Classic plays / drama

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Book Synopsis

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Book SynopsisNeil W. Bernstein is Professor of Classics and World Religions, Ohio University, USA. He has written extensively on Roman literature and identity, including In the Image of the Ancestors: Narratives of Kinship in Flavian Epic (2008) and Ethics, Identity, and Community in Later Roman Declamation (2013).Trade ReviewThis slender yet richly informative book does much to cultivate greater appreciation for Seneca’s Hercules Furens … Its prose is lucid, engaging, and remarkably well-edited (I did not notice a single typographical error), and it offers a wealth of insights and a multiplicity of perspectives on Hercules Furens, and on representations of Hercules in Greek and Roman antiquity and beyond. It should inspire more people to read and teach this underappreciated play. One can envision it being effectively utilized in an undergraduate Advanced Latin Course focusing on Hercules Furens, or in an undergraduate mythology course that looks closely at the figure of Hercules. * New England Classical Journal *Illuminating … thorough and precise … This study may prove of interest, not only as an introductory guide to students of theatre and of Roman political and cultural history, but to all interested in specific topics such as the societal interplay of writing, spectacle, ideology, performance, and power. I believe also that its reading will enhance the understanding not just of ancient drama, but also of its post-classical revival. * Bryn Mawr Classical Review *[Seneca: Hercules Furens] provides concise, but informative and engaging discussions of the themes of the play, stylistic and rhetorical elements, modern critical approaches, historical context, literary and philosophical traditions, and performance … The audience for whom Bernstein’s book is designed will find it an excellent and welcome resource. * Classical Journal *[Bernstein's] fine introduction will be an excellent guide to students and their instructors who may have been raised on the Disney cartoon and are ready for something more. * The Classical Review *This volume is very recommendable ... It is an excellent reading guide. * Revue des Etudes Anciennes (Bloomsbury Translation) *Bernstein’s study will become a go-to resource for understanding the Hercules Furens, its complex relationship to Rome’s political, cultural, and literary milieu, and its decisive impact on the dramatic tradition. -- Lauren Donovan Ginsberg, Assistant Professor of Classics, University of Cincinnati, USABernstein offers strong and persuasive readings of the Hercules Furens in its various contexts (e.g. philosophical, performance, historical). It will be both useful and enjoyable for students and scholars of Seneca and the theatrical tradition. -- Christopher Trinacty, Assistant Professor of Classics, Oberlin College, USANo Roman playwright before Seneca had dared to tackle the grim tale of Hercules’ slaughter of his wife and sons after successfully completing his twelve labours. Bernstein admirably explains why Seneca chose to confront the issues latent in the myth, such as the nature of courage and masculinity, the justification of suicide, the influence of family and ancestry, the moralized landscape. He contextualizes these themes by sourcing them in Seneca’s philosophical writings. Bernstein is in full command of all the recent scholarship devoted to the play, and he subjects it to clear and fair-minded assessment. Notable is his convincing interpretation of the opening speech of the goddess Juno as key to the interpretation of the action which unfolds in the drama. Finally, he shows how the trajectory of Seneca’s Hercules from ‘hero to zero’ has been adapted in contemporary theatre to highlight the veteran’s difficulty in reintegrating into a peacetime community. -- Roland Mayer, Emeritus Professor of Classics, King’s College London, UKTable of ContentsList of Illustrations Dedication Acknowledgments Preface Chapter 1. Introducing Hercules Furens Chapter 2. Major Themes in Hercules Furens Chapter 3. Monster-slayer, moral exemplar, and madman: Hercules' ancient roles Chapter 4. Hercules Furens and Seneca’s career Chapter 5. Performance and Reception Further reading Bibliography Chronology Glossary of Greek and Latin terms

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Book SynopsisAn international group of scholars reappraise The Winter's Tale through a series of research essays covering performance history, critical history, and new interpretations. Navigating the play's fluctuating genre conventions, onstage spectacle and leaps across time, scholars consider how eco-materiality, radical hospitality, childhood, gender, and critical race studies shape contemporary understandings and staging of a play that defies easy definition.By charting these changing interpretive trends, readers are introduced to a rich body of scholarship which shows how the play can be used to confront the experiences of those marginalized by race, age, gender, and nationality, to place fresh attention on the economic and material structures that define the dramatic plot of the play. As The Winter's Tale's depictions of patriarchal violence, vulnerability, economic disparity, border crossings and exploitation continue to draw attention, this guide se

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Book SynopsisDostoevsky uses Hamlet to address some of the most important problems in Russian culture in the second half of the 19th century. Approaching Dostoevsky's engagement with Shakespeare through a focus on his novel, Demons, Petra Bjelica considers the figure of Hamlet as it connects to Russian national identity, spirituality and cultural migration. Bjelica argues that Russian Hamletism is a perfect example of how a literary phenomenon forms through a specific culture. She reads Dostoevsky's use of Hamlet through the Tsarist government, the wide gap between the aristocratic, working and peasant class, and the educated intelligentsia of the period. Russian Hamletism is shown to reflect the hegemony of power as well as the intricate debates that arise via political, ideological and philosophical differences between Slavophiles and Westerners. The book touches on the translatability and universality of Shakespeare, his cultural hegemony and the ethics of appropriating the other' by exploring

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Book Synopsis"King Lear" is one of Shakespeare's most performed and studied plays - seen as one of the most significant and universal tragedies of all time. This guide introduces the play's critical and performance history, including notable stage productions alongside TV, film and radio versions.Trade ReviewThis volume provides "all ye know on earth, and all ye need to know" about the challenging experience of King Lear. The coverage is compendious, the research up-to-date, and the essays rich with fresh insights. -- R. S. White, Professor of English, University of Western Australia, AustraliaThis comprehensive approach makes King Lear: A Critical Guide a valuable resource for advanced undergraduates and those who teach them, as it suggests the multitude of reaction to King Lear over time, while also showing what can still be done within this vast tradition. -- William Rhodes, University of Virginia * Sixteenth Century Journal *Table of ContentsSeries Introduction; King Lear Timeline; Introduction; 1. The Critical Backstory, Joan Fitzpatrick (Loughborough University, UK); 2. Performance History, Ramona Wray (Queen's University Belfast, UK); 3. The State of the Art, Philippa Kelly (University of New South Wales, Australia); 4. New Directions: Bowdlerizing and Borrowing: Finding Bits of Lear on the 19th and 20th Century Stage, Lori-Anne Ferrell (Claremont Graduate School, USA); 5. New Directions: 'The Promised End': King Lear and millenarian / utopian ideas in the early seventeenth century, Anthony Parr (University of Western Cape, SA); 6. New Directions: King Lear and Protestantism, John J. Norton (Concordia University, USA); 7. New Directions: King Lear as 'British' play, Willy Maley (University of Glasgow, UK); 8. Resources, Peter Sillitoe (De Montfort University, UK); Notes on Contributors; Index.

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