The History of Literature 749 Willing and Will-Making in the English Renaissance (with Douglas Clark) | #7 Greatest Book of All Time
Nov 13, 2025
Douglas Clark, a Tutor at the University of Oxford and author of The Will in English Renaissance Drama, dives into the fascinating theme of willpower in early modern drama. He explores Hamlet's shift from 'brain' to 'will,' highlighting the deep implications of these concepts on selfhood and morality. Clark discusses how playwrights like Shakespeare utilized the notion of the will to critique societal norms, particularly women's constraints imposed by patriarchal wills, revealing the dramatic tensions at play. A rich conversation on the intersection of philosophy and literature!
01:06:00
Faulkner Layered Narrators From Memory
- Faulkner based characters on his childhood and layered narrators until he felt the story was complete.
- He claimed each narrator added but still left the book 'not enough' until he added his own voice.
Faulkner Defended His Manuscript
- Faulkner resisted editorial changes and insisted The Sound and the Fury remain as he wrote it.
- He told his agent and editor to leave the manuscript alone, calling it 'a real son of a bitch.'
Will As Moral Decision Engine
- Hamlet focuses on the will as the decision-making faculty that determines moral character.
- Shakespeare shifts emphasis from 'brain' to 'will' to highlight volition over mere intellect.
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Intro
00:00 • 1min
Why Renaissance Drama Focuses on the Will
01:09 • 3min
Faulkner's The Sound and the Fury: Modernist Experiment
04:31 • 5min
Faulkner's Storytelling and Southern Setting
10:01 • 9min
Faulkner's Personal Life and Writing Anecdote
19:20 • 4min
Ad break
23:17 • 3min
Introducing Douglas Clark and His Book
25:49 • 46sec
What Does Hamlet Mean by "Puzzles the Will"?
26:35 • 1min
Significance of 'Brain' to 'Will' Revision in Hamlet
27:37 • 4min
How Q1 and Q2 Versions Change Hamlet's Meaning
31:09 • 5min
Was Will Discourse Widespread in Renaissance Plays?
36:39 • 1min
Origins of Will Debates: Theology and Philosophy
37:43 • 3min
Will as Determination and Moral Strength
40:30 • 4min
Ad break
44:52 • 1min
Is Modern Willpower Different from Renaissance Concerns?
46:01 • 4min
How Does Willmaking (Legal Wills) Fit In Drama?
50:03 • 3min
Portia on Choice: Dead Father's Will vs. Daughter's Liberty
52:47 • 2min
Do Playwrights Critique Religious Determinism?
54:40 • 5min
Legal Landscape of Wills and Property Restrictions
59:33 • 4min
Performing Desires: Claiming 'What Would They Want?','
01:03:40 • 1min
Closing the Conversation with Douglas Clark
01:05:07 • 15sec
Outro
01:05:22 • 1min
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The Will in English Renaissance Drama
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Douglas Clark
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Like Will to Like, What the Devil to the Collier
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Ulpian Fulwell
#5099
• Mentioned in 7 episodes
As I Lay Dying
William Faulkner
As I Lay Dying, written by William Faulkner and published in 1930, is a Modernist and Southern Gothic novel.
The story revolves around the Bundren family's nine-day journey to bury their wife and mother, Addie, in her hometown of Jefferson, Mississippi, as per her dying wish.
The novel is narrated by fifteen distinct characters, each providing their unique perspective on the events.
The family faces numerous challenges, including flooded rivers, lost mules, and personal struggles such as Cash's broken leg and Dewey Dell's unwanted pregnancy.
The novel explores themes of family, mortality, religion, and the nature of existence, showcasing Faulkner's pioneering use of stream-of-consciousness narration and fragmented narrative structure.
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Nicomachean Ethics
Aristotle
The Nicomachean Ethics is Aristotle's most renowned work on ethics, focusing on the science of the good for human life.
The text is divided into ten books and discusses the concept of eudaimonia, often translated as 'happiness' or 'flourishing,' which is achieved through living a virtuous life.
Aristotle argues that eudaimonia is an activity of the soul in accordance with virtue, emphasizing the importance of reason, moral virtues, and the pursuit of excellence.
The work also explores the division of the soul, the role of rationality in human life, and the ultimate goal of human activity, which is to achieve happiness through virtuous actions and a complete life.
#45036
Troilus and Cressida
William Shakespeare
The play revolves around the doomed love affair between Troilus, a Trojan prince, and Cressida, a Trojan woman whose father has defected to the Greeks.
Despite their vows of fidelity, Cressida is traded to the Greek camp and eventually betrays Troilus by accepting the attentions of Diomedes.
The play also delves into the broader context of the Trojan War, highlighting the cynicism, lack of heroism, and moral disintegration on both sides.
