DOCSLIB.ORG

Contemporary Adaptations of Hamlet and Romeo and Juliet Aurelie Bourg Universite De Nantes

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Contemporary Adaptations of Hamlet and Romeo and Juliet Aurelie Bourg Universite De Nantes QUEERING CANONICAL SHAKESPEARE: CONTEMPORARY ADAPTATIONS OF HAMLET AND ROMEO AND JULIET AURELIE BOURG UNIVERSITE DE NANTES QUEERING CANONICAL SHAKESPEARE: CONTEMPORARY ADAPTATIONS OF HAMLET AND ROMEO AND JULIET Aurélie Bourg Dissertation submitted in partial fulfilment for the Degree of Master in English Literary Studies – Year 2 Master Cultures, Langues et Littératures Etrangères, 2ème année Department of English Studies Faculty of Languages and Cultures Université de Nantes Supervisors: Pr. Georges Letissier & Valérie Bénéjam. July 2018 N°10, 2018 1 Éditions du CRINI © e-crini, 2018 ISSN 1760-4753 QUEERING CANONICAL SHAKESPEARE: CONTEMPORARY ADAPTATIONS OF HAMLET AND ROMEO AND JULIET AURELIE BOURG UNIVERSITE DE NANTES TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF IMAGES .......................................................................................................................... 4 INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................................................... 5 PART 1: SAME SEX ADAPTATIONS OF ROMEO AND JULIET ........................................... 17 1.1 : GROUNDINGS OF QUEER ADAPTATIONS IN THE ORIGINAL TEXT ................. 17 1.1.1 LOVE, HIDDEN RELATIONSHIPS AND FAMILY CONFLICTS ........................ 18 1.1.2 MERCUTIO, THE PLAY’S QUEER CHARACTER ............................................... 26 1.1.2.1 MERCUTIO IN THE ORIGINAL PLAY .......................................................... 26 1.1.2.2 USE OF MERCUTIO IN ADAPTATIONS ....................................................... 31 Fig. 1: Harold Perrineau as Mercutio in 1.5 of Romeo + Juliet (1995), dir. Baz Luhrmann. .................................................................................................................. 31 1.1.2.3 MERCUTIO IN SHAKESPEARE’S R&J ........................................................... 33 1.2 : QUEERING STRATEGIES ............................................................................................. 35 1.2.1 ALL-MALE CASTS................................................................................................... 35 1.2.1.1 THE EARLY MODERN TRADITION ............................................................. 35 1.2.1.2 SUBVERTING THE TRADITION IN MODERN ADAPTATIONS ............... 38 1.2.2 QUEERING THE MEDIUM AND METATHEATRE ............................................. 41 1.2.2.1 PRIVATE ROMEO .............................................................................................. 41 Fig. 2 and 3: examples of warmer colours and oversaturation in the duel scene (00:51:05) and the final scene (1:27:12). ................................................................... 45 Fig.4 and 5: grayertones in military school scenes: the privates being reprimanded for hazing (00:36:25), and a classroom moment (00:49:01). ........................................... 46 1.2.2.2 SHAKESPEARE’S R&J ..................................................................................... 47 1.2.2.3 STILL A ROSE .................................................................................................... 50 1.3 : THE ETHICAL DILEMMAS OF QUEERING A TRAGEDY ...................................... 51 1.3.1 A SHORT HISTORY OF THE “BURY YOUR GAYS” TROPE IN ENTERTAINMENT ............................................................................................................ 51 1.3.2 HOW CREATORS CONFRONT THE ISSUE .......................................................... 54 1.3.3 PORTRAYING MINORITIES WITHIN THE MINORITY ..................................... 59 CONCLUSION ........................................................................................................................ 62 PART 2: TRANSGENDER NARRATIVES OF HAMLET ......................................................... 64 2.1 ELEMENTS OF HAMLET THAT INCITE QUEER ADAPTATIONS............................ 65 2.1.1 HAMLET AND HORATIO ....................................................................................... 65 Fig. 6: David Tennant and Peter de Jersey as Hamlet and Horatio in 5.2 of Hamlet (2009), dir. Gregory Doran. ........................................................................................ 68 2.1.2 SUICIDE IN HAMLET LINKED TO QUEERNESS ................................................. 