“Courtroom Dramas on the Stage” by Amnon Kabatchnik

Courtroom Dramas on the Stage

Amnon Kabatchnik
BearManor Media (2023)
ISBN: 979-8887711331 
Reviewed by Ashley Hooker for Reader Views (12/2023)

In Amnon Kabatchnik’s “Courtroom Dramas on the Stage: Volume 1” readers are transported back in time for a closer look at fifty plays that have left a deep influence on society today.

Each play is centered on a courtroom trial. Kabatchnik begins his analysis with plays where courts and juries are tasked with handing down verdicts of justice. He uses tragedies such as Prometheus Bound by Aeschylus where Greek gods are labeled accusers and judges. Further analysis is given to Greek playwrights Sophocles, Euripides, and Aristophanes. Each play reveals the power of the gods in every thread of Greek life.

The author continues his analysis with a look at English playwrights Marlowe, Shakespeare, Webster, Wilson, and others. Each play reiterates the influence of the early Greek writers on later playwrights. English playwrights use true crime to inspire the plays Arden of Faversham, Measure for Measure, and The Courier of Lyons.

While Katbachnik introduces us to Greek, European, and Asian influenced plays and playwrights, he does not leave out American writers. We also are introduced to writer John Augustus Stone who wrote Metamora or, The Last of the Wampanoags. His work molded the beginnings of American theater and how Native Americans are portrayed on theater stages around the world.

Each play and playwright is given their own chapter with a synopsis of the play and a historical sketch of the playwright. The author also includes accolades, scholarly opinions, and reference notes. Readers can easily grasp the complexities of societal norms each writer was exploring. We can note the themes of justice, human nature, and morality that writers so often take on in their work.

I often think about how history has shaped and continues to shape the world we live in. My belief is that works like “Courtroom Dramas on Stage: Volume 1” are important. The author writes in a clear and concise manner. Each chapter is succinct and thorough. Readers can only come away with a deeper understanding of how our world has taken shape and continues to change shape on stage.

“Courtroom Dramas on Stage” by Amnon Kabatchnik is a valuable resource for historians, attorneys, actors/directors, and anyone who wishes to better understand the complexities of human nature.