Shakespeare's Play Research Articles

Exit Stage Left: Bringing out the Bard at Library Drama Camp

Most people would agree that the public library is an unconventional agency to host a youth drama camp, let alone a Shakespeare drama camp for children. So, how did I end up creating exactly that at my library?STEAM programming has been getting a big push recently, but most of the emphasis seems to be on the STEM part, and I wanted to focus on the arts. I had participated in youth theater myself back in the day, and it was a transformative experience. I loved the idea of having a theater program, especially for younger school-age kids, so I started brainstorming on how I could bring the theater experience to our young patrons.

The Feasibility of Applying Shakespearean Drama to Address Social Disorders in Sierra Leone

Like many other African countries, Sierra Leone has gone through tragic experiences, which tend to elevate the quest for peace above most other human concerns. Persons and Institutions that deal with human development are generally urged to target such issues as peace – building, conflict prevention, reconciliation, etc. It seems that the literary discipline bears remarkable potentialities to such effects. This is the concern of this paper. In order to maximize the possible benefit of literature, in this regard, the “best choice” of literary writers was adopted – William Shakespeare. The findings include but not limited to ‘that many of the social problems that can be addressed sociologically or legally, or morally can as accommodate literary address’ and ‘that Shakespeare’s play can be used to address social disorders in Sierra Leone.

Lev Shestov on Shakespeare’s Tragedy Julius Caesar

This article discusses Lev Shestov’s essay that analyzes Shakespeare’s tragedy Julius Caesar. The essay was included in Shestov’s book the Apotheosis of Groundlessness (1905), and still remains largely unknown to a broader public. The article shows that the essay is less an analysis of a Shakespeare play and more an employment of Shakespeare’s themes and characters in order to challenge his killer heroes in the name of certain abstract principles that “sacrifice” both individuals and masses of humanity. The author also demonstrates the contemporary relevance of exposing the ideology of sacrifice.

Notas de lectura acerca de <i>El rey duerme</i>

La frecuentación de textos fundadores es una constante en la ensayística de Juan Villoro (Ciudad de México, 1956). En El rey duerme, crónica hacia Hamlet (2008), el escritor pone en escena un singular acercamiento a la pieza homónima de Shakespeare. El artículo propone una lectura de ese texto en torno al siguiente conjunto de cuestiones: a) las interferencias y tensiones existentes entre crónica y discurso ensayístico; b) las varias figuraciones de la relación maestro/discípulo; c) el diálogo polémico entablado con la interpretación de Harold Bloom (Shakespeare: The Invention of the Human, 1998) y las estrategias textuales implementadas para ese fin; d) el desplazamiento interpretativo propuesto a partir del Hamlet traducido al español por Tomás Segovia (2002) y del último cuento de Jorge Luis Borges (1985).---------------------------------------------------------------------------------NOTAS DE LEITURA SOBRE EL REY DUERMEA frequentação de textos fundadores é uma característica constante da ensaística de Juan Villoro (Ciudad de México, 1956). Em El rey duerme, crónica hacia Hamlet (2008), o escritor põe em cena uma singular aproximação à peça homônima de Shakespeare. O artigo propõe uma leitura desse texto, em torno do seguinte conjunto de questões: a) as interferências e tensões existentes entre crônica e discurso ensaístico; b) as várias figurações da relação mestre/discípulo; c) o diálogo polêmico instituído com a interpretação de Harold Bloom (Shakespeare: The Invention of the Human, 1998) e as estratégias textuais implementadas para essa finalidade; d) o deslocamento interpretativo proposto a partir do Hamlet traduzido ao espanhol por Tomás Segovia (2002) e do último conto de Jorge Luis Borges (1985).---Artigo em espanhol. ---DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.22409/gragoata.2017n43a939.

Tudor Shakespeare: Taking the Long View

AbstractTudor literature, especially texts written between 1530 and 1580, has been understudied by scholars. But Shakespeare was born and came of age in Tudor England, and his work is influenced by the drama and politics of this period. Reading Tudor drama alongside Shakespearean drama helps us better examine the way that various ideas and dramatic techniques developed across the 16th century. Attention to Tudor drama and its relationship to Shakespeare helps us rethink scholarly periodization and the social, religious, and theatrical changes and continuities of the long 16th century.

