Literary studies: plays and playwrights Books

Book SynopsisWithin the collections of the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, the world's leading museum of art and design, there lies an extraordinary wealth of material relating to a single individual: the playwright William Shakespeare. This book presents a fascinating selection of one hundred objects – often surprising, always delightful – chosen by the museum’s curators for the insight each affords into the world of Shakespeare and his plays. The objects are drawn from across the V&A's rich and varied collections. There are paintings, sculptures, pieces of jewellery, engravings and figurines. There are posters and playbills, costume designs, photographs, illustrations and film stills. Also included are original costumes worn by Henry Irving, Vivien Leigh, Laurence Olivier, Rudolf Nureyev and Ian McKellen. Amongst the more unexpected objects are a bed (the Great Bed of Ware, which Shakespeare mentions in Twelfth Night), a sword (presented to Edmund Kean after his performance as Macbeth) and a real human skull (Yorick to Jonathan Pryce's Hamlet). Some of the greatest Shakespearean performances and productions of all time are memorialised, including Sarah Bernhardt’s Hamlet, Ellen Terry's Lady Macbeth, John Gielgud's Lear, Olivier's Richard III, Paul Robeson's Othello, many of Henry Irving's performances, David Garrick's celebratory Shakespeare Jubilee of 1769 and Peter Brook's iconic 1970 production of A Midsummer Night's Dream. Each object is illustrated in full colour and is accompanied by a compact essay on its history, its provenance, and what it has to tell us about Shakespeare and his plays, particularly in performance. The result is a book that not only underlines Shakespeare's infinite variety, but also reveals his astonishing legacy in material things, a substantial pageant that has not faded.Trade Review'An attractive book containing lots of gems of information about our national playwright from across history... an easy, enjoyable and informative read' * British Theatre Guide *'Beautiful... This book not only illuminates the reader's understanding of Shakespeare but highlights this extraordinary wealth of material in the [V&A's] collections. It's the sort of book you will come to again and again to dip into.' * Drama Resource *'A glorious, serendipitous tour around Shakespeare's life, work and times' * The Stage *'A wonderful and fascinating collection of material… The accompanying commentary is always very well informed. The book will appeal to anybody interested in Shakespeare in performance' * Mature Times *

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Book SynopsisThirty years ago a promising young actor published his account of preparing for and playing the role of Richard III. Antony Sher's Year of the King has since become a classic of theatre literature. In 2014, Sher, now in his sixties, was cast as Falstaff in Gregory Doran's Royal Shakespeare Company production of the two parts of Henry IV. Both the production and Sher's Falstaff were acclaimed by critics and audiences alike, with Sher winning the Critics' Circle Award for Best Shakespearean Performance. Year of the Fat Knight is Antony Sher's account - splendidly supplemented by his own paintings and sketches - of researching, rehearsing and performing one of Shakespeare's best-known and most popular characters. He tells us how he had doubts about playing the part at all, how he sought to reconcile Falstaff's obesity, drunkenness, cowardice and charm, how he wrestled with the fat suit needed to bulk him up, and how he explored the complexities and contradictions of this comic yet often dangerous personality. On the way, Sher paints a uniquely close-up portrait of the RSC at work.Year of the Fat Knight is a terrific read, rich in humour and with a built-in tension as opening night draws relentlessly nearer. It also stands as a celebration of the craft of character acting. All in all, it is destined to rank with Year of the King as one of the most enduring accounts of the creation of a giant Shakespearean role. Praise for Year of the King: 'This is a most wonderfully authentic account of the experience of creating a performance' Sunday Times 'The most exciting actor of his generation and an eloquent writer on the side' Observer Praise for Sher's Falstaff: 'A magnificent, magnetic performance - Sher plays down the fatness to emphasise the knight's upper-class origins. But, just as you start to warm to this Falstaff, you are reminded of his rapacity' Guardian 'It is Sher's irrepressible Falstaff that will linger in the memory - a lord of misrule who's absurd, delightful and in the end deeply sad' Evening StandardTrade Review'A fascinating book, whether you love Shakespeare, whether you love theatre, even if you don't... unfailingly honest... a brilliant portrayal of a character actor' - Claudia Winkelman, The BBC Radio 2 Arts Show 'A brilliantly full-bodied account that mixes the practicalities of a performance with artistic ambitions. You learn as much about Sher himself as you do about Falstaff... far more instructive about acting than any number of how-to guides' - WhatsOnStage 'Far from simply a primer on the art of acting... [Sher's] tone is relaxed, intimate, even confidential, open about his personal foibles and relationships... a book about life as well as about acting' - The Spectator 'One of the most compelling non-fiction books I've read in a long time... chatty, frank, funny and enlightening... anyone wanting to know exactly how a show is created from beginning to end will find it all here... I enjoyed Sher's earlier book, Year of the King, about his journey to create Richard III, but this is even better' - The Stage 'A joyful outpouring of a man at the top of his game... totally enthralling from start to finish' - Books Monthly

