Shakespeare Handbooks – serie

This Handbook provides an introductory guide to The Winter's Tale offering a scene-by-scene theatrically aware commentary, contextual documents, a brief history of the text and first performances, case studies of key performances and productions, a survey of film and TV adaptation, a wide sampling of critical opinion and further reading.

This Handbook provides an introductory guide to The Winter's Tale offering a scene-by-scene theatrically aware commentary, contextual documents, a brief history of the text and first performances, case studies of key performances and productions, a survey of film and TV adaptation, a wide sampling of critical opinion and further reading.

This engaging double-volume Handbook explores the Henry IV plays as texts for performance as they unfold, moment by moment, on the stage. With scene-by-scene commentary, and including an account of their life on stage, film and in criticism, this guide illuminates two plays that together rank as one of Shakespeare's greatest achievements.

Few of Shakespeare''s comedies have proved more popular and enduring than The Taming of the Shrew - and yet it has come to seem one of Shakespeare''s more controversial plays. An analysis of the drama that is attentive to its theatrical challenges and stage history allows a better understanding of its power to provoke such diverse responses. How might Katerina''s final speech be staged in the twenty-first century? Must it be played for irony, or are her words sincere? How might other characters on stage respond to her account of a woman''s duty to her husband?This Handbook provides students and theatre-goers with a performance-oriented guide to the drama. Its commentary explores the action scene by scene, drawing on discussions elsewhere in the book of Shakespeare''s cultural and historical moment, and the play''s continued fortunes on the stage and screen. Margaret Jane Kidnie equips readers with the skills and materials with which to explore the variety of ways in which this ''troubling comedy'' or ''light tragedy'' might take on meaning today for modern audiences.

This introduction to the performance potential of one of Shakespeare''s most theatrically exciting plays provides extensive commentary that explores the challenges faced by actors and directors and encourages readers to engage imaginatively with Shakespeare''s words. Chapters on stage, film and critical history combine to form a comprehensive study.

This book opens up Twelfth Night as a play to see and hear, provides useful contextual and source material, and considers the critical and theatrical reception over four centuries. A detailed performance commentary brings to life the many moods of Shakespeare''s subtle but robust humour. Students are encouraged to imagine the theatrical challenges of Shakespeare''s Illyria afresh for themselves, as well as the thought, creative responses and wonder it has provoked.

The commentary at the centre of this groundbreaking introduction alerts the reader to what happens on stage during a performance by showing what the text requires from actors and the choices they are offered. By this means, the Handbook demonstrates how an audience responds to plot and dramatic structure, what conflicts and issues are involved as the action unfolds, and the effects of developing expectation and variations of tension and pace.Chapters complementing this core feature provide an account of the three original texts, the theatrical conditions of early performances, and the play''s social, political and cultural contexts. Generous quotations are given from books that influenced the writing of the play, and notable productions and performances are described to illustrate a wide range of interpretations. A concluding chapter quotes from recent critics and offers a number of different ways in which to understand the significance of this tragedy which has proved its enduring appeal.

Measure for Measure generates much debate and is strikingly modern. This introductory guide offers a scene-by-scene theatrically aware commentary, a brief history of the text and first performance, studies of influential performances, a survey of film and TV adaptation, a wide sampling of critical opinion and annotated further reading.

The commentary at the centre of this Handbook introduces students to the play as it would be experienced in performance. Other sections provide basic information about the text and its first performances, a brief description of the main political and cultural currents of the time and the popular kinds of entertainment, drama and comedy. Extracts from several comedies and Shakespeare''s immediate source, Thomas Lodge''s Rosalynde, together with all important elements of performance, case studies of key productions and a survey of critical writings on As You Like It, make this a comprehensive and wide-ranging study.Research for this publication was funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council.

This Handbook provides an introductory guide to Much Ado About Nothing offering a scene-by-scene theatrically aware commentary, contextual documents, a brief history of the text and first performances, case studies of key productions, a survey of film and TV adaptation, a wide sampling of critical opinion and further reading.

The Duchess of Malfi is generally regarded as John Webster's finest play, a masterpiece of tragic depth and emotional complexity. The conflict between private love and public political behaviour for a passionate but circumscribed woman is as theatrically pertinent now as when first performed. This timely Handbook:- Examines the play's sources and its cultural context- Offers a detailed theatrical commentary that aids visualisation of the underlying dynamics and structure of the play in performance, and explores performance possibilities- Analyses influential productions on stage and screen, from when it was first performed by the actors of Shakespeare's theatre company, the King's Men, to the present day- Presents key critical debates and assessments of The Duchess of Malfi

The Duchess of Malfi is generally regarded as John Webster's finest play, a masterpiece of tragic depth and emotional complexity. The conflict between private love and public political behaviour for a passionate but circumscribed woman is as theatrically pertinent now as when first performed. This timely Handbook:- Examines the play's sources and its cultural context- Offers a detailed theatrical commentary that aids visualisation of the underlying dynamics and structure of the play in performance, and explores performance possibilities- Analyses influential productions on stage and screen, from when it was first performed by the actors of Shakespeare's theatre company, the King's Men, to the present day- Presents key critical debates and assessments of The Duchess of Malfi

The Changeling by Thomas Middleton and William Rowley is a luridly sensual dramatic work which was highly regarded in its day, but then largely forgotten until its revival three hundred years later. This timely Handbook:- Offers a detailed theatrical commentary which tracks the motivations of the capricious characters and explores performance possibilities- Examines the cultural conditions that gave rise to the play, juxtaposing them with the conditions of the twentieth century- Analyses early performances as well as later stage and film productions- presents key critical debates and assessments of The Changeling.

