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1	Dramatic histories and party politics, 1719-1745 Marshall, Louise January 2003 (has links) Early eighteenth-century politics were dominated by the rise to power and fall from grace of Sir Robert Walpole. This thesis examines varied responses to the Walpole regime from opposition Whig, Tory, Jacobite and pro-government writers. The discussion focuses on history plays from the period 1719-1745 and considers the role of these texts as vehicles for political comment and propaganda. Of key concern throughout the thesis is the rhetoric of patriotism. Patriot ideology pervades the texts and crosses conventional party boundaries. Alongside patriotism other themes pertinent to political commentary of the period are discussed. In chapter one, 'Ancient Britons and Liberty' texts appropriating Saxon and Celtic history are discussed in relation to contemporary concerns for maintaining the political liberty of the British nation. In chapter two, 'Kings, Ministers, Favourites and Patriot Rhetoric' plays that focus on favouritism are examined alongside contemporary criticism of Walpole as 'favourite' of the Hanoverians. In chapter three, 'Gender and Party Politics in Adaptations of Shakespeare's Histories' the updating of Shakespeare to suit contemporary taste and the impact of these alterations are reflected in a repoliticisation of the plays for party agendas. In chapter four, 'Britain, Empire and Julius Cæsar' representations of Cæsar that suggest positive interpretations of the Emperor conflict with contemporary opinion regarding his contribution to the fall of the Roman republic. Implications for Britain’s own colonial endeavour are also considered in chapter five, ‘Religion and the Ideology of Empire in Turkish History Plays'. This chapter examines plays in which the Scanderbeg history is appropriated to offer a model of British colonialism. Reflecting on Britain's past glories or, past failings, the plays discussed in this thesis offer not only comment on contemporary politics but also representations of an idealised Britishness. By demonstrating what Britons had once been these texts suggest what modem Britons should be. 822.509358 history plays ; Whig ; Tory ; Walpole
2	Staging the Monarchy:Iconoclastic Representation of Kingship in Shakespeare's History Plays Yu, Hui-Chu 01 September 2003 (has links) When investigating the connection between Shakespeare and the Reformation, many critics are concerned about the playwright¡¦s religious stance. They rummage throughout his plays for traces that can manifest his religious inclination; however, they often fall easy preys of the theory of dichotomy. Among a great multitude of Shakespearean studies, many are devoted to the iconographical approach, but relatively few attempt to illustrate Shakespeare¡¦s iconoclasm, particularly concerning the representation of kingship in history plays. In view of the two relatively unexplored fields, this dissertation purports to scrutinize how the egalitarian spirit of Protestantism, rather than Protestant theology, contributes to the new perception and iconoclastic representation of kingship in Shakespeare¡¦s history plays. Based on a historical development of the idea of kingship, , this present study will elaborate from a dramatic perspective how Shakespeare manages to subvert the royal icons and spectacle that the ruling class used to rely on heavily. To assist readers with a comprehensive sense of the genre, I propose that the history play is a genre first initiated as part of the propagandistic program of the Henrician Reformation, whose impetus later changes into a driving force that facilities iconoclastic perception of the kingly image. Developed along with the public theater, the representation of kingship in Shakespeare¡¦s history plays takes a secular turn, so the long sanctified image of monarch in royal iconography is challenged. However, the transformation does not take place simply out of political pressure, but dramatic concerns. A new system of imagery, developed on the theoretical basis of the king¡¦s body natural, enriches the poetic language of political drama. Probing into the nature of kingship and the political issues of the Tudor reign, Shakespeare¡¦s re-envision of the Tudor Monarchy is stripped off the allegorical signification of pageantry and then riddled with the medieval view of mutability. This present study will manifest how Shakespeare¡¦s history plays reexamine the idealized royal image and take an aesthetic turn in representing historical events¡Xfeaturing psychological complexity and rich verbal strategies. Further investigation is done to shed light on Shakespeare¡¦s iconoclastic view of kingship to reveal the ways in which the dramatist redefines and demystifies monarchy. history plays kingship Iconoclasm Shakespeare Reformation