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Book SynopsisJessica Swale's Blue Stockings is the empowering and surprising story of four young women fighting for their right to a university education in a world that assumed women belonged at home. First produced professionally at Shakespeare's Globe in 2013, and a sell-out success, it is now regularly performed by theatre groups in the UK and beyond, and widely studied by GCSE Drama students. This Page to Stage guide, written by the playwright, who also directed the first production at RADA, along with her assistant director Lois Jeary, is packed with contextual information, scene-by-scene and character breakdowns, and personal insights into the world of the play and the real lives that inspired it. An invaluable resource for those studying and staging the play, it takes you through the entire production process, considering each of the elements in turn, from sound and music to design and rehearsals. You'll also find notes from the original rehearsal process, extracts from working diaries, and interviews with key members of the creative team. Throughout, there are hints and tips on staging, and helpful games and exercises to bring the play to life on the stage and in the classroom. Highly accessible and uniquely authoritative, it is the indispensible guide for anyone studying, teaching or performing the play.Trade Review'Extremely helpful… offers great detail, whilst also offering space to explore and be creative… this is a book that many will pick up and use as an exemplar of how to prepare any play, not just Blue Stockings' * Drama Magazine *'Very accessible… the suggested games and exercises are excellent… you certainly need this book if you're teaching and / or directing Blue Stockings. There's also plenty here for the students themselves to read and reflect on' * Ink Pellet *'For anyone working on or studying the play, this book is invaluable' * Word Matters - Journal of the Society of Teachers of Speech and Drama *

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Book SynopsisSophocles, Aeschylus and Euripides are often described as the greatest tragedians of the ancient world. Of these three pivotal founders of modern drama, Euripides is characterized as the interloper and the innovator: the man who put tragic verse into the mouths of slaves, women and the socially inferior in order to address vital social issues such as sex, class and gender relations. It is perhaps little wonder that his work should find such resonance in the modern day. In this concise introduction, Isabelle Torrance engages with the thematic, cultural and scholarly difficulties that surround his plays to demonstrate why Euripides remains a figure of perennial relevance. Addressing here issues of social context, performance theory, fifth-century philosophy and religion, textual criticism and reception, the author presents an astute and attractively-written guide to the Euripidean corpus – from the widely read and celebrated Medea to the lesser-known and deeply ambiguous Alcestis.Trade ReviewThis book was a pleasure to read. Torrance throughout presents the reader with densely packed information, clearly written, laced with good scholarly judgement and ample citation of recent secondary sources … Students and instructors, not just in Classics, will find this an excellent and reliable book that provides a fine introduction to Euripides' dramatic themes … Torrance's enthusiasm for her subject shines throughout the volume. * Bryn Mawr Classical Review *An excellent general introduction to Euripides – well-written, stimulating and full of ideas. Torrance brings the plays to life and manages to convey a real sense of what was so distinctive about Euripidean drama. -- Matthew Wright, Professor of Greek, University of Exeter, UKA book of very high quality, which offers a large audience a highly intellectual introduction. This study indeed pays homage to the many facets of a body of work which is not only well constructed, but which, as Torrance puts it, "has the power to present a very wide range of questions on the human condition". * Revue des Etudes Anciennes (Bloomsbury Translation) *Table of ContentsI. Life and Works II. Spectacular Theatre III. Religion and Philosophy IV. Rhetoric and Relevance V. Literary Sophistication VI. Conflicts: Ancient and Modern Conclusion Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisWhether the fault of tedious teachers or hammy actors, Shakespeare is often seen as dry and impenetrable. In this fast-paced introduction, Ros King sets out to remind us of the sheer beauty and sophistication that can make Shakespeare's works a joy for any audience. Exploring his invention, wit, along with his uncanny characterisation, King argues archaic language should be no barrier to the modern reader. With summaries of The Bard's life and background, explanations of the plays' origins, and instructions on how to read his poetry, Shakespeare: A Beginner's Guide provides all the tools the general reader needs to embrace our greatest writer.

