Groping, greed and the lust for great power: what Wagner’s Ring Cycle tells us about Trump v Harris
US politics may lack swords and spears, dragons and talking birds, but Wagner’s tale of money, power, rivalry and grudges still carries striking parallels with the US elections
‘America is ready for a new chapter,” Barack Obama declared to the Democratic National Convention in August, “America is ready for a better story.” Many would agree, but as commentators try to explain the bewildering reversals and bizarre dynamics of this long and unprecedented election campaign they have often instead reached for stories that are old and familiar.
Shakespeare has been a popular reference point: Joe Biden has frequently been compared to King Lear in his reluctance to relinquish power, Donald Trump to everyone from Richard III to Macbeth. Yet a rather different form of drama, ostensibly less realistic and less obviously relevant to contemporary politics, may in fact offer analogies that are more illuminating still.
Continue reading...-
What White House picks tell us about Trump 2.0
Top stories - BBC News - November 13 -
What the Final Polls Tell Us, and the Music Great Quincy Jones Dies
Top stories - The New York Times - November 4 -
What Harris's years as a prosecutor reveal about who she is now
Top stories - BBC News - November 3 -
What Biden and Trump’s Nominees for Federal Judges Could Tell Us About the Election
Top stories - The New York Times - October 24 -
What the polls can’t tell us about America’s election
World - Financial Times - October 26 -
What American history tells us about fear of immigrants
Politics - The Hill - October 27 -
What the stats tell us about Mike Tyson vs. Jake Paul
Sports - ESPN - 6 days ago -
What farmers' protest tells us about their argument with government
Top stories - BBC News - Yesterday
More from The Guardian
-
ICC issues arrest warrant for Benjamin Netanyahu for alleged Gaza war crimes
World - The Guardian - 25 minutes ago -
Ukraine claims Russia fired intercontinental ballistic missile at Dnipro
World - The Guardian - 4 hours ago -
Police report details sexual assault allegations against Pete Hegseth
World - The Guardian - 3 hours ago -
First close-up image of a star outside Milky Way shows supergiant in ‘cocoon’
World - The Guardian - 2 hours ago -
Son of woman killed by IRA condemns ‘cruel’ Disney series
World - The Guardian - 4 hours ago