The first part of this thesis offers a study of the phenomenon of fascination as it was understood in early modern England—specifically in its relation to magic, demonology and witchcraft. It examines fascination’s place within cultural traditions, and its operation within perception theory and the psychophysiology of the early modern medical understanding. It also examines some ways in which fascination operates within a theatrical context, and encounters the discourse of early modern “anti-theatricalists.” The second part of the thesis is an analysis of the Shakespearean tragic hero’s encounter with elements of fascinating bewitchment, and the problems of discerning reality through the mesmeric pull of misperception. The specific subjects of the dramatic analysis are Othello and Macbeth.

This thesis charts the performance history of Shakespeare's Shylock from the earliest recorded interpretations to those of the present day . After a survey of the most significant early productions of The Merchant of Venice', starting with Granville's adaptation in 1701, I refer to every major professional production of the play in London and Stratford-upon-Avon from 1879, the year which saw the first performance of Henry Irving’s landmark interpretation of Shylock at the Lyceum and the opening of the Shakespeare Memorial Theatre in Stratford. While many of Shakespeare’s characters hold special challenges for the modem actor, Shylock is unique in the extent to which he is influenced by the weight of history, and by twentieth century European history in particular. There is a focus in this study, therefore, on the changing: sensibilities which have influenced theatrical interpretation of the character through the ages, and especially on the differing extents to which actors have attempted to present Shylock as a sympathetic character. It has not been possible - and neither would it have been proper. in my opinion - to exclude from my study references to the ever-changing manifestations of anti-Semitism in the world outside the theatre, nor to the enduring discomfort which many people still experience at seeing stage representations of Shakespeare's Jew. Accordingly I have included a brief account of the theatre's response at the time of the Nazi persecutions, as well as more recent examples of the controversies that this play has the power to engender. Reflecting upon the ways in which productions have in their different ways met the challenge of presenting Shakespeare's Jew to post-Holocaust audiences, I conclude the study by proposing the notion of 'honest' and ‘dishonest' interpretations.

This thesis considers the contribution made to seminal productions of Shakespeare by the stage designers Charles Ricketts, Norman Wilkinson, Claud Lovat Fraser and Paul Shelving between the years 1909-1932. It examines how each responded to the visual arts as a means of developing an individual and distinctive style in sympathy with elements of the New Stagecraft and how this in turn influenced their interpretation of scenic designs and costumes. This study foregrounds archival research as a means of understanding the ideas which informed these designers and the visual impact of their work. The Introduction discusses the extent to which the Shakespearean work of these four designers has already been given consideration. Each designer is then assessed in a separate chapter. These outline the cultural background from which they drew their inspiration and offer an analysis of their work for Shakespeare productions within this context. The productions are considered in chronological order. This facilitates an evaluation of the development of Ricketts, Wilkinson, Shelving and Lovat Fraser as stage designers and gives a perspective on their achievements and failures. The Conclusion identifies the significance of the role of the stage designer to Shakespearean productions by 1932. It comments on the legacy of these designers and the continuing importance of the visual arts in relation to the interpretation of Shakespeare on the stage.

The emergence and growth of performance for the purpose of communicating Islamic ideas and teachings is a topic that has gained popularity with no real academic research, which is vital as it is utilised as a tool for da’wah, propagation and communication. The thesis aims to look at the acceptability of performance for propagation and the most effective way in which performance can be used for communicating Islamic ideas and teachings. The general view by the majority of schools of thought within Islam is that performance is acceptable for da’wah if it does not involve anything which is forbidden. However, deeper issues such as women’s involvement and depicting the Prophet Muhammad in performances have more nuanced opinions. Furthermore, research into Augusto Boal’s Theatre of the Oppressed shows that Muslim artists have fallen into the Aristotelean system of coercion and manipulation which contradicts the fundamental pillar of da’wah and propagation which states that there should be no compulsion in religion and sets out to introduce a technique for a more effective way of using performance as a tool for da’wah through Forum Theatre techniques. These findings will not only improve da’wah through performance but will help remove coercion and manipulation which is evident in many performances by Muslim artists and organisations.

An Introductory chapter justifies the study of staged pageantry in terms of related research and acknowledges the aptness of the pageantic mode for the second tetralogy before glancing at pageantry within the contemporary social context. A brief survey of pageantry in Shakespearean productions from the Restoration to 1900 provides an historical context for the thesis which shows that 'pictorial' pageantry, though vilified and much reduced in scale compared with Victorian literalism, proved resilient even in the face of the New Stagecraft and cinematic realism. From the 1950s the intellectualisation of Shakespeare production which accompanied the emergence of the university-educated 'director', however, harnessed spectacle in the service of an interpretative vision that demanded of audiences a capacity for analogical thinking akin to the 'cognitive eye' of Shakespeare's own audiences. In an era of social flux and intellectual anxiety pageantry has provided a stable vocabulary for interrogating monarchal and political ideologies together with the vocabulary for the examination of the ritual basis of the human condition. Subsequently practitioners have utilised the meta-theatrical concept of pageantry and in a society increasingly defined through the visual emblem have sought to reach beyond 'image' towards understanding, thereby reaffirming the need to take theatrical pageantry seriously.