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Book SynopsisPaul Muldoon is one of the most exciting and accomplished poets writing in English. Few authors display such mastery of the language, form and measure of poetry, while at the same time opening poetry up to all the contemporary forces of disorder, contingency and confusion. But for this very reason, Muldoon’s is a complex and demanding body of work. Clair Wills's study, which covers the first 25 years of Muldoon's poetic output, is written both for the general poetry reader as well as those with a professional interest in poetry. In this highly readable book, Clair Wills takes the measure of Muldoon’s poetic gifts. She offers close readings of many of the major poems, while also assessing the general features of his unmistakeable style, and his relation to ] this is a repetitive device beyond anything which an attentive reader of the individual poem could be expected to grasp.?cant predecessors such as Robert Frost and Seamus Heaney. Her book also highlights the major themes in Muldoon’s poetry, such as autobiography and the question of origins, sexuality, Irish myth and legend, history and political violence in Northern Ireland, and the dynamics of cross-cultural encounters. Clair Wills tracks Muldoon’s poetic development, exploring the key concerns of each of his books, from New Weather (1973) to Hay (1998). Concluding with an evaluation of Muldoon’s then most recent collection, Hay, her study will be an essential reference point for discussions of this important poet. Her chapter on Hay was the first critical essay to note that Muldoon's long poem ‘Third Epistle to Timothy’ in Hay not only rhymes with two other long poems in that collection, ‘The Mud Room’ and ‘The Bangle (Slight Return)’, but also that these poems in turn "rhyme" with the two long poems in Muldoon's previous collection, Annals of Chile (1994), ‘Yarrow’ and ‘Incantata’: 'Each poem uses the same ninety rhyme words, and in the same order as they ?rst occur in ‘Yarrow’, but in different verse forms, so that the repetition is undetectable unless you are looking for it. […] this is a repetitive device beyond anything which an attentive reader of the individual poem could be expected to grasp.'

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Book SynopsisPart of the "Writers' Britain" series, first published in the 1940s. This work offers Graham Greene's evaluation of British drama, from its roots in the Mystery and Miracle plays of the market carnival through Shakespeare and the Restoration to the 20th century.

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Book SynopsisAn authoritative, hands-on guide through the practical challenges involved in performing Shakespeare. Drawing on a lifetime's experience of playing Shakespearean roles, Oliver Ford Davies offers practical advice to actors, directors and drama students on a wide variety of scenes, characters, speeches and individual lines from almost every one of the plays. The three core sections of Performing Shakespeare take us through the whole process of Preparation, Rehearsal and Performance, preceded by discussions of the Elizabethan actor and Shakespeare's language. Also included are revealing interviews with other notable Shakespearean actors including Judi Dench, Ian McKellen, Harriet Walter, Simon Russell Beale and Juliet Stevenson. 'An invaluable guide to those who act and to all those who wish to gain deeper insights into the performance of Shakespeare's plays' Stanley Wells from his ForewordTrade Review'Terrific... should be read by anyone who wants to understand more about the Bard, his players, his times and today's interpretations of his stupendous creations... a great book for anyone who loves the theatre' * Observer *'It is hard to offer enough praise to this book... a tremendous knowledge of the canon... the writing is always practical and never dry or dull... might become definitive guidance for many who wish to follow in the author's footsteps' * British Theatre Guide *

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Book SynopsisThe philosopher and educationalist Rudolf Steiner was also a radical dramatist who wrote four lengthy and complex plays. The first of these, The Portal of Initiation, is rich in content and artistically presented, but leaves us with questions: Why is the first scene so long and many speeches so lengthy? Why are our usual expectations of drama not met? Was Steiner really a competent dramatist? In this essential guide, Trevor Dance suggests that the first step to appreciating The Portal of Initiation is to understand Steiner's methods. The play belongs to the tradition of Mystery Dramas from ancient times - artistic works intended as vehicles for inner development. Steiner thus combines aspects of Goethe's alchemical fable The Green Snake and the Beautiful Lily with the spiritual growth of contemporary individuals - all in the broader context of reincarnation and karma. With accessibility in mind, the author provides a clear synopsis of each scene and introduces us to the characters - a collection of rustics, sophisticates, hierophants and spiritual entities. Their dilemmas and challenges take place on many layers of reality: from a room in Sophia's house to the exalted Sun Temple. Revealing the enigmas behind the creation and content of The Portal of Initiation, Dance enables us not only to enjoy the play, but also to love it. His lucid guide - the first of its kind - is an ideal introduction for both individual readers and study groups.