Putting authentic learning on trial: Using trials as a pedagogical model for teaching in the humanities

Research on authentic learning has been predominantly focussed on skills-based training: there is a paucity of research on models of authentic learning available for adaptation in the humanities undergraduate classroom. In this article, I will seek to address this gap by proposing that legal trials are ideal models for designing authentic learning scenarios in undergraduate teaching and learning contexts, with a specific focus on the humanities. First, I discuss why and how the structure of legal trials can produce authentic learning environments. Second, I present an undergraduate classroom project that combined two disciplinary fields – Shakespearean drama and criminal law – in an effort to enhance student learning and engagement. I outline how the authentic learning scenario (ALS) was implemented and evaluated and, finally, reflect on the barriers, challenges and potentially transformative effect of authentic learning environments on students and educators. This new intervention combines legal studies and English literature in order to create authentic learning environments to increase interactions amongst students, enhance students’ learning, and foster conditions for transformative learning.

The Hamlet Project in Goethe’s Wilhelm Meister’s Years of Apprenticeship

Goethe’s novel Wilhelm Meister’s Apprenticeship, published in 1795, provides a fictional account of a theatrical production of Shakespeare’s Hamlet. Its initiator is young Wilhelm, whose experiences with this project, in the context of the novel, mark a decisive stage in his education and personal development; as well as, on another level, in the formation of a German national theatre, the mapping out of a theatrical space peculiar to the German national character. To realize his project Wilhelm has to negotiate with his manager and his fellow-actors; these negotiations can be considered reflections of the cultural aspirations and constraints prevalent late 18th-century Germany: – The project itself, as represented by Wilhelm, appears to be informed by a cultural movement towards emancipation from French culture: The character of Hamlet was interpreted as representing a role model for young Germans. – Informed by a theatrical practice based on French conventions, the manager objects to the lack of dramaturgical coherence of the Shakespeare play. As a compromise, Wilhelm composes an adapted version in which references to Wittenberg, Poland, France and England as well as several minor characters are cut, but the Hamlet scenes and speeches are retained. – Wilhelm and his friends also take account of German audiences’ preferences and capacities.The Hamlet project in Wilhelm Meister can be considered a case study of cultural appropriation. Shakespeare becomes a cultural import, used to define and map a cultural space for the German middle class, which in the nineteenth century set store by the quality of its educational make-up.

«Ромео и Джульетта» Шекспира в критике и поэтике А. С. Пушкина

<p>Принято считать, что трагедия У. Шекспира «Ромео и Джульетта» не оставила в творчестве А. С. Пушкина значительного следа. Обычно отмечаются сходство в интерпретации любовного сюжета и образов лирических героев, конфликт между враждующими семьями родителей и т. д. Важное значение в изучении шекспиризации и шекспиризма в русской литературе имеет тезаурусный подход (В. А. Луков, Вл. А. Луков), который применяет автор статьи для анализа творчества Пушкина. В статье уточняется, какое место печальная история юных возлюбленных играла в творческом развитии русского поэта.</p><p>Начиная с 1770–1780-х годов в русской литературе стал набирать силу процесс шекспиризации. В журналах публикуются попытки перевода отдельных отрывков из шекспировских пьес. Романтический культ Шекспира в России начала XIX в. был целиком подготовлен предромантическим влиянием европейской литературы XVIII в. А. С. Пушкин, а также В. К. Кюхельбекер, А. С. Грибоедов, О. М. Сомов, опирались на пример Шекспира и создавали самобытную национальную литературу, пропитанную духом народности. Пушкин был несомненно наиболее значительным русским шекспиристом. Это прослеживается в его творческой эволюции.</p><p>Шекспир и его герои, в первую очередь Ромео и Джульетта, постоянно упоминаются в рукописях Пушкина. Их литературно-критический уровень настолько значителен и самоценен, что исследователи предполагали, что поэт собирался написать «трактат о Шекспире». После «Бориса Годунова» и «Графа Нулина» пушкинский шекспиризм приобрел более отчетливые черты. Шекспировские аллюзии заметны и в поэтических произведениях, и в драматургии Пушкина. </p><p>Во второй половине XIX — начале XX в. русская культура продолжала развивать пушкинскую модель шекспиризма в творчестве русских писателей (Ф. М. Достоевский, И. С. Тургенев, А. П. Чехов, А. А. Блок, Б. Л. Пастернак и др.). Значительными оказались музыкальные произведения: вдохновленные шекспировской пьесой увертюра-фантазия «Ромео и Джульетта» П. И. Чайковского и признанный классический балет С. С. Прокофьева. В живописи заметными явлениями стали работы М. А. Врубеля, М. З. Шагала и др. Новаторский характер имели в 1920–1930-х годах театральные постановки пьесы Шекспира. Таким образом, к середине XX в. трагедия Шекспира прочно вошла в русскую культуру. </p>