69 2.1.2 EDWARD VINING: THE THEORY OF A FEMALE HAMLET ............................ 70 Fig. 7: Hamlet (1921), 00:00:38 and 00:00:52. The intertitles read: “The film confirms the view—of American Shakespearean scholar Dr. Edward P. Vining—that Hamlet was a woman who for reasons of State had to disguise herself as a man”. ... 71 2.2 TRANSGENDER TEXT AND SUBTEXTS IN INTERPRETATIONS .......................... 76 2.2.1 ASTA NIELSEN’S HAMLET: A WOMAN IN DISGUISE ..................................... 76 N°10, 2018 2 Éditions du CRINI © e-crini, 2018 ISSN 1760-4753 QUEERING CANONICAL SHAKESPEARE: CONTEMPORARY ADAPTATIONS OF HAMLET AND ROMEO AND JULIET AURELIE BOURG UNIVERSITE DE NANTES 2.2.1.1 THE QUESTION OF HAMLET’S GENDER ................................................... 76 2.2.1.2 NUANCES IN HAMLET’S GENDER EXPRESSION ..................................... 81 2.2.2 MAXINE PEAKE’S HAMLET: A NONBINARY APPROACH? ........................... 85 2.2.2.1 A PARTIALLY EXPLICIT APPROACH TO HAMLET’S GENDER ............. 85 2.2.2.2 A GENDERBENT CASTING ............................................................................ 88 2.2.2.3 PERFORMING THE PLAY’S GENDERED INTERACTIONS ...................... 90 2.2.3 LAERTES AND FORTINBRAS IN QUEER ADAPTATIONS ............................... 97 2.3 ISSUES OF CASTING AND QUEER ERASURE ........................................................... 99 2.3.2 CIS ACTRESSES, TRANS ROLES ........................................................................ 102 CONCLUSION ...................................................................................................................... 104 GENERAL CONCLUSION ....................................................................................................... 105 BIBLIOGRAPHY ....................................................................................................................... 112 PRIMARY SOURCES ........................................................................................................... 112 WORKS BY SHAKESPEARE ......................................................................................... 112 THEATRE ADAPTATIONS ............................................................................................ 112 MOVIE ADAPTATIONS ................................................................................................. 112 SECONDARY SOURCES ..................................................................................................... 114 FEMINIST AND QUEER STUDIES ................................................................................ 114 PERFORMANCE STUDIES ............................................................................................ 118 INTERTEXTUALITY AND ADAPTATION STUDIES ................................................. 118 GENERAL SHAKESPEAREAN STUDIES .................................................................... 118 GENERAL SHAKESPEAREAN STUDIES: HAMLET .............................................. 118 GENERAL SHAKESPEAREAN STUDIES: ROMEO AND JULIET ......................... 119 SHAKESPEARE: FEMINIST AND QUEER STUDIES ................................................. 119 FEMINIST AND QUEER STUDIES: HAMLET ......................................................... 121 FEMINIST AND QUEER STUDIES: ROMEO AND JULIET .................................... 121 SHAKESPEARE ON FILM .............................................................................................. 122 APPENDIX 1 STRUCTURE AND INTERTEXTUALITY IN CALARCO'S SHAKESPEARE'S R&J .......................................................................................................... 123 APPENDIX 2 THE GENDERBREAD PERSON.................................................................. 126 N°10, 2018 3 Éditions du CRINI © e-crini, 2018 ISSN 1760-4753 QUEERING CANONICAL SHAKESPEARE: CONTEMPORARY ADAPTATIONS OF HAMLET AND ROMEO AND JULIET AURELIE BOURG UNIVERSITE DE NANTES LIST OF IMAGES Fig. 1: Harold Perrineau as Mercutio in 1.5 of Romeo + Juliet (1995), dir. Baz Luhrmann. 31 Fig. 2 and 3: examples of warmer colours and oversaturation in the duel scene (00:51:05) and the final scene (1:27:12). 45 Fig.4 and 5: grayertones in military school scenes: the privates being reprimanded for hazing (00:36:25), and a classroom moment (00:49:01). 46 Fig. 6: David Tennant and Peter de Jersey as Hamlet and Horatio in 5.2 of Hamlet (2009), dir. Gregory Doran. 