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Book SynopsisHarold Pinter was fascinated by film long before the theatre, but the importance of his screenplays, based on the work of other writers, has been overlooked. Renton shows him working from manuscript to final text to engage the spectator in a relationship of desire, or anxiety, with what is unseen. A newly discovered poem links Pinter to the Surrealists, and through the Surrealists to their contemporary, the psychoanalyst Jacques Lacan (1901-81). The present study shows Pinter working differently from mainstream cinema, places him at the forefront of film theory, and offers a fresh insight into his entire output.Table of ContentsAcknowledgements, Note on Manuscripts, Abbreviations, 1 Vision and the Object of Desire, 2 The Object of Desire in the Screenplay Adaptations, 3 The Remains of the Day: The Lost Object of Desire, 4 The Handmaid's Tale: The Object Almost Achieved, 5 Victory: The Object of Anxiety, 6 The Object of Desire in the Plays and Other Works, Conclusion, Bibliography, Index

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Book SynopsisJohn Millington Synge, controversial in his own time and long established as a major figure of world theatre, has nonetheless suffered relative critical neglect. Where his great contemporaries Yeats and Joyce and his outstanding successor Beckett have attracted whole industries of scholarly attention, Synge, by reason of his short life and limited output, has been relegated to the unconsidered category of minor classic. This volume of essays, arising from lectures given at the Synge Summer School by some of the most distinguished writers and scholars of Irish literature, sets about the necessary task of interpreting Synge: his relation to cultural and theatrical contexts; the significance of his plays; the distinctive quality of his language and the thematic matrices of his work. Four original poems, specially commissioned for the book, provide an imaginative counterpoint to the critical interpretation of the essays.Table of ContentsIntroduction: Nicholas Grene, on the margins: Synge and Wicklow; R.F.Foster, good behaviour: Yeats, Synge and Anglo-Irish etiquette; Frank McGuinness, John Millington Synge and the King of Norway; Angela Bourke, Keening as theatre; Tom Pualin, riders to the sea: a revisionist tragedy; Antionette Quinn, staging the Irish peasant woman: Maud Gonne v. Synge; Christopher Morash, all playboys now: the audience and the riot; Martin Hilsky, re-imagining Synge's language: the Czech experience; Declan Kiberd, the making and unmaking of myth: Synge as anthropologist; Anthony Roche, Synge: the woman and the tramp; Ann Saddlemyer, Synge's soundscape

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Book SynopsisThis work takes gender as its point of entry into the comedies of Carlo Goldoni (1707-93). The dramatization of femininity and masculinity is explored in conjunction with that of other social categories (class, the family, and age). The plays reinforce the patriarchal association of femininity with the body, with spectacle, and with theatricality, while the dramatic backdrop of Venice and carnival provides a context for the staging of issues relating to identity, disguise and fashion. In the plays, pretence and theatricality vie with bourgeois Enlightenment values of morality, honesty and respectability to produce dramatic tension with distinct gender implications.Table of ContentsIntroduction; I: Honest Women: Morality and Idealized Femininity; II: Off Limits: Femininity and the Stage; III: A Woman's Place: The Angel in the House; IV: Artful Women: Staging Subversion; V: Surface Mobilities: Identity, Disguise and Fashion; VI: Masculinity and Materialism: Money, Sex and Power; VII: Class Acts: The Drama of Difference; VIII: Fear of Fiction: Theatricality, Pretence and Femininity

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Book SynopsisBased on three lectures given by Professor Richard Proudfoot in October 1999 to celebrate the 400th anniversary of The Globe, The Arden Shakespeare's centenary and Professor Proudfoot's retirement from King's College; this enjoyable volume aims to give a general and non-specialist audience some sense of what scholarship has achieved in three critical areas of Shakespeare studies at the end of the twentieth century. Freshly and engagingly written, this lively volume will appeal to all those with an interest in Shakespeare studies.

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Book SynopsisThe Island Princess is a tragicomic romance set in the Spice Islands of Indonesia. Fletcher rewrites Shakespeare's The Tempest through the encounter of Islam and Christianity and the fierce European competition for wealth at the farthest reaches of empire. The play also stages the degeneration of religious tolerance into fanaticism. This ground-breaking edition explores the play in its gendered, political, social and religious contexts whilst also finding its resonances for a twenty-first century audience. The critical introduction and on-page commentary notes create an ideal teaching text giving a comprehensive account of the play from both literary and performance perspectives.Trade ReviewClare McManus has produced a fine edition of this important play, which has emerged from neglect in recent years. The text has been authoritatively established; the notes are always helpful; and the introduction, in line with this series, is serious, useful and a pleasure to read. -- Andrew Hadfield, University of Sussex * Around the Globe *Clare McManus's edition is to a large extent organised around what she sees as the play's 'striking topicality in the post-9/11 moment' ... [and] McManus works hard to ground the play's native characters in Islamic culture. * London Review of Books *I gladly recommend McManus’ edition of his work […] I am pleased to see a new, scholarly, well-annotated edition of this old work. -- Kenneth Tucker, Murray State University * The Shakespeare Newsletter *Table of ContentsIntroduction - The Island Princess - Appendices - Further Reading - Index

