Memory in Shakespeare's Second Tetralogy
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TITLE PAGE Memory in Shakespeare’s Second Tetralogy Rebecca Warren-Heys Royal Holloway, University of London Submission for Doctor of Philosophy DECLARATION OF AUTHORSHIP I hereby declare that this thesis and the work presented in it is my own. Where I have consulted the work of others, this is clearly stated. Rebecca Warren-Heys, October 2013. 2 THESIS ABSTRACT This thesis undertakes an original analysis of the incidence and influence of memory in Shakespeare’s second tetralogy. It is the first full-length study of memory in Shakespeare to show not only how memories can lock characters into history but also how memories can be released from history in order to engender radically different futures. This thesis offers detailed close readings of key scenes in the second tetralogy to substantiate this argument and to illuminate afresh issues at the heart of the plays, such as identity, time and death. It builds on previous and current research on memory in Shakespeare, as well as considering how he may have engaged with original archival sources such as Petrus’s ‘Art of Memory’ and Gratarolo’s ‘Castle of Memory’. The first chapter of this thesis provides an overview of Shakespeare’s use of and reliance on memory in the canon, supplies a review of previous works on memory, and explains the scope and structure of the thesis. The second chapter defines terms and clarifies the method of the thesis, considers the phenomenology of memory, and elucidates the crucial concept of forward recollection. The third chapter explores how and why Shakespeare’s drama is an especially apt vehicle for memory. These three chapters prepare the ground for the subsequent four chapters, which examine each of the plays in the second tetralogy in turn. The chapters on the plays focus on key aspects of memory that exemplify the wider argument of the thesis: memory and identity in Richard II; memory and time in 1 Henry IV; memory and death in 2 Henry IV; and memory and forward recollection in Henry V. 3 CONTENTS Declaration of Authorship ......................................................................................... 2 Thesis Abstract ......................................................................................................... 3 Acknowledgments .................................................................................................... 5 A Note on Texts ........................................................................................................ 6 Chapter One: Introduction ........................................................................................ 7 The Faculty of Memory in the Works of Shakespeare .................................................. 7 Previous Studies of Memory in Shakespeare and Early Modern Literature ............... 14 Structure, Scope and Aims of Thesis ........................................................................... 28 Chapter Two: Definitions and Phenomenology of Memory ...................................... 32 Taxonomy .................................................................................................................... 32 The Phenomenology of Memory ....................................................................................... 43 The Direction of Memory ............................................................................................ 52 Chapter Three: A Drama and a Language of Memory ............................................... 60 Memory in Drama ....................................................................................................... 60 Shakespeare the Historian .......................................................................................... 78 How does the Language of the Plays Disclose Memories? ......................................... 80 Chapter Four: Memory and Identity in Richard II ..................................................... 83 Remembering Richard ................................................................................................. 83 Richard Remembering ................................................................................................. 90 Memories of Times to Come ..................................................................................... 102 Conclusion ................................................................................................................. 106 Chapter Five: Memory and Time in 1 Henry IV ....................................................... 109 Hal: ‘Redeeming time’ (1.2.185-207) ........................................................................ 111 Hotspur: ‘If life did ride upon a dial’s point’ (5.2.83) ................................................ 120 Falstaff: ‘What a devil hast thou to do with the time of day?’ (1.2.5-6) .................. 127 Conclusion ................................................................................................................. 133 Chapter Six: Memory and Death in 2 Henry IV ....................................................... 136 The Rebels: ‘a bleeding land, | Gasping for life’ ....................................................... 139 Shallow: ‘all shall die’ ................................................................................................ 144 Henry IV: ‘waste the memories of the former days’ ................................................ 152 Conclusion ................................................................................................................. 159 Chapter Seven: Memory and Forward Recollection in Henry V .............................. 161 The Chorus ................................................................................................................ 163 Henry ......................................................................................................................... 172 Conclusion ................................................................................................................. 180 Chapter Eight: Conclusion: Memory in the Second Tetralogy ................................. 183 Bibliography ......................................................................................................... 188 Primary Sources ........................................................................................................ 188 Secondary Sources .................................................................................................... 189 Websites .................................................................................................................... 201 Appendix A: The Memory Theatre of Giulio Camillo .............................................. 202 4 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I would like to thank the generous grant from the Arts and Humanities Research Council which made this study possible. The English Department at Royal Holloway, both academics and the wonderful administrative staff, fostered a rich research culture and a warm environment in which to work. I want also to acknowledge my fellow Shakespearean doctoral students, Theodora Papadopoulou, Will McKenzie, Charlotte Keys, Paul Hamilton, Mohamed Salim-Said, and Helen True: you were inspiring friends and colleagues, with whom it was a pleasure to share ideas. Thanks are due to Daniel O’Gorman, Alexander Rain, Anna Markowska of Surrey University and Pete Kirwan of Warwick University, all of whom answered queries on subjects which were not my speciality. Deanna Fernie’s and John Miles’s superlative academic writing courses were invaluable. Deana Rankin fulfilled her advisory role with an unrivalled dedication for which I am enormously grateful. To my doctoral supervisors, Ewan Fernie and Kiernan Ryan, I owe an enormous debt. I am fortunate to have had not one but two such accomplished Shakespeareans as my supervisors, and I am certain that I would never have reached this stage without them. My wonderful parents, Nick and Jaga Heys, asked thoughtful questions and expressed interest throughout the long process of completing this thesis. The babysitting lovingly provided by them and my parents-in-law, David and Mary Warren, made it possible for me to attend numerous conferences and courses. My husband John listened patiently while an idea overtook me or while I worked through it out loud. My daughters, Emily and Laura, were unfailingly patient and made my work so much easier. It is to them that this thesis is dedicated: if something is important to you, I hope you find a way to do it, too. 5 A NOTE ON TEXTS Unless otherwise specified, all references to the plays of Shakespeare’s second tetralogy are to the most recent Arden Shakespeare editions: Richard II, ed. Charles R. Forker, Arden third series (London: Thomson Learning, 2005); Henry IV Part One, ed. David Scott Kastan, Arden third series (London: Thomson Learning, 2002); Henry IV Part Two, ed. A. R. Humphreys, Arden second series (London: Thomson Learning, 2003); and Henry V, ed. T. W. Craik, Arden third series (London: Thomson Learning, 2005). 6 CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION The Faculty of Memory in the Works of Shakespeare References to both the faculty of memory and memories themselves abound in Shakespeare’s plays and poems. There are 59 instances of the word ‘memory’ or ‘memories’ in 25 of the plays, while ‘remember’ and ‘forget’ occur 184 and 86 times respectively.1 Memory is of crucial importance to some of Shakespeare’s greatest tragedies. As he recalls how his mother doted on his father, Hamlet laments, ‘Must I remember?’ (1.2.143);2 the ghost of his father implores