Examples of the valuing
of friendship abound in Shakespeare’s work, and the best and most satisfying of
his plays show deep bonds of friendship between the leading characters.
Shakespeare’s Friends can be read in two ways. It can be used as a reference
tool for those researching one or another of the friends out of context with
the others. Or it can be read through as a connected narrative.
"Pogue has assembled information from scattered sources into a reference that
readers can use to find out what sort of company Shakespeare kept, or to
research particular people with reference to their connection with him. She
discusses them individually in sections on Stratford, London, work,
collaborators, shareholders and housekeepers, and wives." Reference &
Research Book News
A Snowman named just Bob (a picture book by Mark Kimball Moulton)
With a message of friendship to warm the coldest nights, Bob the
Snowman captures the hearts of adults and children alike. "A Snowman
Named Just Bob" is a magical family storybook written by Mark Kimball
Moulton and illustrated by artist Karen Hillard Crouch. The playful yet
powerful message of friendship will dance off the page and into your
heart.
In Greek and Roman times, friendship was thought of as being an essential constituent of both a good society and a good life; a good society because it lay at the heart of participative civic democracy; a good life because it nurtured wisdom and happiness. It is this period which gives us the texts on friendship which, to this day, are arguably the most important of their kind. Amongst their authors is Aristotle, who engaged in one of the great philosophical discussions on the subject. For Aristotle, friendship could fall into three categories: it could be based on utility, pleasure or goodness. In its latter state, Aristotle described it as being 'a single soul dwelling in two bodies'.
So how did the Ancients establish the parameters of the true nature of friendship in the literature and philosophy that followed? How have different forms of friendship helped or hindered creativity and intellectual pursuit? What has been the apparent relationship between friendship and power? And what of the darker aspects of friendship - jealousy, envy and exploitation?