Relativizers in Shakespeare's Drama : A Sociolinguistic Study(Winner of Murayama Award for Best Young Scholar,Kanto Review of English Literature)

Relativizers in Shakespeare's Drama : A Sociolinguistic Study(Winner of Murayama Award for Best Young Scholar,Kanto Review of English Literature)

Circumstantial Shakespeare. Lorna Hutson. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2015. Pp. x+190.

<i>Circumstantial Shakespeare</i>. Lorna Hutson. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2015. Pp. x+190.

Shakespeare en Diderot: una crítica del gusto neoclásico

La recepción de la obra de Shakespeare en Francia en el siglo XVIII fue dificultosa debido a la influencia conjunta del neoclasicismo, los escritos de Voltaire y el concepto aristocrático de “bon goût”. No obstante, en este artículo, trazamos un recorrido por la obra de Denis Diderot, entre la Carta sobre los sordomudos y los Salones, para demostrar que la figura del bardo inglés, lejos de ser de importancia lateral, tiene una función central para su pensamiento estético. Su reformulación de la lógica teatral bajo un paradigma pictórico a partir de 1757 se encuentra condensada en un momento particular de la obra shakesperiana, que se convierte así en un exemplum del modo en que el drama debe funcionar cuando las reglas y el decoro comienzan a convertirse en obstáculos para cumplir con el doble objetivo de deleitar y educar al público.

The under-diagnosed green-eyed monster: Otello syndrome and how to manage it

Otello syndrome derives its name from Shakespeare's drama (character) and, clinically, describes a person with delusions of the partner's infidelity. A variety of other psychopathology may present: obsessive-compulsive features, alcohol dependency, voyeurism, sadism, possessiveness and domineering, hyper-sexuality, paranoid attitude, abuse of different nature, violent behaviour, including, occasionally, homicide. Yet, in the author's opinion, the syndrome, unless it presents itself as obviously absurd, is frequently missed.Management is rather difficult and does not always result in recovery but, if not treated with neuroleptics, it would render any other means of treatment useless. The condition could pose a diagnostic challenge. Moreover, it also poses an ethical dilemma whether to warn the spouse of the psychotic condition of the partner, the poor prognosis and possible implications of its existence. Moreover, the long-term partners of such patients frequently present with the symptoms of dependency, submissiveness or even masochism.The paper discusses the abovementioned issues, including the likely psychodynamics, biological background, historical and social elements and possible effective management.Disclosure of interestThe author has not supplied his/her declaration of competing interest.

