Egorova, L. Equivocation in ‘Macbeth’: The speech nature of the tragedy

Abstract

Egorova, L. (2018). Equivocation in ‘Macbeth’: The speech nature of the tragedy. Vologda: VoGU. 164 p.

The review focuses on equivocation in its linguistic, stylistic, historical, cultural, religious, and ideological aspects, and discusses its evolution from a rhetorical device to a concept replete with controversial connotations. The paper mentions the essential (and very scarce) bibliography on the subject, relevant for understanding not only Shakespeare's work, but also the Jacobean era, the repercussions of the religious reforms in England, and the development of European philosophy in general. The review devotes a lot of attention to the versatility of Egorova's monograph, which successfully distinguished nuances of the semantics, representation, and pragmatism of equivocation in Shakespeare. A special emphasis is placed on allusions, both literary and historical; on the author's in-depth analysis of the (im)possibility of translation of certain words in different contexts of Macbeth, and the role of equivocation in interpreting the tragedy. Also covered by the monograph are two other burning issues of Shakespeare studies: the author's religious affiliation and the date of Macbeth’s creation.