Mercy emerges from the writings of Dante and Shakespeare as a complex, even contentious, theme, both dangerous and joyous. Considering the differences as well as the similarities between Dante's understanding and Shakespeare's, this paper invites discussion of the ways in which we might properly speak of and practice mercy.
Robin Kirkpatrick is Professor Emeritus of Italian and English Literatures and a Fellow of Robinson College in the University of Cambridge, where he has taught for thirty years in the faculties of Modern and Medieval Languages, English, and Divinity. His books include studies of Dante's Commedia, the European Renaissance, and Shakespeare. His verse translation of Dante's Commedia was published by Penguin Classics in three volumes (with introductions and notes) between 2006 and 2007.
The lecture is free to attend and will be followed by refreshments.
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