Shakespeare's Alternative Tales

Shakespeare's Alternative Tales PDF Author: Leah Scragg
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1315505037
Category : Drama
Languages : en
Pages : 204

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Book Description
A knowledge of the history and evolution of the tales on which Shakespeare drew in the composition of his plays is essential for the understanding of his work. In re-telling a particular story, a Renaissance writer was not simply reshaping the structure of the narrative but participating in a species of debate with earlier writers and the meanings their tales had accrued. The stories upon which Shakespeare's plays are constructed did not descend to him as innocent collections of incidents, but brought with them considerable cultural baggage, substantially lost to the modern spectator but an essential component, for a contemporary audience, of the meaning of the work. Shakespeare's Alternative Tales explores this literary dialogue, focusing on those plays in which the expectations generated by an inherited story are in some way overthrown, setting up a tension for a Renaissance spectator between 'received' and 'alternative' readings of the text. Each chapter opens with a familiar story, supplying a context for the subsequent discussion, and exhibits the way in which the dramatist's reworking of a traditional motif interrogates the assumptions implicit in his source. While offering the twentieth-century reader a fresh perspective from which to view the plays, the approach also supplies an introduction to contemporary readings of the Shakespearean canon. The tales Leah Scragg considers may be seen as 'alternative' in more than one sense: they radically rework conventional situations, while lending themselves to analysis in terms of new critical methodologies. The text will be of interest to both students of Shakespeare and the general reader. In conjunction with the author's companion volume, Shakespeare's Mouldy Tales, it provides an ideal introduction to contemporary developments in source studies.

Shakespeare's Alternative Tales

Shakespeare's Alternative Tales PDF Author: Leah Scragg
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1315505037
Category : Drama
Languages : en
Pages : 204

Get Book Here

Book Description
A knowledge of the history and evolution of the tales on which Shakespeare drew in the composition of his plays is essential for the understanding of his work. In re-telling a particular story, a Renaissance writer was not simply reshaping the structure of the narrative but participating in a species of debate with earlier writers and the meanings their tales had accrued. The stories upon which Shakespeare's plays are constructed did not descend to him as innocent collections of incidents, but brought with them considerable cultural baggage, substantially lost to the modern spectator but an essential component, for a contemporary audience, of the meaning of the work. Shakespeare's Alternative Tales explores this literary dialogue, focusing on those plays in which the expectations generated by an inherited story are in some way overthrown, setting up a tension for a Renaissance spectator between 'received' and 'alternative' readings of the text. Each chapter opens with a familiar story, supplying a context for the subsequent discussion, and exhibits the way in which the dramatist's reworking of a traditional motif interrogates the assumptions implicit in his source. While offering the twentieth-century reader a fresh perspective from which to view the plays, the approach also supplies an introduction to contemporary readings of the Shakespearean canon. The tales Leah Scragg considers may be seen as 'alternative' in more than one sense: they radically rework conventional situations, while lending themselves to analysis in terms of new critical methodologies. The text will be of interest to both students of Shakespeare and the general reader. In conjunction with the author's companion volume, Shakespeare's Mouldy Tales, it provides an ideal introduction to contemporary developments in source studies.

Shakespeare's Alternative Tales

Shakespeare's Alternative Tales PDF Author: Leah Scragg
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 9781138466937
Category :
Languages : en
Pages :

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Book Description
Cover -- Half Title -- Title -- Copyright -- Dedication -- Contents -- Acknowledgements -- Introduction -- Chapter 1 1 Henry IV and the Tale of the Prodigal Son -- Chapter 2 King John and the Tale of the Bastard Son -- Chapter 3 A Midsummer Night's Dream and the Tale of the Faithful Friends -- Chapter 4 Measure for Measure and the Tale of the Heroic Sacrifice -- Chapter 5 All's Well That Ends Well and the Tale of the Chivalric Quest -- Chapter 6 Cymbeline and the Tale of the Substitute Bedmate -- Further Reading -- Index

Alternative Shakespeare Auditions for Men

Alternative Shakespeare Auditions for Men PDF Author: Simon Dunmore
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1135859744
Category : Drama
Languages : en
Pages : 129

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Book Description
Dunmore brings together fifty speeches for men from plays frequently ignored such as Titus Andronicus, Pericles, and Love's Labours Lost. It also includes good, but over-looked speeches from the more popular plays such as Octavius Caesar from Antony and Cleopatra, Leontes from The Winter's Tale and Buckingham from Richard III. With character descriptions, brief explanations of the context, and notes on obscure words, phrases and references, it is the perfect source for a unique audition.

