DOCSLIB.ORG

Shakespeare in the Restoration: Nahum Tate's the History of King Richard the Second, the History of King Lear, and the Ingratitude of a Common-Wealth

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Shakespeare in the Restoration: Nahum Tate's the History of King Richard the Second, the History of King Lear, and the Ingratitude of a Common-Wealth This dissertation has been 65—3820 microfilmed exactly as received AYRES, James Bernard, 1933— SHAKESPEARE IN THE RESTORATION: NAHUM TATE'S THE HISTORY OF KING RICHARD THE SECOND, THE HISTORY OF KING LEAR, AND THE INGRATITUDE OF A COMMON-WEALTH. The Ohio State University, Ph.D., 1964 Language and Literature, modern University Microfilms, Inc., Ann Arbor, Michigan SHAKESPEARE IN THE RESTORATION: NAHUM TATE'S THE HISTORY OF KING RICHARD THE SECOND. THE HISTORY OF KING LEAR. AND THE INGRATITUDE OF A COMMON-WEALTH DISSERTATION Presented In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy in the Graduate School of The Ohio State University By James Bernard Ayres, B.A., A.M. ****** The Ohio State U niversity 1964 Approved by Department of English ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I am Indebted to my adviser, Professor John Harold Wilson, for the answers 'o questions I c e rta in ly would not have thought about, for his patience in helping me, through broken hand and jaw, to understand the varieties of Restoration tragedy, and for permitting me the use of his library and valuable notes on Restoration drama, esp ecially Emmett Avery's unpublished records of the London stage, 1660-1700. I would also like to thank Gary D. W illh ard t and Joseph A. Johnson, J r ., for reading and commenting upon the various chapters. 11 VITA March 25, 1933 Born - Kansas City, Missouri 1953 — 1955 .... United States Army 1958 .......................B.A., Baylor University, Waco,Texas 1958-1960 .... Graduate Assistant, Department of English, Florida State University, Tallahassee, Florida I960 ....................... A.M., Florida State University, Tallahassee, Florida 1960-196^ .... Assistant Instructor, Department of English, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio i i i TABLE OF CONTENTS Page ACKNOWLEDGMENTS .......................................................................................................... Ii VITA .......................................................................................................................................i i i INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................... 1 The Critical Reaction to the Alterations ..................................... 6 The L ife and Work of Nahum T a t e............................................................ 14 The. General Plan of this P a p e r............................................................ 22 CHAPTER I. The Influence of Politics and Political Drama .... 32 Political and Civil Disturbance in England 1678-1682 32 Political Drama 1678-1682 38 Political Themes in Tate's Alterations ....................... 46 II. The Conflict of Critical Theory and Dramatic P r a c t ic e ................................................................................................. 77 The U n i t i e s ................................................................................... 80 D e c o ru m ............................................................................................ 100 Poetic Justice .............................................................................. 105 iv TABLE OF CONTENTS (continued) Chapter Page III. The Language of Statement......................................................... 116 IV. The Changes for Stage Effectiveness .................................. 136 V. Conclusion .......................................................................................... 161 BIBLIOGRAPHY ....................................................................................................... 