Introduction: Self-Identity and Ambivalence

In this introduction to the first installment of the Common Knowledge symposium on xenophilia, the editor explains the rationale of the new project, citing increases in aggressive xenophobia internationally. He comments on the intergroup-relations theorist Todd Pittinsky's argument that, since tolerance is not logically the antithesis of negative feelings toward out-groups, even long-established traditions of toleration are inadequate to prevent intergroup aggression. Pittinsky proposes that tolerance be replaced, as a principle of peacekeeping, by the encouragement of positive feelings toward out-groups, and the author of this essay responds by showing how the Freudian theory of ambivalence and the history of literature on which Freud drew in constructing it support Pittinsky's viewpoint. Enemies regularly fall in love, above all in Shakespearean drama, which Freud explains by arguing that all human relations are love-hate relations. Thus, this essay suggests, it takes as much psychic energy to repress the love in what appear to be relationships of hatred as to repress the hatred in what appear to be relationships of love. There is a metaphysical component as well to this argument: the xenophobe and xenophile equally presuppose that the identity principle (a = a) is applicable to society as well as to mathematics; both assume that each discrete social group is self-identical and differs from all other groups more or less radically. The main difference between –phile and –phobe is the latter's relative incapacity to live with ambivalence. Given these arguments, one must expect to find negative as well as positive motives in the etiology and conduct of xenophilia—and the first installment of the Common Knowledge symposium is said to focus on cases of xenophilia in which varieties of enmity accompany that singular and underrated variety of love.

Psyche in historical context: Identity and existence in Captain Ahab and King Lear

IntroductionWhat ties Ahab, the notorious captain of the Pequod in Herman Melville's 1851 novel, Moby-Dick, to King Lear, the desperate old regent from William Shakespeare's eponymous play published in 1608, is not only their overabundant quest for meaning, or their obsession with pursuing their targets, but their idiosyncratic experiencing of themselves in their personal realities.AimsCaptain Ahab is put in relation with King Lear, in order to show in what way issues of identity and of existence emerge in the course of their fictional lives. Lear is considered to have had deep influence on Melville the author in creating the character of Ahab. Since, in terms of present-day psychopathology, both fictional characters present with symptoms, their issues when put in historical context can untangle their personal realities.MethodsThrough a close reading of the characters’ behaviour and experiencing in historical context, issues of identity and of existence are elaborated on in order to advance to the psychodramatic substrate.ResultsWhereas at the beginning of the seventeenth century conflicts are newly transposed to characters’ minds instead of surroundings, the nineteenth century still sees Ahab's monomania on the outside. Identity and existence have increasingly been placed in individual psyche, though.ConclusionsA paradigmatic change in personality concept at the turn of the modern epoch enables psychiatry and psychopathology to conceptualize the individual and to derive identity and existence from. Collective identity gives way to personal identity. With that, choice, interpretation, and failing are individualized.Disclosure of interestThe author has not supplied his/her declaration of competing interest.

Last Shakespeare Plays Directed by Yukio Ninagawa: Possessed by the Power of Theater

Last Shakespeare Plays Directed by Yukio Ninagawa: Possessed by the Power of Theater

Book Review: Reading the Bible with Richard Hooker

Reading the Bible with Richard Hooker. By Daniel Eppley. Minneapolis, Minn.: Fortress Press, 2016. xxxviii + 307 pp. $79.00 (cloth).While the recent renaissance of Richard Hooker studies has produced many fine research monographs and articles, there remains an urgent need to get Hooker back into the classroom, the pulpit, and the pew, to enable this startlingly relevant sixteenth-century divine to speak into the twenty-firstcentury church and society. Daniel Eppley's new book, Reading the Bible with Richard Hooker, answers to that need wonderfully, while at the same time offering fresh insights and opening new paths of inquiry for Hooker scholars. Recognizing that today, just as much as in the Reformation era, many Protestants remain confused about just what to do with their mantra of sola Scriptura, Eppley mines wisdom from Hookers clash with Thomas Cartwright and the Puritans to address the nature of certainty, and the role of reason and human authority in Christian faith. Eppley brings his careful reading of Hookers corpus into conversation with Susan Schreiner's recent research on the quest for certainty in the sixteenth century and Barbara Shapiro's on the seventeenth century, but also, more creatively, with the play Othello.Chapter 1, Scoundrels and Fools, carefully surveys the background of religious debate that set the stage for Hooker's contribution, particularly the Admonition Controversy between John Whitgift and Thomas Cartwright. Despite their radically different conclusions and allegiances, both men, argues Eppley, shared a commitment to a simplistic and literalistic biblical hermeneutic that made them see any who disagreed with them as either ill-intentioned scoundrels or unintelligent fools.Chapter 2, The Puritan is perhaps the most engaging read as well as the most original contribution of the book, comparing Hooker's diagnosis of the dangers of a misguided search for certainty to that offered by Shakespeare in his famous tragedy. Although not claiming that Hooker's analysis directly influenced Shakespeare's play, or even that Shakespeare had the problem of Puritanism specifically in mind when he wrote Othello, Eppley persuasively argues that both are wrestling, within a few years of each other, with the same constellation of issues such that they can shed remarkable light on one another. Both, in short, show that the misguided quest for certainty in matters that are intrinsically uncertain is a recipe for destructive selfdeception, as ambiguous evidence is made to bear an unsustainable weight.Chapter 3, Beyond a Reasonable Doubt, expands upon this argument by showing how Hooker, recognizing that most matters of scriptural interpretation and application are probabilistic rather than certain, puts great weight on the role of the community and its representatives in making these probable judgments. …