Alternative Shakespeare Auditions for Women

Alternative Shakespeare Auditions for Women PDF Author: Simon Dunmore
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1135860092
Category : Drama
Languages : en
Pages : 132

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Book Description
Like the companion volume for men, Alternative Shakespeare Auditions for Women brings together fifty speeches from plays frequently ignored such as Coriolanus, Pericles, and Love's Labours Lost. It also features good, but over-looked speeches from more popular plays such as Diana from All's Well That Ends Well, Perdita from The Winter's Tale and Hero from Much Ado About Nothing. Each speech is accompanied by a character description, brief explanation of the context, and notes on obscure words, phrases and references--all written from the viewpoint of the auditioning actor. It is the perfect resource for your best audition ever.

Shakespeare's Stories for Young Readers

Shakespeare's Stories for Young Readers PDF Author: E. Nesbit
Publisher: Courier Corporation
ISBN: 0486114007
Category : Juvenile Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 82

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Book Description
Twelve of the Bard's most famous plays, delightfully adapted for young readers: Romeo and Juliet, Hamlet, King Lear, As You Like It, and eight others.

Shakespeare Stories

Shakespeare Stories PDF Author: Leon Garfield
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
ISBN: 9780395861400
Category : Children's stories
Languages : en
Pages : 324

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Book Description
By skillfully weaving his own prose with Shakespeare's language, Leon Garfield has refashioned twelve of the Elizabethan playwright's most memorable dramas into stories, capturing all the richness of the characters, plot, mood, and setting. This format will delight both those who know the great dramatist's works and those who are new to them. Michael Foreman's dramatic color illustrations and varied black-and-white line drawings are the perfect complement to this celebration of Shakespeare's genius.

Adaptations of Shakespeare

Adaptations of Shakespeare PDF Author: Daniel Fischlin
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1134692021
Category : Literary Criticism
Languages : en
Pages : 327

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Book Description
Shakespeare's plays have been adapted or rewritten in various, often surprising, ways since the seventeenth century. This groundbreaking anthology brings together twelve theatrical adaptations of Shakespeares work from around the world and across the centuries. The plays include The Woman's Prize or the Tamer Tamed John Fletcher The History of King Lear Nahum Tate King Stephen: A Fragment of a Tragedy John Keats The Public (El P(blico) Federico Garcia Lorca The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui Bertolt Brecht uMabatha Welcome Msomi Measure for Measure Charles Marowitz Hamletmachine Heiner Müller Lears Daughters The Womens Theatre Group & Elaine Feinstein Desdemona: A Play About a Handkerchief Paula Vogel This Islands Mine Philip Osment Harlem Duet Djanet Sears Each play is introduced by a concise, informative introduction with suggestions for further reading. The collection is prefaced by a detailed General Introduction, which offers an invaluable examination of issues related to

Shakespeare's Problem Plays

Shakespeare's Problem Plays PDF Author: Simon Barker
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN: 1350310271
Category : Literary Criticism
Languages : en
Pages : 211

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Book Description
This New Casebook offers a wide-ranging selection of contemporary critical readings of Shakespeare's three 'problem plays': All's Well that Ends Well, Measure for Measure and Trolius and Cressida. Together, they reflect the diversity of late twentieth-century theory and the controversy that continues to be generated by the plays, and discuss a variety of key issues. These include the meaning of the term 'problem play', the historical context and political and cultural significance of the plays, as well as issues of staging and theatre history. The volume also provides a helpful introduction which guides the reader through the critical approaches, terms and debates, as well as explanatory notes for each essay and a useful section on further reading.

The Bard's Tale: Unraveling The Mystique Of Shakespeare

The Bard's Tale: Unraveling The Mystique Of Shakespeare PDF Author: Nicky Huys
Publisher: Nicky Huys Books
ISBN:
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 109

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Book Description
"The Bard's Tale: Unraveling the Mystique of Shakespeare" delves into the captivating world of William Shakespeare, exploring the enigmatic life and enduring legacy of the literary icon. From unraveling the mysteries behind his works to dissecting the allure of his timeless characters, this book offers a comprehensive exploration of Shakespeare's impact on literature and culture. Through meticulous analysis and captivating storytelling, readers are invited to embark on a journey through the Elizabethan era and beyond, uncovering the profound mystique surrounding the Bard and his enduring influence on the world of literature.

Shakespeare's Sonnets and Narrative Poems

Shakespeare's Sonnets and Narrative Poems PDF Author: A. D. Cousins
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1317893689
Category : Literary Criticism
Languages : en
Pages : 201

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Book Description
Alongside Spenser, Sidney and the early Donne, Shakespeare is the major poet of the 16th century, largely because of the status of his remarkable sequence of sonnets. Professor Cousins' new book is the first comprehensive study of the Sonnets and narrative poems for over a decade. He focuses in particular on their exploration of self-knowledge, sexuality, and death, as well as on their ambiguous figuring of gender. Throughout he provides a comparative context, looking at the work of Shakespeare's contemporaries. The relation between Shakespeare's non-dramatic verse and his plays is also explored.