167 v INTRODUCTION The twenty-three Restoration alterations of Shakespeare's plays fa ll, according to their dates of performance, conveniently into three well-defined periods. During the first decade after the restoration of Charles II (1660-1670), five alterations appeared among the seven­ teen productions of Shakespeare's plays. Pepys saw Hamlet, Henry IV, Henry V, Henry V I I I , Macbeth, The Merry Wives of Windsor, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Othe1lo, "the Moor of Venice," Romeo and Ju liet, The Taming of a Shrew, The Tempest, Twelfth Night, and Davenant's altera- t ion combi ni ng Measure for Measure and Much Ado about Nothi ng, Law Agalnst Lovers. ^ To this lis t John Downes, in Roscius Angi icanus, added four more: Julius Caesar, Titus Andronicus, Pericles, and King 2 Lear. According to these two sources, the five altered versions were Davenant's Law Agalnst Lovers, Macbeth, and The Tempest; James Howard's 3 ’Tragicomedy" of Romeo and Ju llet, "preserving Romeo and Juliet alive," and Lacy's Sauny the Scot. With these early a lte ra tio n s began, George Odell said, "the habit of altering Shakespeare's plays according to 4 the whim of the adapter or the fashion of the passing hour." In Colley Cibber's opinion, however, Davenant's changes were prompted less by whim than by practical considerations. They reflect the same predilection for singing, dancing, "cloaths" and machines, the trap­ pings of "opera," he had earlier exercised In The First Day's Enter­ tainment at Rutland House ( I656 ) and in the first English opera, The Siege of Rhodes ( 1656 ). In his Apology, Cibber explained Davenant's interest in "Sight and Sound" as an attempt to counteract the i 11-success his company was suffering at the hands of the King's company: . the better Actors (which the King's seem to have been allowed) could not fail of drawing the greater Audiences. Sir M111iam Davenant, there­ fore, Master of the Duke's Company, to make head against their Success, was forced to add Spectacle and Music to Action; and to introduce a new Species of Plays, since call'd Dramatick Opera's, of which kind were the Tempest, Psyche, Ci rce, and others, all set off with the most expensive Decorations of Scenes and Habits, with the best Voices and Dancers.5 We may only speculate on the reasons for changes in Romeo and J u lie t and Taming of the Shrew, for Howard's version was never printed—we have only Downes' note that it alternated with Shakespeare's play, 'Tragical one Day, and Tragicomical another; for several days to­ gether"^—and the records of Lacy's Sauny the Scot are few: Hazelton Spencer theorized that Lacy's version was the result of gradua1 tampering with the play, intended only "to proviae a low comedian with a fat part."^ The second period of alterations, I 678 to 1682, produced ten altered versions of Shakespeare's plays. This period of intense activity for adapters was in general provoked by political and civil discord. These are the years of /the Popish P lo t, of the c o n flic t 3 between Tory and Whig, between c ity and country, of the Exclusion B ill, and of Shaftesbury's intrigues to place the Duke of Monmouth on the throne. in their choices of Shakespeare's plays, the adapters revealed the influence of the factious age; they selected from his tragedies and histories plays which were-~or which could be made to be—thematically appropriate to the times. Leading the procession was Thomas Shadwell's Timon of Athens (DG c. January, 1678 ; 4to 1678 ), called "the least objectionable of all Restoration tamperings, a popular play, as Langbaine noted, "often acted at the Theatre Royal, 9 as any Tragedy | know." The flurry of alterations which followed were Edward Ravenscroft1s T itus Andronlcus (DL October, 1 678 ; 4to 1687 ), John Dryden's Trollus and Cressida (DG c. April, 1679; ^to 1679), Thomas Otway's The H istory and Fal1 of Caius Marius, an a 1terat i on of Romeo and J u lle t (DG c. September, 1679; ^to 1680), John Crowne's The Misery of Civil War, a combination of 11 Henry V I, acts four and five, and a ll of I I I Henry VI (DG c. February, 1680; kto 1680), Nahum Tate's The History of King Richard the Second (DL January 18, 1681; 4to 1681) and his famous The History of King Lear (DG Marc.,, 1681; kto 1681) , Crowne's Henry the S ix th , the F irs t P a rt, b u ilt around the f ir s t three acts of I 1 Henry VI (DG September, 1681; kto 1681), Tate's The In g ra ti­ tude of a Common-Wealth, an a lte ra tio n of Corloianus (DL December, 1681; 4to 1682), and Thomas D'Urfey's The Injur'd Princess, an altera­ tion of Cymbe1ine (DL c. March, 1682; kto 1682).