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ANNE BARTON Anne Barton 1933–2013
ANNE BARTON Anne Barton 1933–2013 IN 1953 SHAKESPEARE QUARTERLY, then, as now, one of the two leading academic Shakespeare journals in the world, published an article concisely titled ‘Love’s Labour’s Lost’.1 The list of contributors identified the author as ‘Miss Bobbyann Roesen, a Senior at Bryn Mawr’, who ‘is the first under- graduate to contribute an essay to Shakespeare Quarterly. She attended the Shakespeare Institute at Stratford-upon-Avon in the summer of 1952 and hopes to pursue graduate studies in Renaissance literature at Oxford or Cambridge.’2 Looking back forty years later, the former Miss Roesen, now Anne Barton, had ‘a few qualms and misgivings’ about reprinting the article in a collection of some of her pieces. As usual, her estimate of her own work was accurate, if too modest: As an essay drawing fresh attention to a play extraordinarily neglected or mis- represented before that date, it does not seem to me negligible. Both its high estimate of the comedy and the particular reading it advances are things in which I still believe. But, however influential it may have been, it is now a period piece, written in a style all too redolent of a youthful passion for Walter Pater.3 Undoubtedly influential and far from negligible, the article not only continues to read well, for all its Paterisms, but also continues to seem an extraordinary accomplishment for an undergraduate. There is, through- out, a remarkable ability to close-read Shakespeare carefully and with sus- tained sensitivity, to see how the language is working on the page and how 1 Bobbyann Roesen, ‘Love’s Labour’s Lost’, Shakespeare Quarterly, 4 (1953), 411–26. -
Shakespeare's Isabella and Cressida on the Modern Stage
''Shrewd Tempters with their Tongues..,: Shakespeare's Isabella and Cressida on the Modern Stage Anna Kamaralli A thesis submitted to the Faculty of Arts, School of Theatre, Film and Dance of the University ofNSW In partial fulfillment of the degree ofMA(Hons) 2002 ii Abstract Shakespeare's Isabella (Measure for Measure) and Cressida (Troilus and Cressida) share an unusual critical and theatrical history. Unappreciated o:ri stage, contentious on the page, they have traditionally provoked discomfort among critics, wl).o l).ave ~~€::J:'! quicker to see them as morally reprehensible than to note their positive qualities. Seemingly at polar opposites of the personal and moral spectrum, the two share an independence of spirit, a refusal to conform to the desires and requirements of men, and a power to polarize opinion. This thesis considers the ways in which attitudes to Isabella and Cressida on the English speaking stage have shifted, over the latter half of the twentieth century, in the light of an escalating public awareness of issues of feminism and gender politics. Against a close reading of Shakespeare's text, both literary and performance criticism are examined, together with archival material relating to theatre productions of the plays, primarily by the Royal Shakespeare Company. The thesis concludes that in the case of both characters a change is indeed discemable. For Isabella, it is informed by the idea that the ethical code to which she adheres deserves respect, and that her marriage to the Duke is neither inevitable, nor inevitably welcomed by her. Cressida has undergone a more dramatic change: she is no longer assumed to be constitutionally immoral, and her behaviour is examined without preconception. -
If You Think Theatre Is Boring, You Haven't Seen a Robert Icke Play
If you think theatre is boring, you haven’t seen a Robert Icke play The radical young director talks to Laura Barton about reinventing the classics for a new age Laura Barton The Economist November 2018 Each night began with the flip of a coin. After the auditorium had filled and the crowd had hushed, actors Lia Williams and Juliet Stevenson made their way through the stalls, advancing at a stately pace until they drew level and faced one another. The two women, of similar age and dressed in nearly identical dark suits, appraised each other shrewdly. “Heads,” called Williams as the ceremonial flip began. And then a hesitation. The audience held its breath. “Heads,” she said again, firmly. This scene was the starting point of every performance of Robert Icke’s version of Schiller’s “Mary Stuart”, a play which explores the relationship between the doomed Mary Queen of Scots and her cousin and executioner, Elizabeth I. The production opened at the Almeida theatre in north London in 2016 before transferring to the West End in 2018. Williams and Stevenson each learned both of the leading parts, and every night the toss of a coin decreed who would play which role. The moment brought a high-stakes charge to the live performance of a play about the fickleness of power and the peculiarity of fate. Icke is Britain’s most radical and exciting young theatre director. Now 31, since 2013 he has been associate director of the Almeida, where he has made his name with a series of revelatory adaptions of classic plays, including “Hamlet”, “Uncle Vanya” and the “Oresteia”. -
Sir Ian Mclellan in Shakespeare
'ACTING GOOD PARTS WELL': SIR IAN McKELLEN IN SHAKESPEARE by HILARY EDITH W. LONG A thesis submitted to the Faculty of Arts of the University of Birmingham for the degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY The Shakespeare Institute School of English Faculty of Arts The University of Birmingham March 2000 University of Birmingham Research Archive e-theses repository This unpublished thesis/dissertation is copyright of the author and/or third parties. The intellectual property rights of the author or third parties in respect of this work are as defined by The Copyright Designs and Patents Act 1988 or as modified by any successor legislation. Any use made of information contained in this thesis/dissertation must be in accordance with that legislation and must be properly acknowledged. Further distribution or reproduction in any format is prohibited without the permission of the copyright holder. SYNOPSIS This thesis examines the performances which have earned Sir lan McKellen a reputation as one of the foremost Shakespearean actors of the day. His reputation has been built on five major performances: Richard II, Macbeth, Coriolanus, lago and Richard III. His performances as Hamlet, Romeo, Leontes and Kent were only limited successes. This thesis places McKellen's performances in these roles in the specific context of the production as a whole. Where it is relevant it assesses the significance of the casting of other roles, the influence of the personality, style and interests of the director, the policy of the theatre company and the impact of the performance space. This thesis identifies patterns in McKellen's work determined by his own personality and sexuality, the Cambridge education he shares with Sir Peter Hall, John Barton and Trevor Nunn, and his relationships with other actors.