3	Beyond tragedy : genre and the idea of the tragic in Shakespearean tragedy, history and tragicomedy O'Neill, Fionnuala Ruth Clara January 2013 (has links) This thesis explores the intersection between the study of Shakespearean drama and the theory and practice of early modern dramatic genres. It reassesses the significance of tragedy and the idea of the tragic within three separate yet related generic frames: tragedy, history, and tragicomedy. Behind this research lies the fundamental question of how newly emerging dramatic genres allow Shakespeare to explore tragedy within different aesthetic and dramatic contexts, and of how they allow his writing to move beyond tragedy. The thesis begins by looking at Shakespeare’s deployment of the complex trope of “nothing”. “Nothing” as a rhetorical trope and metaphysical idea appears across many of the tragedies, often becoming a focal point for the dramatic representation of scepticism, loss and nihilism. The trope is often associated with the space of the theatre, and sometimes with the dramaturgy of tragedy itself. However, it is also deployed within the histories and tragicomedies at certain moments which might equally be called tragic. “Nothing” therefore provides a starting-point for thinking about how the genres of history and tragicomedy engage with tragedy. Part I focuses on tragedy, including extended readings of Timon of Athens and King Lear. It explores Shakespearean drama as a response to the pressures of the early modern cultural preoccupation with, and anxiety about, scepticism. Stanley Cavell and other critics of early modern dramatic scepticism have tended to locate this engagement with scepticism within tragedy. However, this section shows that the same sceptical problematic is addressed across Shakespearean dramatic genres, with very different results. It then explores why scepticism should display a particular affinity for tragedy as a dramatic genre. Part II focuses on history, with particular reference to Richard II and Henry V. The trope of “nothing” is used as a starting-point to explore the intersection between Shakespearean history and tragedy. Engaging with Walter Benjamin’s theory of baroque tragedy as Trauerspiel (mourning-plays) rooted in history, it argues that Trauerspiel provides a useful generic framework against which to consider the mournful aesthetic of Shakespeare’s histories. Part III focuses on early modern tragicomedy and The Winter’s Tale, asking how Shakespeare achieves the transition from tragedy to tragicomedy in his later writing. It explores tragicomedy’s background on the early modern stage in theory and practice, paying particular attention to Guarini’s theory that pastoral tragicomedy frees its hearers from melancholy, and to the legacy of medieval religious drama and its engagement with faith and belief. Returning to the trope of “nothing”, this section shows that The Winter’s Tale addresses the same sceptical problematic as the earlier tragedies. Arguing that scepticism opens up a space for tragedy and nihilism in the first half of The Winter’s Tale, it demonstrates that Shakespeare finds in the genre of tragicomedy an aesthetic and dramatic form which allows him to move through, and beyond, the claims of tragedy. 822
4	Rebels with a Cause: How Christopher Marlowe and William Shakespeare Subversively Challenge the Monarchy's Source of Power and Other Societal Norms of Early Modern England Roussell, Maggie E 19 May 2017 (has links) This thesis examines the ways that Christopher Marlowe and William Shakespeare use their history plays to subvert the ideals of early modern England. Writing plays about historical events gave the playwrights freedom to depict certain things on stage that would have otherwise been unacceptable, and because they had history as their source, they could show events that were parallel to the current happenings in England and make commentary on those events. Literature in English, British Isles
5	Shakespeare and the Drama of Politic Stratagems Cameron, John H. 27 July 2012 (has links) “Shakespeare and the Drama of Politic Stratagems” focuses on how Shakespeare dramatically explores strategic issues similar to those discussed by Machiavelli and other early modern politic authors. The thesis is structured in order to tackle the diverse nature of strategy while developing and expanding on its most essential issues. The first chapter deals with the amoral and dangerous political world of the first tetralogy, a world in which one must be strategic in order to survive. Since not every strategist engages in the same kind of strategy or even agrees about what the best strategy might be, the second chapter outlines the different characteristics of Shakespeare’s strategists. These strategists can sometimes achieve success on their own, but no one can survive alone indefinitely, and the third chapter thus outlines