^° I have omitted from the lis t Dryden's A11 for Love (DL December 12, 1677; **to 1679), which Is not an alteration of Shakespeare's Antony and Cleopatra, but a completely different play. Most of the plays expound a loyal Toryism and emphasize the horrors of civil war and commonwealth government, but all dramatize the danger of flatterers, sycophants, and demagogues at court. The preoccupation of these dramatists with the political and civil conflict effectively demonstrates the close relationship which existed between the Restoration dramatist and the theatre and s o c ie ty . The th ird period of a lte ra tio n s began a decade a fte r the second, with the production of Elkanah Settle's The Fa 1ry Queen, an alteration of A Midsummer N ight's Dream (DG 1692; 4to 1692). i t was followed in 1700 by Charles Gildon's Measure for Measure ( L1F 4to 1700), Colley Cibber's Richard I I I (DL 1700; kto 1700), George Granvilie's Jew of Venice (LIF 1701; 4to 1701); John Dennis' The Comical Gallant, an a lte ra tio n of The Merry Wives of Windsor (DL 1702; 4to 1702), and Charles Burnaby's Love Betray'd, an alteration of Twelfth Night (LIF 1703; kto 1703). This group of plays, a ll comedies but one, reflec te d the influence of "Scene and Spectacle." The same elements of elaborate scenery, music, and dancing found in the earlier alterations of Davenant and sustained in the popularity of his Tempest and the Davenant-Dryden-ShadwelI Tempest (the latter burlesqued in Thomas D u ffe tt's Mock Tempest, DL November 19, 167^+5 ^to 1675) reappeared in The Fa i ry Q.ueen, Measure fo r Measure, The Jew of Venice, The Comlca 1 Gallant, and Love Betray'd. Cibber's very successful Richard III was the only tragedy in the group. 5 The Restoration alterations had varied success. A few--Tate's The History of King Lear and the Davenant-Dryden The Tempest — held the boards until early in the nineteenth century.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Sir Robert Howard's Comedy "The Committee"
    TK -ti. a.v\c^ t^i\t^ci with Xva+vo <5c vx^.V\ on Wci"V^S V SIR ROBERT HOWARD'S COMEDY "THE COMMITTEE" Edited with Introduction and Notes BY CARRYL NELSON THURBER A. B. Cornell University, 1908. THESIS Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of MASTER OF ARTS IN ENGLISH IN THE GRADUATE SCHOOL OF THE UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS 1917 UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS THE GRADUATE SCHOOL ..5::^. /. IQI 7 I HEREBY RECOMMEND THAT THE THESIS PREPARED UNDER MY SUPER- VISION BY Q.A^1^.J.. 7h..&A:^.d!^... ENTITLED ..j^..(A=...Z2?{;^^.^. ^(^^Ig^tct^^ BE ACCEPTED AS FULFILLING THIS PART OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF 7J(LcOLy^J^. Qi^^J::^.. .Jj... .2., LJj=::C£::^~^^ L,..li^C> In Charge of Thesis Head of Department Recommendation concurred in Committee on Final Examination* *Required for doctor's degree but not for master's. 376623 TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION Chapter Page I Howard: Man and Statesman 1 II Howard: Poet, Dramatist, 11 and Historian III "The Committee" and "Teague" 48 History and Criticism TEXT OP "THE COmilTTEE" 61 GLOSSARIAL NOTES 153 BIBLIOaRAPHY 165 Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2013 http://archive.org/details/sirroberthowardsOOthur 1 SIR ROBERT HOWARD'S COMEDY "THE COMMITTEE" INTRODUCTION Chapter I Howard: Man and Statesman Sir Robert Howard, bom in I626, was the sixth son of Thomas Howard, first earl of Berkshire, by Elizabeth, daugh- ter of William Cecil, lord Burghley, afterwards second earl of Exeter. About Howard's early life there is available practically no information further than that he was educated at Magdalene College, whether Oxford or Cambridge seems some- (2) what uncertain.
