The purpose of this study is to investigate the evidence of Shakespeare's satire in certain plays written during the years 1593-1603. The study examines only the satire which deals with other writers and actors and events that are connected in some way with the theater.

Whatever are the other merits of Macbeth, it must be classed as one of the most penetrating studies of conscience in literature. Shakespeare does not attempt to describe in the drama how the ordinary criminal would react to evil, but how Shakespeare himself would have felt if he had fallen into crime. 1 The ramifications of this conflict between the conscience of a man of genius and the supernatural forces of wickedness, therefore, assume immense dimensions. "Macbeth leaves on most readers a profound impression of the misery of a guilty conscience and the retribution of crime . . . But what Shakespeare perhaps felt even more deeply, when he wrote this play, was the incalculability of evil--that in meddling with it human beings do they know not what."2 This drama displays an evil not to be accounted for simply in terms of the protagonist's will or his causal relationships to evil. It is an agency which is beyond the power of Macbeth's will; and his conscience, as powerful and imaginative as it is, can only warn him that he is involving himself in a force which will cause him unexpected and hideous mental pain. If there is a moral in Macbeth, it is obviously that men should not tamper with evil, for not even a deep-rooted conscience and an ascendant will can contend with its influence.

Texte remanié de: Dissertation--Munich, Allemagne--Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität, 2006. / 313-340. Index.

Texte remanié de: Thesis Ph. D. / Notes bibliogr. Index.

This study is a feminist-based reading of three of William Shakespeare’s works: Othello, Much Ado About Nothing, and Hamlet. The reading, although borrowing from the feminist perspective, is not a full-blown feminist reading of Shakespeare’s works. The focus of the study comprises the social circumstances and the misogynistic actions of the male characters and how these impact on the lives of the female characters. The relationships between the male and female characters are often characterized by physical and psychological victimization arid their feelings of misery and shame, and even total destruction of life (as in the case of Desdemona and Ophelia). The three Shakespearean plays portray male rivals who take part in significant roles that cause destruction of well established relationships. The men allow their egos to persuade their decisions, attack their internal emotions, and demolish virtuous women who are forced to become victims of political intrigues and machinations. Shakespeare shows two types of women throughout the plays: women who refuse to submit to men and demand equal rights, and submissive women who carry out the roles of an Elizabethan woman. Those who followed the roles of the Elizabethan woman, which is to be submissive to men, also demonstrate that bowing down to patriarchal rules does not guarantee happiness for women. In fact, it may actually lead to their domination and victimization. Furthermore, all female characters, whether submissive or not, suffered the consequences of male dominance and victimization. However, the females who lived up to the women roles of the patriarchal society suffered more than the women who fought against male dominance.

This thesis explores the proposition that to comprehend William Shakespeare better in his social and creative contexts one has to understand both his and his family’s money - where it came from and where it went. The Shakespearian mythos posits that John Shakespeare came penniless to Stratford where he did well in business before losing his wealth. Thereafter, his son William went to London, wrote plays which made him rich and then made a number of investments in Stratford. Among the various errors in this statement there is one that stands out - the “rich” part. It is not simply the fact that he made the investments - his house New Place, land, tithes etc. are well documented - it is when he made them that is of significance. The bulk of the Shakespeare family investments were made before William became part owner of the Globe or Blackfriars theatres. This evaluation has focused on the tangible data from the period, chiefly legal and financial records. Its conclusions challenge many pre-existing notions of how money flowed into the Early Modern Theatre and into William Shakespeare’s pockets. The fable is that young Will Shakespeare, like the pantomime Dick Whittington, left his poverty-stricken family, walked to London and won his fortune. In neither case was this true. The Early Modern theatre in London was brutally commercial and the aim was the acquisition of wealth more than the pursuit of art. For William Shakespeare, Pope put it neatly Shakespeare (whom you and every playhouse bill Style the divine! the matchless! what you will), For gain, not glory, wing’d his roving flight, And grew immortal in his own despite. This thesis provides the evidence to dismiss many of the fantasies that surround William and John Shakespeare’s by replacing these with a clear financial picture of the sources and acquisition of their wealth.

An analytical history of the representation of gender on the English stage from Shakespeare to modern times is followed by a detailed examination of the National Theatre of Great Britain's production of 'As You Like It' in 1967, the first production of a play by Shakespeare for over three hundred years in which the female parts were played by male actors. Subsequent cross-cast productions of Shakespeare's plays by Glasgow Citizen's Theatre, Prospect theatre Company, Lindsay Kemp, Theatre du Soleil and Goodman Theatre Chicago are discussed and the views of directors and critics of those productions analysed. The thesis then presents the results of a series of workshops with actors into the playing of gender and examines, by means of an experiment employing Gender Schema Theory, how actors construct gender in a production of 'Twelfth Night'. The final part of the thesis describes a controlled experiment into audience perception of gender using a scene from 'Hamlet'. Theories are presented about the nature of the performance of gender on stage and the use of theatrical conventions, the relationship between social conventions and stage conventions, about the way in which an actor builds a character, the influence of biological sex on actors' creativity, and about audience participation.

"This book is a regenerated doctoral thesis ... (originally presented) at the University of Chicago (1929) "--Pref. / Bibliography: p. [245]-295.

"This book is a regenerated doctoral thesis ... (originally presented) at the University of Chicago (1929) "--Pref. / Bibliography: p. [245]-295.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of California, Santa Cruz, 1992. / Typescript. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 241-279).