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Book SynopsisThis book traces the development of pastoral drama as it evolved over the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries in Italy. It considers how writers of pastoral drama responded to social, cultural and intellectual pressures and innovations, regarding critical attitudes towards theatre and the arts.Trade ReviewHandsomely produced (a tribute to its publishers and copy-editor), meticulously researched, agreeably written,with copious notes, a generous bibliography, and English translationsof all the original quotations, it is packed full with fascinating and thought-provoking information. -- Modern Language Review Modern Language Review Vanno complimentati, infine, anche gli editori di Legenda (la fruttuosa collaborazione tra Maney Publishing e la Modern Humanities Research Association) che hanno curato questa pubblicazione impeccabile, e che hanno dato ampio spazio - scelta felice - ai citati originali in italiano (provveduti sempre di una traduzione inglese della stessa studiosa). In aggiunta alle note concise poste alla fine di ogni capitolo, la bibliografia e l'indice generale che concludono il libro costituiranno un utile strumento di consultazione ai molti studenti e ricercatori che troveranno una ricchissima fonte d'informazioni preziose (dalla descrizione meticolosa delle innumerevoli opere individuali, al contesto sociale, culturale e politico sempre ottimamente documentato) in questa monografia, la quale combina una chiarezza di argomentazione con un'analisi sfaccettata di un fenomeno significativo - se non proprio determinante - nel campo culturale della prima epoca moderna. -- Italian Studies Italian StudiesTable of Contents1. Introduction 2. The Earliest Examples of Pastoral Drama: The Self-Conscious Evolution of a New Genre 3. Tasso's Aminta: Raising the Profile of the Pastoral Play 4. Imitations and Innovations after Tasso's Aminta: Accommodating a Female Voice 5. Guarini's Pastor fido: The Establishment of an Ethical and Political Model of Pastoral Drama 6. Performing Pastoral Drama 7. Pastoral Drama in the Seventeenth Century and Beyond

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Book SynopsisThere are many books about William Shakespeare but few written for the visitor which deal so thoroughly with his life, works and associated sites. Keith Cheetham, historian, dramatist and lifelong fan of the Bard, sets off in search of the places that shaped Shakespeare's life. From cottage to mighty castle, royal palace to battlefield, country village to vibrant metropolis, Keith investigates the locations that informed some of the greatest plays and poetry the world has ever known.Trade ReviewThere are many books about William Shakespeare, but none that follows so closely his journey. - METHODIST RECORDERTable of ContentsContents Map Index Map A - Central London Map B - Southern England Map C - Stratford-upon-Avon Map D - Warwickshire and environs Map E - Wales, Northern and Central England Map F - Scotland and Border Country Introduction part one the life of william shakespeare Chronology of Shakespeare's Times chapter 1 Shakespeare's Ancestral Influences chapter 2 A Stratford Boyhood chapter 3 Religious Unrest chapter 4 The 'Lost' Years chapter 5 Family Responsibilities chapter 6 London and the Theatre chapter 7 The Globe Theatre chapter 8 The King's Men chapter 9 The Final Years part two the works of william shakespeare Chronology of Shakespeare's Works chapter 10 Shakespeare the Traveller chapter 11 Shakespearean Renaissance and Legacy chapter 12 Play Locations and Other Sites Useful Addresses Bibliography

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Book SynopsisEdwin Morgan's brilliant Glasgow-based Scots translation of Edmond Rostand's Cyrano de Bergerac is one of the most successful productions in modern Scottish theatre. Fresh, clever and dynamic, Morgan's refashioning of the play establishes a cultural bond between the classic French play and Scotland's own dramatic and literary heritage.John Corbett's SCOTNOTE provides a succinct background to Edmond Rostand and his original play first performed in Paris, 1897 as well as to Edwin Morgan and his 1992 Scots verse translation, and is a perfect introduction for senior school pupils and students of all ages.

