Shakespeare, Power and Politics; a panel discussion in Sydney, Canberra and Melbourne.
