Set in politically unstable environments, Shakespeare's history plays--
Richard II, 1 Henry IV, 2 Henry IV and Henry V
--and HBO's Western series
Deadwood
(2004-2006) all stand as critiques of myths of national origin, the sanitized stories we tell ourselves about how power imposes order on chaos.
Drawing parallels between the Shakespeare plays and
, the author explores questions about legitimate political authority, the qualities of an effective leader, gender roles and community, and the reciprocal relationship between past and present in historical narratives.