This thesis is an appraisal of Shakespeare’s characterisation of Richard Neville, the Earl of Warwick, colloquially known by his soubriquet ‘kingmaker’. Shakespeare’s reification of the reputations of characters from the regal history of late medieval England substantially maintains our interest in historical figures such as Warwick. By a process of dramatic and literary osmosis, Shakespeare infiltrates the national consciousness with such figures, refreshing individual and collective memory. The majority of the thesis is taken up with an examination of key scenes which I consider most successfully explore the roots of Warwick’s reputation. Finally, I will consider Warwick’s role in performance, though a discourse with three actors who have previously been assigned the role. I will examine their various approaches to the characterisation of the part. In the course of distilling Warwick’s clearly defined characteristics, Shakespeare examines fundamental questions of the delegation of right to rule and the accepted qualities required for effective leadership. In this context, the dramatist follows the course of events by which the Kingmaker achieved the agnomen which continues to define him as a symbol of medieval potency.

Though Ben Jonson's Sejanus has received virtually no approbation as a work for the theater, it has yet been the subject of much critical attention. There is widespread recognition that the play is no ordinary failure, that it is a work full of learning, carefully structured and thematically potent, an intelligent effort to reform Renaissance historical tragedy. Still there is no agreement about what kind of achievement the play actually represents. The concern of this dissertation is with the intellectual origins of the play; it is a study in the traditions and methods which appear to have guided Jonson in his writing of Sejanus. It is my thesis that its genesis is to be found in Jonson's interest in non-literary discipines - history, methods of historical writing, politics and constitutional issues - rather than in literary criticism and conventions. Jonson found his new style in political history, his themes in the conflict between morality and the logistics of realpolitik.

Oscar Wilde's plays on upper-class Victorian society are set apart from contemporary drama both by their wit and their reappraisal of conventions, particularly in dealing with transgressive women. The fallen woman's prominence in popular culture and the stage during a period of intense suffragism attests to woman's role as a touchstone of moral stability, contemporary plays viewing deviant women as threats to a man's world. Wilde mocks society's confinement of women, fallen or not, into prescribed roles and undercuts customary morality but fears self-determining women's disruptive power. A tool of perceiving this ambivalence is the self-fashioning dandy, who repudiates social constraints and yet foils transgressive women's attempts at self-fashioning. The surface mockery of conventional fears of female aspirations as threats to masculine orderliness conceals a greater fear of female autonomy as a threat to masculinity itself. This study locates the dramatic and moral urgency of Wilde's five major plays, Lady Windermere's Fan, A Woman of No Importance, An Ideal Husband, The Importance of Being Earnest and Salome in this conflicting response to the feminine, which also determines his choice of theme and form both in his comedies of manners and symbolic drama.

Intangible heritage is a growing concept of emphasis in international communities. This study will define intangible heritage and focus on the performing arts in Taiwan. Inasmuch as Taiwanese Opera and Hand Puppetry are two of the most significant manifestations among others, research methods of qualitative interviews and non-participant observations will be used to gain an insight into their practices through investigating certain practitioners. This study will in particular explore organisational management and training approaches that ensure their artistry and skills are transmitted, contributing to the dissemination of intangible heritage. Furthermore, this study will inspect how the competent authorities determine the designation and registration of intangible heritage. Governmental schemes and their implementation for the safeguarding intangible heritage will be thoroughly examined, revealing the integrity and effectiveness of administrative systems, especially as the competent authorities are confronted by certain problems in the interpretation of intangible heritage, interaction with practitioners and controversy. These are inter-related, inter-influencing, and restrictive. In responding to these existing predicaments, coping strategies will be proposed as research outcomes.

This thesis examines the development of military culture in, and its effects on, early modern English society. Militarism during the late Elizabethan and early Stuart periods was not reinforced by military institutions directly interfering with the private lives of individuals, or by controlling the thoughts and actions of the whole nation. It was, however, strongly influenced by the culture of a military elite, represented by leading noblemen such as Leicester, Sidney, Essex, and Prince Henry, who paid considerable attention to the theatrical aspects of formal and ceremonial occasions and how their military role was portrayed in art and literature. Unlike the usual traditional portrayal of these prominent figures as incompetent military leaders who rushed blindly forwards in pursuit of military glory, we will see that through their aristocratic patronage of various art forms they promoted their image as competent Protestant warriors, and helped the public to be receptive to a variety of military ideas. The principal motivation of this study is to consider a multiplicity of perspectives on how a military culture was constructed, through a variety of genres, and how particular views on military matters were integrated into popular culture. Literary critics and historians have previously examined certain aspects of militarism in this period but this study aims to take a holistic view of how the military culture developed and affected the public sphere.