It is known for its dark and often cynical exploration of human nature and the consequences of war.
#219
• Mentioned in 84 episodes
Hamlet
William Shakespeare
The play revolves around Prince Hamlet's journey to avenge his father's murder, which was committed by his uncle Claudius.
Hamlet's father's ghost appears and reveals that he was poisoned by Claudius, who then married Hamlet's mother, Gertrude.
Hamlet feigns madness while he investigates and plots his revenge.
The play explores themes of betrayal, mortality, and the human condition, culminating in a tragic finale where nearly all main characters die, including Hamlet, Claudius, Gertrude, and several others.
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The Duchess of Malfi
John Webster
#3170
• Mentioned in 11 episodes
Merchant of Venice
William Shakespeare
The play revolves around Antonio, a wealthy merchant of Venice, who takes a loan from the Jewish moneylender Shylock to help his friend Bassanio woo the wealthy heiress Portia.
When Antonio's ships are reported lost at sea, he is unable to repay the loan, and Shylock demands his pound of flesh as per the bond.
The play culminates in a trial where Portia, disguised as a lawyer, intervenes to save Antonio's life.
The play explores themes of debt, mercy, and the complexities of human relationships in 16th-century Venice.
#2195
• Mentioned in 16 episodes
The Sound and the Fury
William Faulkner
The Sound and the Fury is a novel by William Faulkner that chronicles the downfall of the Compson family, former Southern aristocrats, through four different narrative perspectives.
The novel is set in the fictional Yoknapatawpha County, Mississippi, and spans several decades.
It is narrated by the three Compson brothers—Benjamin 'Benjy' Compson, an intellectually disabled man; Quentin Compson, a Harvard student who commits suicide; and Jason Compson, a bitter and cynical younger brother—and concludes with a third-person omniscient narrative focusing on Dilsey, the family's devoted Black servant.
The novel explores themes of time, death, and the disintegration of traditional Southern values, using a stream-of-consciousness style that includes frequent chronological leaps and non-linear storytelling.
#77558
To Have and Have Not
Ernest Hemingway
Set in Key West and Cuba during the Great Depression, 'To Have and Have Not' tells the story of Harry Morgan, a fishing boat captain who becomes involved in smuggling and other illegal activities to survive.
The novel explores themes of class struggle, economic hardship, and the moral compromises people make in desperate times.
Harry's transformation from an honest fisherman to a hardened criminal reflects the harsh realities of the era.
Hemingway's portrayal of the characters and their struggles is unflinching and realistic.
The novel offers a stark commentary on the social and economic inequalities of the 1930s.
#232
• Mentioned in 80 episodes
Ulysses
James Joyce
Ulysses is a groundbreaking and complex modernist novel that chronicles the experiences of three Dubliners over a single day.
The novel is loosely based on Homer's epic poem 'The Odyssey', with Leopold Bloom paralleling Odysseus, Stephen Dedalus paralleling Telemachus, and Molly Bloom paralleling Penelope.
It explores themes such as antisemitism, human sexuality, British rule in Ireland, Catholicism, and Irish nationalism.
The novel is known for its innovative use of language and narrative techniques, including stream-of-consciousness and multiple literary styles.
It captures the essence of early 20th-century Dublin, providing a detailed snapshot of the city's social, political, and cultural landscape.
When Hamlet, in his famous soliloquy, pondered the "dread of something after death, / the undiscovered country," he noted that such thoughts "puzzles the will." (Earlier editions of the play had this as a "hope of something after death" that "puzzles the brain." What's the significance for an Elizabethan writer (and audience) of the change from hope to dread? And from brain to will? In this episode, Jacke talks to Douglas Clark (The Will in English Renaissance Drama) about the moments of willing and will-making in English Renaissance drama, and how those moments play a crucial role in the depiction of selfhood, sin, sociality, and succession. PLUS Jacke takes a look at #7 on the list of the Greatest Books of All Time.
Join Jacke on a trip through literary England (signup closing soon)! The History of Literature Podcast Tour is happening in May 2026! Act now to join Jacke and fellow literature fans on an eight-day journey through literary England in partnership with John Shors Travel. Scheduled stops include The Charles Dickens Museum, Dr. Johnson's house, Jane Austen's Bath, Tolkien's Oxford, Shakespeare's Globe Theater, and more. Find out more by emailing jackewilsonauthor@gmail.com or masahiko@johnshorstravel.com, or by contacting us through our website historyofliterature.com. Or visit the History of Literature Podcast Tour itinerary at John Shors Travel.
The music in this episode is by Gabriel Ruiz-Bernal. Learn more at gabrielruizbernal.com.
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