Shakespeare's Dramatic GenresThe history of genres, or kinds, of drama is one of contradictory traditions and complex cultural assumptions. The divisions established by the original edition of Mr. William Shakespeare's Comedies, Histories, and Tragedies (the First Folio, 1623) give shape to whole curricula; but, as Lawrence Danson reminds us in this lively book, there is nothing inevitable, and much unsatisfying, about that tripartite scheme. Yet students of Shakespeare cannot avoid thinking about questions of genre; often they are the unspoken reason why classrooms full of smart people fail to agree on basic interpretive issues. Danson's guide to the kinds of Shakespearean drama provides an accessible account of genre-theory in Shakespeare's day, an overview of the genres on the Elizabethan stage, and a provocative look at the full range of Shakespeare's comedies, histories, and tragedies. |
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Page 37
... Hamlet is also a late sixteenth - century play of state , about the anxiety of uncertain rule and the passage of ... Hamlet which Shakespeare did not write , but which is related to the later Hamlet he did write . In 1589 , Thomas Nashe ...
... Hamlet is also a late sixteenth - century play of state , about the anxiety of uncertain rule and the passage of ... Hamlet which Shakespeare did not write , but which is related to the later Hamlet he did write . In 1589 , Thomas Nashe ...
Page 125
... Hamlet , too , a supernatural voice , the imperious voice of the ghostly father commanding his son to ' Revenge his foul and most unnatural murder ' ( 1. 5. 25 ) , seems to summon Hamlet to his destiny . Yet Hamlet questions that ...
... Hamlet , too , a supernatural voice , the imperious voice of the ghostly father commanding his son to ' Revenge his foul and most unnatural murder ' ( 1. 5. 25 ) , seems to summon Hamlet to his destiny . Yet Hamlet questions that ...
Page 139
... Hamlet's quest throughout the play is in certain ways excessive . The ghost tells him about the murder : but was it really his father's ghost ? The play - within - the - play proves it was an honest ghost : but now how should Hamlet act ...
... Hamlet's quest throughout the play is in certain ways excessive . The ghost tells him about the murder : but was it really his father's ghost ? The play - within - the - play proves it was an honest ghost : but now how should Hamlet act ...
Contents
The Genres Staged | 30 |
Mr William Shakespeares Comedies | 57 |
History | 86 |
Copyright | |
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Common terms and phrases
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