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Book SynopsisJ. M. Barrie (1860 - 1937) is today known almost exclusively for one work: Peter Pan. Yet he was the most successful British playwright of the early twentieth century, and his novels were once thought equal to those of George Meredith and Thomas Hardy. Although in recent years there has been a revival of interest in Barrie''s writing, many critics still fail to include him in surveys of fin de siecle literature or drama. Perhaps Barrie''s remarkable variety of output has prevented him from being taken to the centre of critical discussions in any one area of literary criticism or history. Is Barrie predominantly a novelist or a playwright? Is he Victorian, Decadent, Edwardian or Modernist? Gateway to the Modern is the very first collection of essays on Barrie which attempts to do justice to the extraordinary range of his literary achievement. What emerges is a significant writer, fully immersed in the literary and intellectual culture of his day.

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Book SynopsisIrish-language theatre has at times been on the fringes of Ireland's cultural landscape - invisible and underground - but its influence can be seen all over the island of Ireland. An Underground Theatre is the first full-length study of playwrights working in the Irish language in the pivotal 1930-80 period. In this landmark volume Philip O'Leary analyses the works of Mairead Ni Ghrada, Seamus O Neill, Eoghan O Tuairisc, Sean O Tuama, and Criostoir O Floinn and discusses the production history of their plays and the critical reception of first productions and major revivals. O'Leary also outlines the beginnings of drama in Irish in the early twentieth century and provides important historical context. The developments in Irish-language theatre since 1980 are also discussed in this important contribution to Irish theatre studies. Using a wide range of sources, O'Leary gives a thorough evaluation of five of the most significant Irish-language playwrights and charts the monumental influence and reach of their work.Trade Review''Any of the case studies in the present book would be a substantial work of scholarship in its own right, and their publication together makes for a thought-provoking comparative survey. The author wears his erudition lightly, and his good humor and ability to summarize ideas in clear and often pithy statements make this work accessible for a wide range of readers.' Roísín Ní Chairbhí, Irish Literary Supplement, Spring 2019 ||||| 'Philip O’Leary takes the time and care to bring us deep into the heart of the plays he discusses, honouring their ambitions and achievements while not shrinking from discussing shortcomings. Irish Catholic, 14 Sept 2017Table of ContentsAbbreviations; Foreword; Introduction. An Underground Theatre; chapter 1: Unlikely Iconoclast. Mairead Ni Ghrada (1896-1971); chapter 2: A Northern Voice. Seamus O Neill (1910-1981); chapter 3: A Theatre of Ideas. Eoghan O Tuairisc (1919-1982); chapter 4: Knocking Down Old Walls. Sean O Tuama (1926-2006); chapter 5: Questions of Conscience. Criostoir O Floinn (b. 1927); Afterword; Select Bibliography; Endnote; Index

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Book SynopsisBernd Peltzer widmet sich in seiner Arbeit der politischen Rhetorik in englischen Renaissancedramen. Dabei liegt der Fokus auf drei Römerdramen (William Shakespeares Coriolanus, Ben Jonsons Sejanus His Fall, Philip Massingers The Roman Actor) und drei Historien (William Shakespeares King Richard II und King Henry V, John Fords Perkin Warbeck). Bei den untersuchten Textpassagen der Einzeltextanalysen handelt es sich um Schlüsselszenen der jeweiligen Dramen, in denen die Verwendung und Funktion der Rhetorik im Mittelpunkt stehen. Zudem zeigt der Autor exemplarisch die für die Literatur der englischen Renaissance charakteristische Auseinandersetzung mit der Antike. Bernd Peltzer deals with the topic of political rhetoric in English Renaissance dramas. The focus is put on six dramas three Roman plays and three History plays in individual text analyses. The three Roman plays are William Shakespeare's Coriolanus, Ben Jonson's Sejanus His Fall, and Philip Massinger's The Roman Actor. Amongst the histories William Shakespeare's King Richard II, King Henry V and John Ford's Perkin Warbeck are analysed. Furthermore, the characteristic reflexion of antiquity which is typical for English Renaissance literature is shown as an example. The text passages dealt with in this thesis are often pivotal scenes emphasizing the function of rhetoric.