68 Fig. 7: Hamlet (1921), 00:00:38 and 00:00:52. The intertitles read: “The film confirms the view—of American Shakespearean scholar Dr. Edward P. Vining—that Hamlet was a woman who for reasons of State had to disguise herself as a man”. 71 N°10, 2018 4 Éditions du CRINI © e-crini, 2018 ISSN 1760-4753 QUEERING CANONICAL SHAKESPEARE: CONTEMPORARY ADAPTATIONS OF HAMLET AND ROMEO AND JULIET AURELIE BOURG UNIVERSITE DE NANTES INTRODUCTION The 16th century favored cross-dressed men in women’s roles, forging a bond between our culture and theater that endures today. That era’s greatest dramatist, in sonnets to his benefactor, Mr. W. H., proclaimed his love more ringingly than he portrayed the ruin of dynasties. — Alan Moore, The Mirror of Love. As reflected in Alan Moore’s poem, Renaissance theatre, and in particular
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Exploring the Use of the 'They' Pronouns Singularly in English
    Shawn Johnson California State University, Fullerton Exploring the use of the ‘they’ pronouns singularly in English Standard English textbooks state that when the gender of a referent is unknown, the default pronoun to be used is the masculine one, and that such usage is actually gender-neutral. A common example in textbooks is “ Everyone must bring his book to class.” Today, however, this usage does not in the mind of some speakers truly convey an image of both males and females being included. Instead, it sounds like the class is filled with only males. Several strategies have been suggested and used to try to avoid usage that some feel sounds sexist. The most commonly used method in somewhat formal settings is to say his or her . This has had fairly widespread acceptance, but it can be quite cumbersome when used multiple times: “A student should bring his or her book to class if he or she wishes to use it during his or her test so that he or she may get a better grade on his or her report card.” A few writers have chosen to alternate between using he gender-neutrally and using she gender- neutrally, but this has not become very popular and certainly doesn’t occur in everyday speech. In writing, some people use a composite form, such as (s)he , s/he , or he/she , or the genitive his/her , but these forms are not used in speech. Writing is usually expected to reflect speech, but in this case, it does not. In fact, it is actually hard to express the composite form (s)he verbally when reading it, as I just tried to do.
    [Show full text]
  • A Phenomenological Examination of Self-Identifying LGBTQ Public School Educators
    View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE provided by DigitalCommons@CSP (Concordia University St. Paul) Concordia University St. Paul DigitalCommons@CSP Concordia University Portland Graduate CUP Ed.D. Dissertations Research Spring 6-21-2017 Storied Lives, Unpacked Narratives, and Intersecting Experiences: A Phenomenological Examination of Self-Identifying LGBTQ Public School Educators Robert J. Bizjak Concordia University - Portland, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.csp.edu/cup_commons_grad_edd Part of the Education Commons Recommended Citation Bizjak, R. J. (2017). Storied Lives, Unpacked Narratives, and Intersecting Experiences: A Phenomenological Examination of Self-Identifying LGBTQ Public School Educators (Thesis, Concordia University, St. Paul). Retrieved from https://digitalcommons.csp.edu/ cup_commons_grad_edd/88 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Concordia University Portland Graduate Research at DigitalCommons@CSP. It has been accepted for inclusion in CUP Ed.D. Dissertations by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@CSP. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Concordia University - Portland CU Commons Ed.D. Dissertations Graduate Theses & Dissertations Spring 6-21-2017 Storied Lives, Unpacked Narratives, and Intersecting Experiences: A Phenomenological Examination of Self-Identifying LGBTQ Public School Educators Robert J. Bizjak Concordia University - Portland Follow this and additional works at: https://commons.cu-portland.edu/edudissertations Part of the Education Commons CU Commons Citation Bizjak, Robert J., "Storied Lives, Unpacked Narratives, and Intersecting Experiences: A Phenomenological Examination of Self- Identifying LGBTQ Public School Educators" (2017). Ed.D. Dissertations. 39. https://commons.cu-portland.edu/edudissertations/39 This Open Access Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate Theses & Dissertations at CU Commons.