    [Show full text]
  • University of California
    UC Riverside UC Riverside Electronic Theses and Dissertations Title The English Novel's Cradle: The Theatre and the Women Novelists of the Long Eighteenth Century Permalink https://escholarship.org/uc/item/5q32j478 Author Howard, James Joseph Publication Date 2010 Peer reviewed|Thesis/dissertation eScholarship.org Powered by the California Digital Library University of California UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA RIVERSIDE The English Novel‘s Cradle: The Theatre and the Women Novelists of the Long Eighteenth Century A Dissertation submitted in partial satisfaction of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in English by James Joseph Howard March 2010 Dissertation Committee: Dr. George E. Haggerty, Chairperson Dr. Carole Fabricant Dr. Deborah Willis Copyright by James Joseph Howard 2010 The Dissertation of James Howard is approved: ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ Committee Chairperson University of California, Riverside ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I wish to express my appreciation for the guidance and encouragement provided during this project by my Dissertation Committee Chair, Dr. George Haggerty, and the positive support of the other committee members, Dr. Carole Fabricant and Dr. Deborah Willis. I would also like to thank Dr. John Ganim, who served on my doctoral examination committee, for his helpful insights before and especially during my oral examination, and Dr. John Briggs, for his initial encouragement of my entering the doctoral program at UC Riverside. I also extend my gratitude to all the English faculty with whom I had the pleasure of studying during my six years at the Riverside campus. Finally, I must make special mention of the English Graduate Staff Advisor, Tina Feldmann, for her unflinching dedication and patience in resolving not only my own interminable queries and needs, but also those of her entire ―family‖ of English graduate students.
    [Show full text]
  • Ethics of Speech in the Plays of William Wycherley
    THE ETHICS OF SPEECH IN THE PLAYS OF WILLIAM WYCHERLEY By JAMES PETER THOMPSON A DISSERTATION PRESENTED TO THE GRADUATE COUNCIL OF THE UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA 1978 Copyright 1978 by James Peter Thompson TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT iv CHAPTER ONE: WYCHERLEY AND THE SENECAN ETHICS OF SPEECH 1 Notes 31 CHAPTER TWO : DECORUM AND LOVE IN A WOOD 39 Notes 63 CHAPTER THREE : PARADOX AND THE GENTLEMAN DANCING -MASTER 70 Notes 92 CHAPTER FOUR: FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE IN THE COUNTRY WIFE 98 Notes 127 CHAPTER FIVE: THE PLAIN-DEALER AND THE CONCEPT OF CORRECTNESS... 133 Notes 159 CHAPTER SIX: CONCLUSION: TRYAL MAKETH TRUST 165 Notes 170 BIBLIOGRAPHY 172 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH 185 Abstract of Dissertation Presented to the Graduate Council of the University of Florida in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy THE ETHICS OF SPEECH IN THE PLAYS OF WILLIAM WYCHERLEY By James Peter Thompson June 1978 Chairman: Aubrey L. Williams Major Department: English This stylistic and thematic study of Wycherley's language argues that there is implicit in his plays an ethically correct manner of speech, and, consequently, that a man's moral essence can be determined from his words. Confirmation for my thesis is sought in seventeenth- century devotional and courtesy writers, as well as in linguists and rhetoricians, all of whom write with surprising frequency and urgency of the necessity of speaking properly, decently and morally. Features of speech, in these writers, are commonly described in ethical terms, and "correct" often encompasses moral as well as grammatical rectitude.
