The resulting production was, technically and artistically, a tour de force, and the critical response was very favorable. The complexity of the stage effects and the marionette was such that the production, once dismantled, is unlikely to be re-staged. There existed no detailed written record of the production, so the writer's account has made good this lack by means of interviews with members of the company and a search of their archives and press reviews.
This book provides a bridge between Shakespeare Studies and classical social theory, opening up readings of Shakespeare to a new audience outside of literary studies and the humanities. Shakespeare has long been known as a 'great thinker' and this book reads his plays through the lens of an anthropologist, revealing new connections between Shakespeare's plays and the lives we now lead. Close readings of a selection of frequently studied plays - Hamlet, The Winter's Tale, Romeo and Juliet, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Julius Caesar and King Lear - engage with the plays in detail while connecting them with some of the biggest questions we all ask ourselves, about love, friendship, ritual, language, human interactions and the world around us. The plays are examined through various social theories including performance theory, cognitive theory, semiotics, exchange theory and structuralism. The book concludes with a consideration of how "the new astronomy" of his day and developments in optics changed the very idea of "perspective," and shaped Shakespeare's approach to embedding social theory in his dramatic texts. This accessible and engaging book will appeal to those approaching Shakespeare from outside literary studies, but will also be valuable to literature students approaching Shakespeare for the first time, or looking for a new angle on the plays.
Irregular, Doubtful, and Emended Accidentals in F1 In the Textual Notes, the lemma is the reading of this edition's text. In these notes, for emendations to F1, the lemma is followed by the siglum or sigla of the edition(s) from which the emendation is taken, and then by the rejected F1 reading and the siglum or sigla of the 17th-c. editions reading differently from the lemma. Where no source is given for the emendation, the adopted reading is not in any of the folios. Doubtful and irregular readings are merely listed. (ǀ) indicates that the reading is found in a full line, i.e., one that runs all or nearly all of the way to the right margin; (?) indicates doubt or an alternative to the reading adopted, although not necessarily correct in the judgment of the editor. Elsewhere means that a spelling other than that in the lemma is to be found wherever else that word appears in the F1 text.
Shakespeare scholars and cultural theorists critically investigate the relationship between early modern culture and contemporary political and technological changes concerning the idea of the 'human.' The volume covers the tragedies King Lear and Hamlet in particular, but also provides posthumanist readings of other Shakespearean plays.
This collection of essays examines the ways in which recent Shakespeare films portray anxieties about an impending global wasteland, technological alienation, spiritual destruction, and the effects of globalization. Films covered include Titus, William Shakespeare's Romeo & Juliet, Almereyda's Hamlet, Revengers Tragedy, Twelfth Night, The Passion of the Christ, Radford's The Merchant of Venice, The Lion King, and Godard's King Lear, among others that directly adapt or reference Shakespeare. Essays chart the apocalyptic mise-en-scenes, disorienting imagery, and topsy-turvy plots of these films, using apocalypse as a theoretical and thematic lens.
This volume argues that a focus on the European reception of Othello represents an important contribution to critical work on the play. The chapters in this volume examine non-anglophone translations and performances, alternative ways of distinguishing between texts, adaptations and versions, as well as differing perspectives on questions of gender and race. Additionally, a European perspective raises key political questions about power and representation in terms of who speaks for and about Othello, within a European context profoundly divided over questions of immigration, religious, ethnic, gender and sexual difference. The volume illustrates the ways in which Othello has been not only a stimulus but also a challenge for European Shakespeares. It makes clear that the history of the play is inseparable from histories of race, religion and gender and that many engagements with the play have reinforced rather than challenged the social and political prejudices of the period.
Drawing on recent advances in historical knowledge, the author describes contemporary attitudes toward issues such as rebellion, conscience, regicide, incest, retribution, and mourning. His investigation reveals a number of convincing new reasons for viewing Hamlet not as an irresolute young man but as a vigorous and determined figure in confrontation with the moral dilemmas of his age. By understanding the play in its original terms, we find that it takes on new depth and power for our own time. Originally published in 1984. The Princeton Legacy Library uses the latest print-on-demand technology to again make available previously out-of-print books from the distinguished backlist of Princeton University Press. These editions preserve the original texts of these important books while presenting them in durable paperback and hardcover editions. The goal of the Princeton Legacy Library is to vastly increase access to the rich scholarly heritage found in the thousands of books published by Princeton University Press since its founding in 1905.
The most comprehensive sourcebook of Shakespeare's monologues ever available in one volume. A detailed guide to approaching Shakespearean text, Speak the Speech! contains everything an actor needs to select and prepare a Shakespeare monologue for classwork, auditions, or performance. Included herein are over 150 monologues. Each one is placed in context with a brief introduction, is carefully punctuated in the manner that best illustrates its meaning, and is painstakingly and thoroughly annotated. Each is also accompanied by commentary that will spark the actor's imagination by exploring how the interrelationship of meter and the choice of words and sounds yields clues to character and performance. And throughout the book sidebars relate historical, topical, technical, and other useful and entertaining information relevant to the text. In addition, the authors include an overview of poetic and rhetorical elements, brief synopses of all the plays, and a comprehensive index along with other guidelines that will help readers locate the perfect monologue for their needs. More than just an actor's toolkit, Speak the Speech! is also an entertaining resource that will help demystify Shakespeare's language for the student and theater lover alike.
This CliffsNotes guide includes everything you’ve come to expect from the trusted experts at CliffsNotes, including analysis of the most widely read literary works.