    [Show full text]
  • Chapter 23 Somali Gender Polarity Revisited Morgan Nilsson University of Gothenburg
    Chapter 23 Somali gender polarity revisited Morgan Nilsson University of Gothenburg The notion of gender polarity is a well established part of the description of Somali nouns. It refers to the phenomenon that in most Somali nouns a change in number is accompanied by a simultaneous change in gender, and it implies that number is actually expressed by means of the change in gender. However, from a synchronic point of view there seems to be little evidence for such an interpretation, as plural gender is realised solely through the shape of the definite article suffix on the noun itself. In this article the main argumentsfor the standard description are investigated and an alternative solution based on typological considerations of the data is proposed, claiming that gender is not relevant in the plural. In- stead, the form of the plural definite article is predictable from the gender of the noun inthe singular, together with some morpho-phonological characteristics of the stem. Additionally, many nouns traditionally claimed to be plural are argued here to be formally singular and mostly collective. 1 Gender polarity According to the traditional point of view, Somali has two genders and two morphemes expressing definiteness, one for each gender: {k}1 for masculine gender and {t} for femi- nine gender. The same morphemes are used both in the singular and in the plural,and the majority of Somali nouns change their gender when they change their number. All nouns that are feminine and take the article {t} in the singular become masculine and take the article {k} in the plural; whereas most nouns that are masculine and take the article {k} in the singular become feminine and take the article {t} in the plural.
    [Show full text]
  • Silent Outsiders: Searching for Queer-Identity in College
    SILENT OUTSIDERS: SEARCHING FOR QUEER IDENTITY IN COMPOSITION READERS by TRAVIS W. DUNCAN B.S. Radford University, 2002 A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in the Department of English in the College of Arts and Humanities at the University of Central Florida Orlando, Florida Fall Term 2006 © 2006 Travis W. Duncan ii ABSTRACT This study searches twenty composition readers’ table of contents for the degree of inclusivity of queer people and issues. Four means of erasure are labeled as possible erasing of queer identity: presuming heteronormativity, overt homophobia, perpetuating tokenism, and pathologizing queer identity. The presence of other differences are compared to the number of times that queer identity is referenced in the table of contents. The final portion of the analysis examines the two most inclusive composition readers to understand more clearly how the readers present queer individuals and issues. In a sense, I want to explore the question of how often queer people are discussed or addressed and in what forms within these composition readers. My hope is to develop a means for instructors and students to investigate whether or not, and in what ways a composition reader prescribes presence for the queer individual. iii “Other people have ‘sexuality’ but heterosexual people are ‘just people’”. — Shaun Best This is dedicated to those teachers that strive to make an impact in all students’ lives: students who are straight and those who are queer identified. If not for teachers like those, I would not have the courage to do this type of project.
    [Show full text]
  • Rachel Prusko
    Becoming Youth: Coming of Age in Shakespeare and Marlowe by Rachel Prusko A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in English Department of English and Film Studies University of Alberta © Rachel Prusko, 2014 Abstract While studies in Renaissance childhoods, literary and historical, are becoming more prominent, this work has failed to distinguish between children and adolescents, leaving youth, as such, largely unexamined. My project attends not to the children of early modern drama, but to post-pubescent characters in their teen years, and argues that many plays literalize the ‘re-naissance’ of teenagers (‘adolescents’ or ‘youths’ in early modern England), reimagining what it meant to be young during a period when discourses surrounding youth were already clearly, yet crudely, defined. This thesis is a historicized analysis of young characters in several plays: Marlowe’s Edward II, and Shakespeare’s The Merry Wives of Windsor, Henry IV, Part 1, Henry IV, Part 2, Henry V, Romeo and Juliet, Pericles, The Winter’s Tale, and The Tempest. I argue that these plays intervene in the standard definitions so frequently applied to teenagers during the early modern period. The perception, on the one hand, of youthful behavior as violent, reckless, and rash was commonplace: Protestant preachers and moralists of the day insisted that young people were naturally prone to sin, rebelliousness, and unruly behavior, and so required strict regulation. On the other hand, optimistic portrayals of youth abounded as well: the age of youth was associated with hope and beauty as often as it was with folly and sin.