    [Show full text]
  • English Productions of Measure for Measure on Stage and Screen
    English Productions of Measure for Measure on Stage and Screen: The Play’s Indeterminacy and the Authority of Performance Thesis submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy at the Department of English and Creative Writing Lancaster University March, 2016 Rachod Nusen Declaration I declare that this thesis is my own work, and has not been submitted in substantially the same form for the award of a higher degree elsewhere. Acknowledgements First and foremost, I would like to express my deepest gratitude to my supervisor, Professor Alison Findlay. Without her advice, kindness and patience, I would be completely lost. It is magical how she could help a man who knew so little about Shakespeare in performance to complete this thesis. I am forever indebted to her. I am also indebted to Dr. Liz Oakley-Brown, Professor Geraldine Harris, Dr. Karen Juers-Munby, Dr. Kamilla Elliott, Professor Hilary Hinds and Professor Stuart Hampton-Reeves for their helpful suggestions during the annual, upgrade, mock viva and viva panels. I would like to acknowledge the Shakespeare Centre Library and Archive, the National Theatre Archive, the Shakespeare’s Globe Library and Archives, the Theatre Collection at the University of Bristol, the National Art Library and the Folger Shakespeare Library on where many of my materials are based. Moreover, I am extremely grateful to Mr. Phil Willmott who gave me an opportunity to interview him. I also would like to take this opportunity to show my appreciation to Thailand’s Office of the Higher Education Commission for finically supporting my study and Chiang Mai Rajabhat University for allowing me to pursue it.
    [Show full text]
  • Classic Repertory Company STUDY GUIDE William Shakespeare’S ROMEO and JULIET
    classic repertory company STUDY GUIDE William Shakespeare’s ROMEO AND JULIET Education Outreach Supporters Funded in part by generous individual contributors, the National Endowment for the Arts, Massachusetts Cultural Council, Foundation for MetroWest, Esther B. Kahn Foundation, Fuller Foundation, The Marshall Home Fund, Peter Fuller Car Rentals, Roy A. Hunt Foundation, and Watertown Community Foundation. This program is also supported in part by grants from the Andover Cultural Council, Framingham Cultural Council, Hudson Cultural Council, Hull Cultural Council, Saugus Cultural Council, Waltham Cultural Council, Watertown Cultural Council, and Westford Cultural Council, local agencies which are supported by the Massachusetts Cultural Council, a state agency. NEW REP ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICE 400 TALCOTT AVENUE | BUILDING 131, 3RD FLOOR WATERTOWN, MA 02472 in residence at the artistic director michael j. bobbitt mosesian center for the arts A Timeline of Shakespeare’s Life 1564 Born in Stratford-upon-Avon 1582 Marries Anne Hathaway 1585 Moves to London to pursue theatre career 1592 London closes theatres due to plague 1593 Starts to write sonnets 1594 Publishes first works of poetry 1594 Starts managing, as well as writing for, the Lord Chamberlain’s Men 1596 Romeo and Juliet first performed 1599 Lord Chamberlain’s Men begin performing at the newly built Globe Theater 1603 The Lord Chamberlain’s Men is renamed the King’s Men in honor of the new King James’ patronage 1604 Retires from acting 1613 The Globe Theatre burns down 1614 The Globe Theatre is rebuilt 1616 Dies and is buried at Holy Trinity Church NATIONAL PORTRAIT GALLERY, LONDON PORTRAIT GALLERY, NATIONAL in Stratford-Upon-Avon C.1600 JOHN TAYLOR THE CHANDOS PORTRAIT, adapted from http://absoluteshakespeare.com/trivia/timeline.htm Biography William Shakespeare was born in Stratford-upon-Avon in 1564.
    [Show full text]
  • Romeo & Juliet 2021.Indd
    WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE’S STUDENT-TEACHER STUDY GUIDE CREATED BY THE EDUCATION DEPARTMENT OF LANTERN THEATER COMPANY About the Lantern Lantern Theater Company produces plays that investigate and illuminate what is essential in the human spirit and the spirit of the times. We seek to be a vibrant, contributing member of our community, exposing audiences to great theater, inviting participation in dialogue and discussion, and educating audience members about artistic and social issues. Illumination Education Program Our Illumination education program complements and expands on the work of classroom teachers to bring an essential artistic lens to curricular material, allowing students to connect to classic stories in a dynamic way and empowering teachers with new approaches to traditional literature. Our lessons are designed to support student development in three key areas: the ability to think critically and problem solve, the ability to communicate eff ectively, and the ability to collaborate. Following a decade of providing arts-integrated instruction in the classroom, we have found that exposure to the theatrical discipline deepens student understanding of assigned material and fosters empathy and positive collaborative habits – essential skills that will provide long-term benefi ts to students into their adult lives. If you or your students are interested in learning more about our education programs or the world of professional theater, please contact M. Craig Getting, Education Director, at [email protected] or 215.829.9002 x104. Lantern Theater Company’s education programming is part of Shakespeare in American Communities, a program of the National Endowment for the Arts in partnership with Arts Midwest. Lantern Theater Company’s education programming is made possible with leadership support from the William Penn Foundation and the National Endowment for the Arts, as well as funding from the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, a state agency funded by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the National Endowment for the Arts.
