Regardless of genre, Shakespeare’s plays open in many different ways on the stage. Some openings come in the form of a prologue and extend from it; others in the form of a framing dialogue; some may begin in medias res; and there is also a single case of an induction in The Taming of the Shrew. My dissertation, “Shakespeare’s Openings in Action: A Study of Four Plays from the Period 1591- c.1602,” subsequently referred to as “Shakespeare’s Openings in Action,” attempts to define the construction of openings in the context of Shakespeare’s dramaturgy and to understand texts which were written in the first place to be performed on a platform stage by actors experienced in theatrical practice. By analysing the playwright’s organization of the dramatic material, as reflected in the play-texts, I attempt to gauge how an opening set out to engage original audiences in the play, an essential function of theatrical composition, and to determine to what extent the play-text may be considered as an extended stage direction for early modern actors.1 What is the present state of scholarship in the subject? Although sparse, critical interest in the openings of Shakespeare’s plays can be found as early as 1935 in the work of A. C. Sprague, Shakespeare and the Audience. In more recent years, other studies have appeared, for instance, Robert F. Willson, Jr., Shakespeare’s Opening Scenes (1977), and a number of articles included in Entering the Maze: Shakespeare’s Art of Beginning, edited by F. Willson Jr. (1995). Existing scholarship provides a good general framework for further research into the openings of Shakespeare’s plays. In addition to the studies presented above, I shall draw on analytical approaches to play-text analysis which involve theatre practice, for example in the work of André Helbo, Approaching Theatre (1991), Anne Ubersfeld, Reading Theatre (1996), and John Russell Brown, Shakespeare’s Plays in Performance (1993); John Barton, Playing Shakespeare (1984), and Cicely Berry, Text in Action. London (2001). These works provide revealing insights into the theatrical possibilities of dramatic language and actor technique. 1The analytical method presented in this dissertation supplements studies made of the complex textual histories of Shakespeare’s plays by considering the staging and characterisation information they contain. In the case of multiple-text plays, it takes account of editorial scholarship and explains the reasons for choosing to analyse the material contained in one version over the other(s).

Regardless of genre, Shakespeare’s plays open in many different ways on the stage. Some openings come in the form of a prologue and extend from it; others in the form of a framing dialogue; some may begin in medias res; and there is also a single case of an induction in The Taming of the Shrew. My dissertation, “Shakespeare’s Openings in Action: A Study of Four Plays from the Period 1591- c.1602,” subsequently referred to as “Shakespeare’s Openings in Action,” attempts to define the construction of openings in the context of Shakespeare’s dramaturgy and to understand texts which were written in the first place to be performed on a platform stage by actors experienced in theatrical practice. By analysing the playwright’s organization of the dramatic material, as reflected in the play-texts, I attempt to gauge how an opening set out to engage original audiences in the play, an essential function of theatrical composition, and to determine to what extent the play-text may be considered as an extended stage direction for early modern actors.1 What is the present state of scholarship in the subject? Although sparse, critical interest in the openings of Shakespeare’s plays can be found as early as 1935 in the work of A. C. Sprague, Shakespeare and the Audience. In more recent years, other studies have appeared, for instance, Robert F. Willson, Jr., Shakespeare’s Opening Scenes (1977), and a number of articles included in Entering the Maze: Shakespeare’s Art of Beginning, edited by F. Willson Jr. (1995). Existing scholarship provides a good general framework for further research into the openings of Shakespeare’s plays. In addition to the studies presented above, I shall draw on analytical approaches to play-text analysis which involve theatre practice, for example in the work of André Helbo, Approaching Theatre (1991), Anne Ubersfeld, Reading Theatre (1996), and John Russell Brown, Shakespeare’s Plays in Performance (1993); John Barton, Playing Shakespeare (1984), and Cicely Berry, Text in Action. London (2001). These works provide revealing insights into the theatrical possibilities of dramatic language and actor technique. 1The analytical method presented in this dissertation supplements studies made of the complex textual histories of Shakespeare’s plays by considering the staging and characterisation information they contain. In the case of multiple-text plays, it takes account of editorial scholarship and explains the reasons for choosing to analyse the material contained in one version over the other(s).