The Changeling by Thomas Middleton and William Rowley is a luridly sensual dramatic work which was highly regarded in its day, but then largely forgotten until its revival three hundred years later. This timely Handbook:- Offers a detailed theatrical commentary which tracks the motivations of the capricious characters and explores performance possibilities- Examines the cultural conditions that gave rise to the play, juxtaposing them with the conditions of the twentieth century- Analyses early performances as well as later stage and film productions- presents key critical debates and assessments of The Changeling.

The White Devil is one of the great plays of the Jacobean era. In this vibrant Handbook, Stephen Purcell offers an in-depth, performance-focused exploration of John Webster's thrilling, unsettling and darkly comic tragedy. The Handbook includes:- a scene-by-scene commentary on the play as it unfolds on stage - an overview of the play's cultural context- excerpts from historical sources- case studies of four modern productions, featuring interviews with directors- an outline of key critical writings on the play, from the seventeenth century through to today.

This Handbook provides an introductory guide to Much Ado About Nothing offering a scene-by-scene theatrically aware commentary, contextual documents, a brief history of the text and first performances, case studies of key productions, a survey of film and TV adaptation, a wide sampling of critical opinion and further reading.

This Handbook provides an introductory guide to Richard II offering a scene-by-scene theatrically aware commentary, contextual documents, a brief history of the text and first performances, case studies of three or four key performances and productions, a survey of film and TV adaptations, a wide sampling of critical opinion and further reading.

This Handbook provides an introductory guide to Richard II offering a scene-by-scene theatrically aware commentary, contextual documents, a brief history of the text and first performances, case studies of three or four key performances and productions, a survey of film and TV adaptations, a wide sampling of critical opinion and further reading.

An introductory guide to Othello in performance offering a scene-by-scene theatrically aware commentary, contextual documents, a brief history of the text and first performances, case studies of key productions, a survey of screen adaptations, a sampling of critical opinion and further reading.

An introductory guide to Othello in performance offering a scene-by-scene theatrically aware commentary, contextual documents, a brief history of the text and first performances, case studies of key productions, a survey of screen adaptations, a sampling of critical opinion and further reading.

This volume, while it raises all the questions appertaining to the cultural, historical and critical contexts of the play, has as its primary focus the play as theatrical performance. This focus is not taken in isolation, but observed in terms of all the social, material and practical aspects of theatrical production. The questions raised are those that face actors, stage managers and directors, scenic and costume designers, in the rehearsal room and on the stage.

Focusing on stage directions, implied stage action in the dialogue, and on production choices available at key moments, this Handbook treats the script like a rehearsal in progress and encourages the imagining of a physical narrative where the play''s meanings and our responses are shaped by staged actions.

This handbook offers a way in to reading Anthony and Cleopatra theatrically. Through analyses of key productions, an account of the historical conditions in which the play was first produced, and a scene-by-scene account of how the play might be approached in performance, this book focuses on the challenges of staging the notorious lovers.

The White Devil is one of the great plays of the Jacobean era. In this vibrant Handbook, Stephen Purcell offers an in-depth, performance-focused exploration of John Webster''s thrilling, unsettling and darkly comic tragedy. The Handbook includes:- a scene-by-scene commentary on the play as it unfolds on stage - an overview of the play''s cultural context- excerpts from historical sources- case studies of four modern productions, featuring interviews with directors- an outline of key critical writings on the play, from the seventeenth century through to today.

''Tis Pity She''s a Whore is one of the most controversial plays ever staged in the English theatre. In this illuminating Handbook, Martin White:- Offers an in-depth, moment-by-moment analysis of the play, looking at how it might be performed on stage- Provides vital contextual material on John Ford''s social and literary influences- Reconstructs the play''s performances in Ford''s own time and examines later stage, television and film productions- Guides the reader through the often heated critical and theatrical responses to the dramatic work

An introductory guide to King Lear in performance offering a scene-by-scene theatrically aware commentary, contextual documents, a brief history of the text and first performances, case studies of key productions, a survey of film and TV adaptations, a sampling of critical opinion and annotated further reading.

An introductory guide to Romeo and Juliet in performance offering a scene-by-scene theatrically aware commentary, contextual documents, a brief history of the text and first performances, case studies of key productions, a survey of screen adaptations, a sampling of critical opinion and annotated further reading.

Julius Caesar is possibly the play that opened The Globe theatre. Certainly it was one of the first to be performed there, using the acting resources of the company and the new stage space with dramatic confidence. The first of Shakespeare''s mature tragedies, Julius Caesar is also stirring history. The great political debates between Republic and Empire, democracy and dictatorship, mob rule and tyranny are as applicable today as they were in Elizabethan England, and to the Romans themselves in 44 BC. Highlights of this Handbook include:- A commentary at the heart of the book which guides the reader through the play as it unfolds moment by moment in performance, with special attention to the theatrical choices facing actors and directors.- An account of the play''s sources and its cultural context.- Analysis of influential performances on stage and screen, and of changes in the play''s critical reception.Lively and stimulating, this invaluable guide offers a unique investigation of the theatrical life of one of Shakespeare''s great tragedies.

This engaging double-volume Handbook explores the Henry IV plays as texts for performance as they unfold, moment by moment, on the stage. With scene-by-scene commentary, and including an account of their life on stage, film and in criticism, this guide illuminates two plays that together rank as one of Shakespeare''s greatest achievements.