    [Show full text]
  • Etude Comparative Transdisciplinaire De La Figure Du Cosaque, Dans La Littérature Et Le Cinéma Amine Afellous
    Etude comparative transdisciplinaire de la figure du cosaque, dans la littérature et le cinéma Amine Afellous To cite this version: Amine Afellous. Etude comparative transdisciplinaire de la figure du cosaque, dans la littérature et le cinéma. Art et histoire de l’art. Université de Nanterre - Paris X, 2019. Français. NNT : 2019PA100066. tel-02929659 HAL Id: tel-02929659 https://tel.archives-ouvertes.fr/tel-02929659 Submitted on 3 Sep 2020 HAL is a multi-disciplinary open access L’archive ouverte pluridisciplinaire HAL, est archive for the deposit and dissemination of sci- destinée au dépôt et à la diffusion de documents entific research documents, whether they are pub- scientifiques de niveau recherche, publiés ou non, lished or not. The documents may come from émanant des établissements d’enseignement et de teaching and research institutions in France or recherche français ou étrangers, des laboratoires abroad, or from public or private research centers. publics ou privés. Ecole doctorale 395 : Milieux, cultures et sociétés et passé et du présent Membre de l’université Paris Lumières Amine Afellous Etude comparative transdisciplinaire de la figure du cosaque, dans la littérature et le cinéma. Thèse présentée et soutenue publiquement le 14/10/2019 en vue de l’obtention du doctorat de Arts du spectacle: cinéma de l’Université Paris Nanterre sous la direction de M. Antoine de Baecque (Ecole Normale Supérieure) Jury : Rapporteur·e : Mme Marie-Pierre Rey Professeur d'Histoire russe et soviétique, Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne Rapporteur·e : M. Alexandre Stroev Professeur de Littérature générale et comparée, Université Paris 3 Sorbonne-Nouvelle Membre du jury : Mme Karen Haddad Professeur de Littérature comparée, Université Paris Nanterre Membre du jury : Mme Laurence Schifano Professeur d'Etudes cinématographiques, Université Paris Nanterre 1 REMERCIEMENTS.
    [Show full text]
  • Poems of a Restoration Courtier
    “My Rare Wit Killing Sin”: Poems of a Restoration Courtier ANNE KILLIGREW • Edited by MARGARET J. M. EZELL Iter Inc. Centre for Reformation and Renaissance Studies Toronto 2013 Iter: Gateway to the Middle Ages and Renaissance Tel: 416/978–7074 Email: [email protected] Fax: 416/978–1668 Web: www.itergateway.org Centre for Reformation and Renaissance Studies Victoria University in the University of Toronto Tel: 416/585–4465 Email: [email protected] Fax: 416/585–4430 Web: www.crrs.ca © 2013 Iter Inc. & Centre for Reformation and Renaissance Studies All rights reserved. Printed in Canada. Iter and the Centre for Reformation and Renaissance Studies gratefully acknowledge the generous support of James E. Rabil, in memory of Scottie W. Rabil, toward the publication of this book. Library and Archives Canada Cataloguing in Publication Killigrew, Anne, 1660–1685 [Poems] “My rare wit killing sin”: poems of a Restoration courtier / Anne Killigrew ; edited by Margaret J. M. Ezell. (Other voice in early modern Europe. Toronto series ; 27) Modernized version of the work Killigrew, Anne, 1660–1685. Poems, published in London by Samuel Lowndes in 1686. Includes bibliographical references and indexes. Issued in print and electronic formats. Co-published by: Iter Inc. ISBN 978-0-7727-2152-5 (pbk.) ISBN 978-0-7727-2153-2 (pdf) I. Ezell, Margaret J. M., writer of introduction, editor II. Victoria University (Toronto, Ont.). Centre for Reformation and Renaissance Studies, issuing body III. Iter Inc., issuing body IV. Title. V. Series: Other voice in early modern Europe. Toronto series ; 27 PR3539.K3 2013 821’.4 C2013-907241-1 C2013-907242-X Cover illustration: Anne Killigrew (mezzotint engraving), by Isaac Beckett, after Anne Killigrew self-portrait; published by John Smith, circa 1683–1729; © National Portrait Gallery, London, NPG D11896.
