Shakespearean Afterlives: Ten Characters with a Life of Their Own

Front Cover
Icon, 2003 - Literary Criticism - 356 pages
From art to advertising, psychology to politics, opera to cinema, Shakespeare's stories and characters have found an enduring place in our consciousness, enjoying 'afterlives' as rich and varied as their original incarnations in the playhouse. This book is a cultural biography of Shakespeare's most famous characters. From Shylock to the Shrew, Richard the Third to Romeo - via Shakespeare in Love and West Side Story - it charts the many and various existences that these characters have led outside the pages of the First Folio. Each chapter offers an original perspective on a well-known character, examining their role in the play, their history in performance and their intriguingly kaleidoscopic life in the popular consciousness. Featuring interviews with actors and directors, this book is for 'the great Variety of Readers' who enjoy their Shakespeare and are intrigued by the seemingly endless capacity of his characters for re-invention and reincarnation.

From inside the book

Contents

Henry the Fifth
16
CHAPTER 3
69
CHAPTER 4
95
Copyright

7 other sections not shown

Other editions - View all

Common terms and phrases

About the author (2003)

John O'Connor, formerly Senior Lecturer in English at Westminster College, Oxford, is a writer and editor. He is the editor of the prestigious Longman Shakespeare series and lectures in Shakespeare in Performance at the Oxford University postgraduate summer school. He is married with three children and lives just outside Oxford.

Bibliographic information