Marjorie Garber's 'A Treacherous Secret Agent' Argues Shakespeare Undermined McCarthy

In her new book 'A Treacherous Secret Agent,' Harvard English professor Marjorie Garber proposes that literature, particularly Shakespeare, served as a form of 'poetic revenge' against Senator Joseph McCarthy and the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) during the Red Scare of the 1950s. Garber analyzes HUAC transcripts, finding that quotes from Shakespeare, Christopher Marlowe, and Thomas Kyd were used by witnesses to embarrass or undermine anti-Communist investigators. She highlights how McCarthy's shifting numbers of alleged Communists (205, 207, 133, 57) mirrored Falstaff's inflated claims in 'Henry IV, Part 1,' contributing to his downfall. The book also examines the role of 'Julius Caesar' in the anti-McCarthyist 1953 film adaptation by Joseph Mankiewicz and in broadcasts by journalist Edward R. Murrow. Garber argues that literature's cultural authority has declined due to funding cuts, book bannings, and political attacks, linking this to the rise of authoritarianism. The work is published by The Atlantic, which also receives a commission for book sales via links.