    [Show full text]
  • Education Resource Pack
    Northern Broadsides Education Resource Pack 1 About this pack We hope that teachers and students will enjoy our production and use this learning resource pack. It may be used in advance of seeing the performance – to prepare and inform students about the play; and afterwards – to respond to the play and explore in more depth. Teachers may select, from the broad range of material, which is most suitable for their students. The first section of this document is a detailed companion to our production: plot synopsis, character breakdown and interviews. It reveals the ways in which our company met with the many challenges of bringing KING LEAR to the stage. The second section examines the background to the play and it’s history in performance. The third section offers suggestions for study in English and Drama. 2 CONTENTS PAGE INTRODUCTION 4 SECTION ONE The play Characters 6 Plot synopsis Our Production Meet the team 15 Old Stagers and New Kids on the Block In depth: In conversation with director, Jonathan Miller 19 In depth: Acting The Fool - Q&A with Fine Time Fontayne 22 SECTION TWO ‘A foolish, fond old man...’ King Lear in performance 24 ‘Hey ho, the wind and the rain...’ Shakespeare’s Fools 31 SECTION THREE STUDY English: Variations on a Theme 34 Adaptation Drama: Offstage Action Climate Change Credits and Links 39 3 INTRODUCTION King Lear is the story of an ancient, pre-Christian, king of Britain - an old man, who plans to divide his kingdom between his three daughters and their husbands. Having relieved himself of his worldly duties, the king will then place himself in their care for the remainder of his life.
    [Show full text]
  • 373.Pdf (582.3Kb)
    1 A DEDICATED FOLLOWER OF FASHION: THE AHISTORIC RAKE IN RESTORATION LITERATURE If I am right about nature’s options, history is like surrounding oneself with mirrors, like living in a bordello. —Joseph Brodsky, “Letter to Horace” Zoe Hope Gibbons May 1, 2009 Presented to the Department of English at Mount Holyoke College in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Bachelor of Arts with Honors. 2 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Eugene Hill is my thesis adviser, but to praise him only in that capacity would be to do him injustice. In February of 2006, I entered his Milton class uncertain whether I should major in English; after a week or two, any other course seemed laughable. For the past three years, he has been an academic role model and, more importantly, a constant force for good. I am also indebted to my other two readers, Bill Quillian and Paula Debnar. Since my first week of college, Professor Quillian has made my life calmer and saner by his mere presence. Professor Debnar introduced me to Lucretius, polished my Latin grammar, and reassured me that one never finishes a thesis, but merely abandons it. During my time at Mount Holyoke, I have had the privilege of working with several other exceptional mentors. If not for Frank Brownlow’s Shakespeare Adapted and Interpreted seminar, I might never have discovered the farce and folly of Restoration drama. Joseph Ellis expanded my historical horizons and reminded me that a good academic is more than the sum of her papers. Finally, Stan Rachootin pointed me in the direction of Leslie Stephen, whose biography of Pope sparked my interest in the Restoration.