The Love and Marriage of Psychodrama and Drama Therapy1

The Love and Marriage of Psychodrama and Drama Therapy1

Towards characterizing a type of aggravated impoliteness, with examples from Timon of Athens

This article proceeds from the assumption that speakers engaging in verbal interaction are perceived by their interlocutors to have intentions, and it explores the concepts of impoliteness and aggravated impoliteness. Two case studies, both from Shakespeare’s Timon of Athens are considered, and it is argued that a distinction between overt and covert intentions and between first-order and second-order intentions is useful in affording a purchase on the nature of deception in conversational interaction. The article thus seeks to contribute to a deeper understanding of an aspect of impoliteness theory and to the application of impoliteness theory to the analysis of a Shakespearean play.

The possibility of saying in the early modern playhouses

ABSTRACTFor an ethical relation to exist between two interlocutors, according to Emmanuel Levinas, the potential for dialogue (an unimaginable future) must first exist. Levinas calls this Saying, opposed to the prescription of fixed meaning: the Said. Against the notion that a Shakespearean play text should be closed off by seeking to understand ‘what it means’ or that a performance can be measured by its fidelity to the text, each of which amounts to the Said, this essay proposes that the technologies of early modern performance open a text to the possibility of Saying. Attempts to characterise Shakespeare’s plays as either literature or theatre invariably situate key elements of early modern stagecraft (cue scripts, conventions for entrances and exits, actor extemporisation, or jigs) outside the play-as-text. The possibility of Saying is revealed through these technologies as the way the play text unfolds itself on the stage before an audience. More than merely directing or framing the action, after the manner of the Said, the early modern stage direction and the technologies of performance to which it refers are writ through the text as part of how the audience make sense of the play and engage with it.

On Judges and the Art of Judicature: Shakespeare’s Henry IV, Part 2

In the late sixteenth century, the common law experienced a phenomenal growth, both in the number of practitioners and jurisdictional power. A comparison of popular and professional literature on legal administration or judicature reveals the complex and ambivalent cultural response to the “rise” of the common law. Despite the usual praise for the common law as that which distinguished England from France, Italy, and other countries using civil law, many questioned the law’s ability to deliver justice. Popular writing on justice, produced by preachers, moral essayists, and dramatists, centered on the law’s failure to protect the poor, weak, and otherwise marginalized members of society. While popular legal commentators lacked the power to reform legal practices, they attempted to shape the public’s perception of the law and lawyers through the writing of legal character. Authors of assize sermons and character books defined the character of a “good magistrate” as a “loving” father. In contrast, legal writing by lawyers suppressed the language of love and placed the emphasis on reason. This article investigates the resulting friction between professional and popular representations of judges and judicature and examines its impact on Shakespearean drama. In Henry IV, Part 2, Shakespeare explores the dissonance and irresolution within the cultural discourse on legal administration, and in so doing, expresses a tragic truth about the paucity of justice in a world consumed by law.