    [Show full text]
  • Love's Labour's Lost
    CAL PERFORMANCES PRESENTS CAST Wednesday, November 4, 2009, 8pm Love’s Labour’s Lost Thursday, November 5, 2009, 7pm Friday, November 6, 2009, 8pm Saturday, November 7, 2009, 2pm & 8pm Sunday, November 8, 2009, 3pm Zellerbach Hall Shakespeare’s Globe in Love’s Labour’s Lost John Haynes CAST by William Shakespeare Ferdinand, King of Navarre Philip Cumbus Berowne Trystan Gravelle Artistic Director for Shakespeare‘s Globe Dominic Dromgoole Longaville William Mannering Dumaine Jack Farthing Director Set and Costume Designer Composer The Princess of France Michelle Terry Dominic Dromgoole Jonathan Fensom Claire van Kampen Rosaline Thomasin Rand Choreographer Fight Director Lighting Designer Maria Jade Anouka Siân Williams Renny Krupinski Paul Russell Katherine Siân Robins-Grace Text Work Movement Work Voice Work Boyet, a French lord in attendance on the Princess Tom Stuart Giles Block Glynn MacDonald Jan Haydn Rowles Don Adriano de Armado, a braggart from Spain Paul Ready Moth, his page Seroca Davis Holofernes, a schoolmaster Christopher Godwin Globe Production Manager U.S. Production Manager Paul Russell Bartolo Cannizzaro Sir Nathaniel, a curate Patrick Godfrey Dull, a constable Andrew Vincent U.S. Press Relations General Management Richard Komberg and Associates Paul Rambacher, PMR Productions Costard, a rustic Fergal McElherron Jaquenetta, a dairy maid Rhiannon Oliver Executive Producer, North America Executive Producer for Shakespeare’s Globe Eleanor Oldham and John Luckacovic, Conrad Lynch Other parts Members of the Company 2Luck Concepts Musical Director, recorder, shawms, dulcian, ocarina, hurdy-gurdy Nicholas Perry There will be one 20-minute intermission. Recorders, sackbut, shawms, tenor Claire McIntyre Viol, percussion David Hatcher Cal Performances’ 2009–2010 season is sponsored by Wells Fargo.
    [Show full text]
  • 'They' As a Singular Pronoun Can Change the World
    HOW USING ‘THEY’ AS A SINGULAR PRONOUN CAN CHANGE THE WORLD by Davey Shlasko Y NOW YOU KNOW that calling people the pronouns Bthey want to be called is a basic and necessary way to demon- strate respect for their identities. Tis includes learning to use nonbinary pronouns such as singular they. But using singular they is far more than a way to respect friends who have gender identities outside the binary. Singular they has exciting potential to be part of a radical shift in the dominant gender culture. Changing the culture may seem like a mighty task for one little pronoun. But actually, it wouldn’t be the first time that a pronoun was near the center of a momentous cultural shift. First, a quick review on singular they, for those who need to get caught up: Some people who fall under the broad defi- nition of trans have gender identities other than man or woman. People describe these identities as non-binary, genderqueer, non- 1 gendered, gender-fluid, and many other terms – some recently coined, and some stemming from long-standing traditions in various cultures from around the world. Some (not all) people who experiences our genders in these ways ask people to avoid binary gendered language when referring to us, including the third person pronouns “he” and “she.” To replace “he” and “she,” people have coined a variety of new pronouns. Tese haven’t caught on much outside queer spaces, for reasons that linguists can explain better than I can. (It has to do with how slowly pronousn tend to evolve in languages - apparently, adjusting how we use a pronoun that already exists is more likely to catch on than adding a new pronoun to the lexicon.) Other people use “they” as a gender- neutral singular alternative, and this has proved comparatively easy for trans allies to respect.