    [Show full text]
  • Romeo and Juliet Romeo and Juliet: Making Art and Memories a Note from the Founding Artistic Director
    2 Romeo and Juliet Romeo and Juliet: Making Art and Memories A Note from the Founding Artistic Director This is Chesapeake Shakespeare Company’s 50th production. That’s a lot of plays. Most of the plays we’ve produced have been written by Shakespeare (35), and we have performed some of these Shakespeare plays more than once. These productions have run the gamut of style and intent. From the medieval palette of our Hamlet and Henry V to the modern-dress of our Twelfth Night and The Merry Wives of Windsor, our Shakespeare productions have tried to capture what is universal about these works. We’ve visited the 19th and 20th centuries most frequently, and set some productions in fan- tastic worlds that don’t relate to specific times in history. We’ve also produced works by other great playwrights, including Moliere, Lope de Vega, Thornton Wilder, Anton Chekhov and Oscar Wilde, and adapted works by Aristophanes, Jane Austen and Charles Dickens. Our plays have wrestled with our shared agonies and highlighted life’s absurdities. The productions have been about war, love, ambition, deception, sex and politics. They’ve been side-splittingly funny and devastatingly heartbreaking. They’ve been grand and in- timate, light and dense. Imperfect? You bet. We’ve always firmly believed in taking artistic risks. We are always asking “what makes Shakespeare and other classic theater great?” I’ve been proud of all of our work, but I must say I’ve been especially proud of our work that tries new things -- that succeeds and fails with brave attempts to connect audiences to these great plays.
    [Show full text]
  • The Western States Theatre Review, Volume 1, 1993
    Masthead Logo The Western States Theatre Review Volume 1 1993 Article 1 1993 The esW tern States Theatre Review, Volume 1, 1993 Follow this and additional works at: https://cedar.wwu.edu/wstr Part of the Other Theatre and Performance Studies Commons Recommended Citation (1993) "The eW stern States Theatre Review, Volume 1, 1993," The Western States Theatre Review: Vol. 1 , Article 1. Available at: https://cedar.wwu.edu/wstr/vol1/iss1/1 This Complete Volume is brought to you for free and open access by the Peer-reviewed Journals at Western CEDAR. It has been accepted for inclusion in The eW stern States Theatre Review by an authorized editor of Western CEDAR. For more information, please contact [email protected]. et al.: The Western States Theatre Review, Volume 1, 1993 Northwest Volume 1 1993 1 "OTHERWISE I MUST HAVE ENCUMBRED THE STACE WITH DEAD 8001ES": NAHUM TAn's KsNC LEAK - LAURILYN J. HARRIS 13 RESOURCES FOR THE STUDY AND REPLICATION OF ALASl<AN NATIVE COSTUME - MARCIELLA BROWN, SEPTEMBER' LAAKSO, ANNE MCBETH AND TARA MAGINNIS; EDITED BY TARA MAGINNIS 19 Co-EXISTENCE ANO WAR BETWEEN THE TEMPLE AND GRAND OPERA HOUSES DURING LEWISTON, IDAHO'S THEATRE BOOM - KRISTINE M. YATES 24 A PARADIGM FOR SECURING ARTS AGENCY FUNDING THAT SUPPORTS THE ACTOR-TEACHER PRELUDE TO THEATRE PERFORMANCE FOR YOUNG AUDIENCES - (HARLES R. HANNUM Published by Western CEDAR, 2017 1 The Western States Theatre Review, Vol. 1 [2017], Art. 1 NORTHWEST THEATRE REVIEW Editor George Caldwell School of Music and Theatre Arts Washington State University Pullman, Washington 99164-2432 (509) 335-7447 Coordinating Editors Dawn Reynolds Pullman, Washington Doug Kerr Pierce College, Tacoma, Washington Lyle Schwan Ea.stern Oregon State College, La Grande, Oregon Editorial Policy The Northwest Theatre Review is a regional journal intended to publish works by or about Northwest theatre scholars and practitioners.
    [Show full text]