De inspiração etnográfica, esta pesquisa tem por objetivo a tentativa de mapear a realidade do ensino-aprendizagem da dramaturgia shakespeariana no ensino superior brasileiro, trazendo à tona, além das questões literárias, questões pedagógicas e metodológicas. Desse modo, o caráter interdisciplinar é enfatizado, tendo sempre em mente, entretanto, as especificidades do texto dramatúrgico. Com base na filosofia educacional de Paulo Freire e de alguns de seus seguidores, principalmente Henry Giroux, bell hooks e Moacir Gadotti, propõe-se refletir sobre esse ensino-aprendizagem no contexto do início do século XXI, marcado pela intensa influência do cinema, da televisão e da internet. Para tanto, foram observadas algumas aulas da Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, da Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro e da Universidade de São Paulo. Nessa última, por um período de quatro anos. Foram entrevistados professores de Literaturas de Expressão Inglesa, de diversos estados brasileiros, shakespearianos e não shakespearianos. Questionários fizeram parte do estudo, além da discussão de alguns textos teóricos relacionados à literatura e ao seu ensino, como, por exemplo, o trabalho de Elaine Showalter e da professora brasileira Lígia Chiappini. O desejo de ação transformadora, presente na pedagogia crítica, cujas sólidas raízes se encontram no pensamento freireano, a prática de alguns docentes, assim como as vozes de discentes, em sua maioria da Universidade de São Paulo, impulsiona-nos a reconhecer a necessidade incessante de refletir sobre a nossa ação pedagógica. Uma ação que também se faz política, ampliando as possibilidades do debate em prol de um ensino mais crítico. / This study, which has an ethnographic base, maps the teaching of Shakespeare in Brazilian universities and raises literary, educational and methodological questions. It is thus an interdisciplinary study but does not lose sight of the specific qualities of the dramatic text. Using the educational philosophy of Paulo Freire and his followers, especially Henry Giroux, bell hooks and Moacir Gadotti, it examines the teaching and study of Shakespeare at the beginning of the 21st century, which has been marked by the influence of the cinema, television and Internet. The methodology used includes the observation of classes at the Federal Universities of Santa Catarina and Rio de Janeiro and the University of São Paulo, where classes were observed during a period of four years. Interviews were made with university teachers of Literatures in English, both Shakespearians and non-Shakespearians, in a number of Brazilian states. Questionnaires were also used to discover the opinions of students and teachers. In addition to the work of Paulo Freire, that of Elaine Showalter and the Brazilian professor Ligia Chiappini were also used to provide a theoretical framework. The desire for transforming actions, which can be seen in critical pedagogy and which is rooted in the thinking of Paulo Freire, and the practice of certain teachers, the voices of students, the majority of whom are from the University of São Paulo, helps us to realise the need to reflect on our educational actions. This action is also a political action, thereby widening the possibilities of debate for a more critical teaching.

De inspiração etnográfica, esta pesquisa tem por objetivo a tentativa de mapear a realidade do ensino-aprendizagem da dramaturgia shakespeariana no ensino superior brasileiro, trazendo à tona, além das questões literárias, questões pedagógicas e metodológicas. Desse modo, o caráter interdisciplinar é enfatizado, tendo sempre em mente, entretanto, as especificidades do texto dramatúrgico. Com base na filosofia educacional de Paulo Freire e de alguns de seus seguidores, principalmente Henry Giroux, bell hooks e Moacir Gadotti, propõe-se refletir sobre esse ensino-aprendizagem no contexto do início do século XXI, marcado pela intensa influência do cinema, da televisão e da internet. Para tanto, foram observadas algumas aulas da Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, da Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro e da Universidade de São Paulo. Nessa última, por um período de quatro anos. Foram entrevistados professores de Literaturas de Expressão Inglesa, de diversos estados brasileiros, shakespearianos e não shakespearianos. Questionários fizeram parte do estudo, além da discussão de alguns textos teóricos relacionados à literatura e ao seu ensino, como, por exemplo, o trabalho de Elaine Showalter e da professora brasileira Lígia Chiappini. O desejo de ação transformadora, presente na pedagogia crítica, cujas sólidas raízes se encontram no pensamento freireano, a prática de alguns docentes, assim como as vozes de discentes, em sua maioria da Universidade de São Paulo, impulsiona-nos a reconhecer a necessidade incessante de refletir sobre a nossa ação pedagógica. Uma ação que também se faz política, ampliando as possibilidades do debate em prol de um ensino mais crítico. / This study, which has an ethnographic base, maps the teaching of Shakespeare in Brazilian universities and raises literary, educational and methodological questions. It is thus an interdisciplinary study but does not lose sight of the specific qualities of the dramatic text. Using the educational philosophy of Paulo Freire and his followers, especially Henry Giroux, bell hooks and Moacir Gadotti, it examines the teaching and study of Shakespeare at the beginning of the 21st century, which has been marked by the influence of the cinema, television and Internet. The methodology used includes the observation of classes at the Federal Universities of Santa Catarina and Rio de Janeiro and the University of São Paulo, where classes were observed during a period of four years. Interviews were made with university teachers of Literatures in English, both Shakespearians and non-Shakespearians, in a number of Brazilian states. Questionnaires were also used to discover the opinions of students and teachers. In addition to the work of Paulo Freire, that of Elaine Showalter and the Brazilian professor Ligia Chiappini were also used to provide a theoretical framework. The desire for transforming actions, which can be seen in critical pedagogy and which is rooted in the thinking of Paulo Freire, and the practice of certain teachers, the voices of students, the majority of whom are from the University of São Paulo, helps us to realise the need to reflect on our educational actions. This action is also a political action, thereby widening the possibilities of debate for a more critical teaching.