    [Show full text]
  • English 252: Theatre in England 2006-2007 * [Optional Events
    English 252: Theatre in England 2006-2007 * [Optional events — seen by some] Wednesday December 27 *2:30 p.m. Guys and Dolls (1950). Dir. Michael Grandage. Music & lyrics by Frank Loesser, Book by Jo Swerling and Abe Burrows. Based on a story and characters of Damon Runyon. Designer: Christopher Oram. Choreographer: Rob Ashford. Cast: Alex Ferns (Nathan Detroit), Samantha Janus (Miss Adelaide), Amy Nuttal (Sarah Brown), Norman Bowman (Sky Masterson), Steve Elias (Nicely Nicely Johnson), Nick Cavaliere (Big Julie), John Conroy (Arvide Abernathy), Gaye Brown (General Cartwright), Jo Servi (Lt. Brannigan), Sebastien Torkia (Benny Southstreet), Andrew Playfoot (Rusty Charlie/ Joey Biltmore), Denise Pitter (Agatha), Richard Costello (Calvin/The Greek), Keisha Atwell (Martha/Waitress), Robbie Scotcher (Harry the Horse), Dominic Watson (Angie the Ox/MC), Matt Flint (Society Max), Spencer Stafford (Brandy Bottle Bates), Darren Carnall (Scranton Slim), Taylor James (Liverlips Louis/Havana Boy), Louise Albright (Hot Box Girl Mary-Lou Albright), Louise Bearman (Hot Box Girl Mimi), Anna Woodside (Hot Box Girl Tallulha Bloom), Verity Bentham (Hotbox Girl Dolly Devine), Ashley Hale (Hotbox Girl Cutie Singleton/Havana Girl), Claire Taylor (Hot Box Girl Ruby Simmons). Dance Captain: Darren Carnall. Swing: Kate Alexander, Christopher Bennett, Vivien Carter, Rory Locke, Wayne Fitzsimmons. Thursday December 28 *2:30 p.m. George Gershwin. Porgy and Bess (1935). Lyrics by DuBose Heyward and Ira Gershwin. Book by Dubose and Dorothy Heyward. Dir. Trevor Nunn. Design by John Gunter. New Orchestrations by Gareth Valentine. Choreography by Kate Champion. Lighting by David Hersey. Costumes by Sue Blane. Cast: Clarke Peters (Porgy), Nicola Hughes (Bess), Cornell S. John (Crown), Dawn Hope (Serena), O-T Fagbenie (Sporting Life), Melanie E.
    [Show full text]
  • June 2016 President: Vice President: Simon Russell Beale CBE Nickolas Grace
    No. 495 - June 2016 President: Vice President: Simon Russell Beale CBE Nickolas Grace Nothing like a Dame (make that two!) The VW’s Shakespeare party this year marked Shakespeare’s 452nd birthday as well as the 400th anniversary of his death. The party was a great success and while London, Stratford and many major cultural institutions went, in my view, a bit over-bard (sorry!), the VW’s party was graced by the presence of two Dames - Joan Plowright and Eileen Atkins, two star Shakespeare performers very much associated with the Old Vic. The party was held in the Old Vic rehearsal room where so many greats – from Ninette de Valois to Laurence Olivier – would have rehearsed. Our wonderful Vice-President, Nickolas Grace, introduced our star guests by talking about their associations with the Old Vic; he pointed out that we had two of the best St Joans ever in the room where they would have rehearsed: Eileen Atkins played St Joan for the Prospect Company at the Old Vic in 1977-8; Joan Plowright played the role for the National Theatre at the Old Vic in 1963. Nickolas also read out a letter from Ronald Pickup who had been invited to the party but was away in France. Ronald Pickup said that he often thought about how lucky he was to have six years at the National Theatre, then at Old Vic, at the beginning of his career (1966-72) and it had a huge impact on him. Dame Joan Plowright Dame Joan Plowright then regaled us with some of her memories of the Old Vic, starting with the story of how when she joined the Old Vic school in 1949 part of her ‘training’ was moving chairs in and out of the very room we were in.
    [Show full text]
  • Gender and Sexuality in Adaptations of Shakespeare Organizer: Deanne Williams, York University
    SAA Seminar: Gender and Sexuality in Adaptations of Shakespeare Organizer: Deanne Williams, York University. 1. The Fiendlike Queen: Recuperating the Feminine in Modern Adaptations of Macbeth William C. Carroll Boston University Terry Eagleton’s notorious comment – “To any unprejudiced reader – which would seem to exclude Shakespeare himself, his contemporary audiences and almost all literary critics – it is surely clear that positive value in Macbeth lies with the three witches. The witches are the heroines of the piece, however little the play itself recognizes the fact” (William Shakespeare, p. 2) – is just one of many attempts in recent decades to recast the witches in a more positive light, an effort that has had considerable success. Lady Macbeth has proven to be a harder case to rehabilitate, at least on the stage (as seen recently in Kate Fleetwood’s harrowing depiction with Patrick Stewart in Rupert Goold’s version). In adaptations of the past century, however, especially those written by women and those for younger readers, a very different picture of the “fiend-like queen” has emerged. These representations move far away from earlier texts in which “Lady Macbeth” is little more than a synonym for a murderous woman. Several recent works instead seek explanation or rationale for her participation in Duncan’s murder through reference to her earlier marriage and son by that marriage (both suppressed in Shakespeare’s play), to her situation as a woman in a culture of Celtic masculinity, and even to a supposed daughter (Klein) with whom Lady Macbeth (not dead in this version!) is ultimately reunited.
