Shakespeare and the spectacles of strangeness
Subtitle: The tempest and the transformation of Renaissance theatrical forms
By: John G. Demaray.
Series: Medieval and Renaissance literary studies
Publisher: Duquesne University Press; Duquesne Univ Pr
Published: 1997
Place of publication: Pittsburgh, Pa
Language: eng
Number of pages: 174
Subjects: Shakespeare, William, -- 1564-1616.; Shakespeare, William, -- 1564-1616 -- Stage history -- To 1625.; Shakespeare, William, -- 1564-1616 -- Stage history -- England.; Theater -- England -- History -- 17th century.; Spectacular, The, in literature.; Masques -- History and criticism.; Magic in literature.; Literary form.; Great Britain -- Court and courtiers -- History -- 17th century.
Description: The design, staging allusions and symbolism of The Tempest are here freshly reconsidered in light of the drama's historical and theatrical milieu. Demaray maintains that Shakespeare, in composing this play, was not reverting to the "academic" dramatic structures, themes and character types of his early career, but was instead forging from different theatrical traditions a new kind of experimental drama.

The Tempest, then, draws upon the European and English spectacle, pastoral, "romance" and dramatic traditions; it emphasizes reformist open symbolism rather than the classical iconography of Ben Jonson; and it points the way to the stylized "heroic" dramas of the Restoration with their exotic themes and staged scenic illusions.

Shakespeare and the Spectacles of Strangeness pays close attention to genre, structure and issues of printing and textual scholarship. Demaray examines the First Folio printings of The Tempest and of printings of drama, masques, balets de cour, spectacle productions and stage documents.

On the basis of these primary documents, Demaray is able to show the influence of the conventions of court presentations on Shakespeare's theatrical references, and to reveal new accounts of the imaginative significance of stage illusions designed by Inigo Jones in the early 1600s.
Notes: Includes index.
Table of contents: title: Contents: Theatrical forms in transition : romance, Latin play, or masque?; title: Dramatic designs and the spectacle triumph; title: Performance allusions and Whitehall staging; title: The new theatrical hieroglyphics; title: On the symbolism of The tempest.