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Book SynopsisThis book's unique format makes it a versatile companion for a wide range of readers from the novice to the expert. The book is centered on 100 of Shakespeare's greatest dramatic images - at least one taken from each of his plays. They deal with the enduring subjects of poetry - love, loss, loveliness, folly, injustice - in voices which range from witty to tender, from indignant to resigned. "Shakespeare's 100 Greatest Dramatic Images" opens with a series of word games that anyone can play - individually or in a group - that introduce the reader to the selected images. These images are then placed within the context of the plays themselves in a short essay - one for each of the 37 plays.Where appropriate, historical and theatrical perspectives, as well as modern interpretations and controversies, are explored. This book can be dipped into at random, taken a section at a time, or read from start to finish as a short but original introduction to some of the English language's richest prose and poetry. The Saunders have created a Website that includes images chosen by a variety of Shakespeare enthusiasts and performers - some famous, AS Byatt, Dame Judi Dench, Patrick Garland, etc - and have invited the public to add to the collection.Trade Review"I can think of no livelier introduction to Shakespeare and his work, and no greater indulgence for dedicated lovers of the plays. Claire and John Saunders lift up exquisite image after image, like morsels from a feast, and in doing so, uncover for us the world of each play -- its tensions, its richness and, always, its elementally human concerns. Their short discussions are deft, elegant and highly readable. The word-games are witty and expert. Like the very best scholars, they wear their impressive knowledge lightly. Dabble, dip in or devour in a sitting. Shakespeare's 100 Greatest Dramatic Images is a rare treat." Alison MacLeod, author of The Wave Theory of Angels and Fifteen Modern Tales of Attraction"Amazing achievementA...captures the very best in Shakespeare's language." Hugh Adlington, Lecturer in English, Birmingham University, UK."A teach-yourself Shakespeare for grown upsA...along the same lines as Lynne Truss's Eats, Shoots & Leaves. Like punctuation, Shakespeare is one of those areas where many adults lack confidence." Linda Cookson, Vice-principal, Central School of Speech and Drama, London"Beautifully and accessibly writtenA...an absolute delight had me enthralled for daysA...attempts to do for Shakespeare what Lynne Truss did for Fowler." Len Masterman, Senior Research Fellow in Communication and Politics, Liverpool University.

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Book SynopsisAn actor's deepest desire is to be understood. But when asked to pronounce such words as chanson, phantasime, or quaestor, many otherwise unflappable actors can be rendered speechless. This book aims to untie those tongues and help anyone speak Shakespeare's language with ease.Trade Review"Gary Logan has given us a pronouncing dictionary for Shakespeare which surpasses anything previously available in both scope and depth. Thoroughly researched and carefully documented, it clearly indicates pronunciations which are conjectural or matters of debate, as well as laying out in detail the standard of pronunciation adopted for the dictionary." (Ellen O'Brien, head of voice and text, Shakespeare Theatre Company)"

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Book SynopsisExplores how Shakespeare's plays were produced both in his own time and in succeeding centuries. This book explains how the Elizabethan playhouse conveyed a sense of place using minimal scenery, from the Forest of Arden in As You Like It to the tavern in Henry IV, Part I.Trade Review"An eminent Shakespeare scholar and author, Bevington offers a concise, lucid, and unique overview of the history of Shakespeare in various modes of performance, from stage to film to television." - Choice "Bevington makes interesting, nuanced and original points about staging and interpretation that reveal the dynamism and complexity of Shakespeare's canon." - Financial Times "Even veteran Shakespeareans will profit from the varied reminders of how important performance and staging have always been to the interpretation of the plays." - Renaissance Quarterly"

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Book SynopsisWho is a citizen? What is a person? Who is my neighbor? Turning to the potent idea of political theology to recover the strange mix of political and religious thinking during the Renaissance, the author unveils the figure of the citizensaint, who represents at once divine messenger and civil servant, both norm and exception.Trade Review"Lupton's book wrestles seriously and intelligently with complex issues and brings a sophisticated theoretical perspective to bear on a crucial fault line in Western culture." (Studies in English Literature, 1500-1900) "Citizen-Saints is significant, not only as a contribution to Shakespearean studies, but also as a reflection upon the nature of citizenship and the relation between religion and politics. in our time." (Renaissance Quarterly)"

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Book SynopsisJust as Shakespeare's theatre was an economic gamble, so the plays themselves submit to an audience's judgement. This book suggests such a theatrical economy provides a model for the way in which truth is determined in the world at large - a model like that of contemporary pragmatism.

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Book SynopsisShylock, the Jewish moneylender in The Merchant of Venice who famously demands a pound of flesh as security for a loan to his antisemitic tormentors, is one of Shakespeare's most complex and idiosyncratic characters. With his unsettling eloquence andhis varying voices of protest, play, rage, and refusal, Shylock remains a source of perennial fascination. What explains the strange and enduring force of this character, so unlike that of any other in Shakespeare's plays? Kenneth Gross posits thatthe figure of Shylock is so powerful because he is the voice of Shakespeare himself. Marvelously speculative and articulate, Gross's book argues that Shylock is a breakthrough for Shakespeare the playwright, an early realization of the Bard's power to create dramatic voices that speak for hidden, unconscious, even inhuman impulsescharacters larger than the plays that contain them and ready to escape the author's control. Shylock is also a mask for Shakespeare's own need, rage, vulnerability, and g