    [Show full text]
  • Shakespeare on Film, Video & Stage
    William Shakespeare on Film, Video and Stage Titles in bold red font with an asterisk (*) represent the crème de la crème – first choice titles in each category. These are the titles you’ll probably want to explore first. Titles in bold black font are the second- tier – outstanding films that are the next level of artistry and craftsmanship. Once you have experienced the top tier, these are where you should go next. They may not represent the highest achievement in each genre, but they are definitely a cut above the rest. Finally, the titles which are in a regular black font constitute the rest of the films within the genre. I would be the first to admit that some of these may actually be worthy of being “ranked” more highly, but it is a ridiculously subjective matter. Bibliography Shakespeare on Silent Film Robert Hamilton Ball, Theatre Arts Books, 1968. (Reissued by Routledge, 2016.) Shakespeare and the Film Roger Manvell, Praeger, 1971. Shakespeare on Film Jack J. Jorgens, Indiana University Press, 1977. Shakespeare on Television: An Anthology of Essays and Reviews J.C. Bulman, H.R. Coursen, eds., UPNE, 1988. The BBC Shakespeare Plays: Making the Televised Canon Susan Willis, The University of North Carolina Press, 1991. Shakespeare on Screen: An International Filmography and Videography Kenneth S. Rothwell, Neil Schuman Pub., 1991. Still in Movement: Shakespeare on Screen Lorne M. Buchman, Oxford University Press, 1991. Shakespeare Observed: Studies in Performance on Stage and Screen Samuel Crowl, Ohio University Press, 1992. Shakespeare and the Moving Image: The Plays on Film and Television Anthony Davies & Stanley Wells, eds., Cambridge University Press, 1994.
    [Show full text]
  • Hamlet Study Guide Levels Two & Three Wilson Know the Characters: Hamlet – Prince of Denmark Claudius – Hamlet's Uncl
    Hamlet Study Guide Levels Two & Three Wilson Know the Characters: Hamlet – Prince of Denmark Claudius – Hamlet’s Uncle; he was recently crowned king of Denmark Gertrude – Queen of Denmark; Hamlet’s mother Polonius – Advisor to the King Ophelia – Hamlet’s love interest; Polonius’ daughter Laertes – Polonius’ son Ophelia’s brother Horatio – Hamlet’s best friend; voice of reason in the play Fortinbras – Prince of Norway; wants to regain land lost by his father Courtiers: Rosencrantz – Noblemen and acquaintances of Hamlet invited to cheer him Guildenstern – up Osric - Cornelius Voltemand – Ambassador charged with going to Norway Officers, Soldiers, and Servants: Francisco – Marcellus – Soldiers who first witness the ghost while on guard Bernardo – Reynaldo – Servant to Polonius Act One, Scene One 1. What is the setting for the play? Denmark; Elsinore Castle 2. What are Bernardo and Francisco doing at the beginning of the play? They are on watch waiting for their replacements. 3. What is going on that makes this necessary? There is a military threat from Norway, in the form of Young Fortinbras. 4. Why is Horatio summoned to the roof of the castle? The want him to witness and/or validate the appearance of the ghost of the dead king. 5. What decision does Horatio make after witnessing what he does? He decides to tell young Hamlet, because he thinks the ghost will speak to him. Act One, Scene Two 6. What has recently happened in Hamlet’s family? His father died and his mother married his uncle. 7. Why is Hamlet being scolded by his uncle? His uncle feels Hamlet has been mourning his father for too long.
    [Show full text]