Shakespeare and the History of SoliloquiesProvides the first systematic and comprehensive account of the conventions governing soliloquies in Western drama from ancient times to the twentieth century. Over the course of theatrical history, there have been several kinds of soliloquies. Shakespeare's soliloquies are not only the most interesting and the most famous, but also the most misunderstood, and several chapters examine them in detail. The present study is based on a painstaking analysis of the actual practices of dramatists from each age of theatrical history. This investigation has uncovered evidence that refutes long-standing commonplaces about soliloquies in general, about Shakespeare's soliloquies in particular, and especially about the to be, or not to be episode. 'Shakespeare and the history of Soliloquies' casts new lights on historical changes in the artistic representation of human beings and, because representations cannot be entirely disentangled from perception, on historical changes in the ways human beings have perceived theselves. |
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Page 273
... theater . But many aspects of Shakespeare's plays are not open to interpretation . It is certain that they were staged in a particular way in Shakespeare's theater . For example , Cor- delia's first speech in King Lear , “ What shall ...
... theater . But many aspects of Shakespeare's plays are not open to interpretation . It is certain that they were staged in a particular way in Shakespeare's theater . For example , Cor- delia's first speech in King Lear , “ What shall ...
Page 338
... theater those passages represented self - addressed speeches by characters as a matter of course . The argument of this book is purely historical and should not be misconstrued to imply that current theater professionals should abandon ...
... theater those passages represented self - addressed speeches by characters as a matter of course . The argument of this book is purely historical and should not be misconstrued to imply that current theater professionals should abandon ...
Page 339
... theater professionals not only have the right but have the obligation to adapt Shake- speare's plays to accord with their own artistic visions . The no- tion that one artist should be " faithful " to an earlier artist's vision is a red ...
... theater professionals not only have the right but have the obligation to adapt Shake- speare's plays to accord with their own artistic visions . The no- tion that one artist should be " faithful " to an earlier artist's vision is a red ...
Contents
Acknowledgments | 9 |
Representation of Speech | 35 |
From Antiquity to the Middle of the Sixteenth | 62 |
Copyright | |
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Common terms and phrases
acters action actor addressed speech addressed to playgoers addresses playgoers apostrophe audience address Betterton boy actor chapter char character's characters onstage Claudius clearly conventions governing soliloquies Davenant Davenant's direct access dominant convention dramatic context dramatists earlier eavesdropping eavesdropping episodes enemy evidence explicit explicitly expresses father feigned soliloquy genuine soliloquy gives voice guard his speech guarded in asides Hamlet heard hearing human Iago imagine incongruities innermost thoughts interior monologue kinds of soliloquies King King Lear late seventeenth century later liloquies Love's Labor's Lost Menaechmus mind offstage Ophelia oquies Othello outward behavior overheard soliloquies passage performed playgoers Polonius post-Renaissance presence pretends quies Renaissance Renaissance drama Renaissance playgoers representation Richard Romeo says scene self-addressed speech Shake Shakespeare's plays Shakespeare's soliloquies Shakespeare's theater situation solilo soliloquies and asides soliloquies in Shakespeare's soliloquies represented speech soliloquy guarded speaker speare's theatrical Thomas Betterton thou tion Troilus and Cressida unspoken thoughts words spoken