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Book SynopsisThe Great William is the first book to explore how seven renowned writersSamuel Taylor Coleridge, John Keats, Virginia Woolf, Charles Olson, John Berryman, Allen Ginsberg, and Ted Hugheswrestled with Shakespeare in the very moments when they were reading his work. What emerges is a constellation of remarkable intellectual and emotional encounters. Theodore Leinwand builds impressively detailed accounts of these writers' experiences through their marginalia, lectures, letters, journals, and reading notes. We learn why Woolf associated reading Shakespeare with her brother Thoby, and what Ginsberg meant when referring to the mouth feel of Shakespeare's verse. From Hughes's attempts to find a skeleton key to all of Shakespeare's plays to Berryman's tormented efforts to edit King Lear, Leinwand reveals the palpable energy and conviction with which these seven writers engaged with Shakespeare, their moments of utter self-confidence and profound vexation. In uncovering these intense public

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Book SynopsisIncludes essay on Botticelli that traces the artist's sudden popularity in the nineteenth century for reasons that have more to do with poetry than painting.Trade Review"[Kermode] was drawn to the entanglements of the text and its rational mysteries rather than some scaffold of theory.... He protected the reader's freedom to be interested in whatever was interesting. That meant writing a prose that was never wholly academic and over the years became more and more open to the intersection of literature and the lives we're actually living." (New York Times) "Kermode's volume has the virtue of a lecturer's accessible style designed for a listening audience. It is also self-consciously spare of 'naked criticism.' There is, nonetheless, an abundance of learned commentary, steady substance, and unveiled critical excellence. Which is to say the volume is a useful and engaging reflection of its learned author." (London Review of Books)"

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Book SynopsisIntends to reconstruct Shakespeare's authorial identity as Shakespeare and his contemporaries actually understood it. This title argues that Shakespeare tried to adapt his own singular talent and ambition to the collaborative enterprise of drama by imagining himself as uniquely embodying the diverse, fractious energies of the popular theater.Trade Review"Overturns the new historicist position that authorial production by a singular individual is a mid-18th-century notion.... Essential." (Choice)"

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Book SynopsisAn actor's deepest desire is to be understood. But when asked to pronounce such words as 'chanson,' 'phantasime,' or 'quaestor,' many otherwise unflappable actors can be rendered speechless. This title aims to untie those tongues and help those who speak Shakespeare's language with ease.

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Book SynopsisThis text explores the perceived discrepancy between outward appearance and inward disposition which, it argues, influenced the work of many English Renaissance dramatists and poets. The author examines various connections between religious, legal, sexual and theatrical ideas of inward truth.

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Book SynopsisThe Great William is the first book to explore how seven renowned writers Samuel Taylor Coleridge, John Keats, Virginia Woolf, Charles Olson, John Berryman, Allen Ginsberg, and Ted Hughes wrestled with Shakespeare in the very moments when they were reading his work. What emerges is a constellation of remarkable intellectual and emotional encounters.Theodore Leinwand builds impressively detailed accounts of these writers' experiences through their marginalia, lectures, letters, journals, and reading notes. We learn why Woolf associated reading Shakespeare with her brother Thoby, and what Ginsberg meant when referring to the mouth feel of Shakespeare's verse. From Hughes's attempts to find a skeleton key to all of Shakespeare's plays to Berryman's tormented efforts to edit King Lear, Leinwand reveals the palpable energy and conviction with which these seven writers engaged with Shakespeare, their moments of utter self-confidence and profound vexation. In uncovering these intense public and private reactions, The Great William connects major writers' hitherto unremarked scenes of reading Shakespeare with our own.

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Book SynopsisThis work refigures the social and cultural context within which Elizabethan drama was created. It concentrates upon the formal means by which Shakespeare's Elizabethan plays called into question the absolutist assertions of the Elizabethan state.Table of ContentsAcknowledgments To The Reader Prologue Texts and Histories Pt. 1: Drama, Theatre, Society, and the State: Form and Pressure I: The Reformation of Playing II: A Theatre of Changes III: Anatomies of Playing IV: The Theatre, the City, and the Crown V: From the Stage to the State VI: The Power of Personation VII: The Cross-Purposes of Playing Pt. 2: The Shaping Fantasies of A Midsummer Night's Dream VIII: The Discord of This Concord IX: Stories of the Night X: The Imperial Votaress XI: Bottom's Dream Epilogue: A Kingdom of Shadows Index

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