the importance of strategic alliances and the dangers of making the wrong alliance. The fourth chapter deals with the numerous kinds of enemies that a strategist must contend with. Not all enemies fight in the same way, so a strategist must be on guard against an enemy’s deceptions, the focus of the fifth chapter. Even if these obstacles are overcome, even the most successful strategists will almost inevitably fail at some point or another. That failure may be due to some flaw in their schemes, or it may be due to the extreme difficulty of achieving success indefinitely. The final chapter deals with the perennial conflict between virtù and fortuna and thus the limits of politic stratagems. Machiavelli’s works can be seen as an epicenter of strategic thinking in the early modern period, and so they act as a guide through complex, contradictory, but ultimately rewarding issues of strategy and their consequences. Machiavelli serves as both analogue and foil, for while Shakespeare dramatizes similar strategic ideas, his dramatizations reveal greater truths about what is at stake when one explores the nature and consequences of politic stratagems. This thesis demonstrates the multiple factors that make strategy so dynamic and useful to a young dramatist in the process of discovering his own interests in the art of politics and the art of drama. Early modern politics Shakespeare Henry VI English History Plays Early modern drama Machiavelli
6	“Your unthought of Harry”: Political Legitimacy and the Economy of Honor in Shakespeare's Henriad Singh, Bandana 01 January 2018 (has links) Shakespeare’s Henriad delves into questions of divine authority, political process, and the role of class in society. Most importantly, however, the text tracks the shifts in leadership and kingly identity. Richard II paints the portrait of a king infatuated with his own divinity. Richard’s journey from anointed king to deposed mortal captures the dissolution of his fantasy of invincibility. Inciting Richard’s demise, Henry IV effectively disturbs the passive obedience which the king’s subjects maintain; in doing so, the kingship begins to shift away from divine authority, moving into a vacuum of rebellion and civil conflict. Meanwhile, the previously profligate Prince Hal turns towards his duties; in proving himself to his father, he begins to accumulate honor, redeeming himself as a capable heir. Hal’s ascension as Henry V and his subsequent success as a king provides a stark contrast to the discontent during Richard’s reign. As the presence of divinity recedes, the theme of honor appears more frequently throughout the Henriad. Prince Hal views honor as an external commodity which can be accumulated by an individual. Honor, as presented by Henry V, seemingly converts an intrinsic trait or virtue into a commodity with economic value, allowing for the establishment of his own political legitimacy. Using the plays in the Henriad as my primary texts, I intend to examine this political and ideological transition by connecting Richard's divine right to Hal's construction of an economy of honor. Shakespeare Political theology Henriad History Plays Henry V English Language and Literature
7	Politická rétorika v Shakespearových hrách / Political Rhetoric in Shakespeare's Drama Malá, Anna January 2019 (has links) Political Rhetoric in Shakespeare's Drama Bc. Anna Malá MA Thesis Abstract This thesis focuses on political rhetoric in William Shakespeare's plays. It approaches History plays, Roman plays, and Tragedies in order to compare whether the rhetoric used differs among the genre in connection to the state system which it presents - Republic or Monarchy, with the intention to describe the difference. The main criteria for this description are the imagery and rhetorical strategies used in specific situation both by the ruler and by some of the subjects concerning the ruler.
8	All the World’s a Stage: Paula Vogel’s Indecent & How Theatre Serves a Community Cann, Audrey Jane January 2022 (has links) No description available. Art Criticism Art Education Art History Arts Management Behavioral Psychology Communication Curricula Curriculum Development Dance Demographics Design East European Studies Education Education Philosophy Educational Evaluation Educational Sociology Educational Psychology Educational Theory Ethics European Studies European History Fine Arts Folklore Foreign Language Gender Gender Studies Higher Education Higher Education Administration History Holocaust Studies Industrial Arts Education Intellectual Property Judaic Studies Marketing Minority and Ethnic Groups Modern History Modern Literature Music Music Education Performing Arts Personal Relationships Social Work Social Research Teacher Education Teaching Theater Theater History Theater Studies Theology Womens Studies

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