Shakespeare and the History of SoliloquiesProvides the first systematic and comprehensive account of the conventions governing soliloquies in Western drama from ancient times to the twentieth century. Over the course of theatrical history, there have been several kinds of soliloquies. Shakespeare's soliloquies are not only the most interesting and the most famous, but also the most misunderstood, and several chapters examine them in detail. The present study is based on a painstaking analysis of the actual practices of dramatists from each age of theatrical history. This investigation has uncovered evidence that refutes long-standing commonplaces about soliloquies in general, about Shakespeare's soliloquies in particular, and especially about the to be, or not to be episode. 'Shakespeare and the history of Soliloquies' casts new lights on historical changes in the artistic representation of human beings and, because representations cannot be entirely disentangled from perception, on historical changes in the ways human beings have perceived theselves. |
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Page 37
... feelings of others . One does not have full and infallible access even to all parts of one's own mind . One can be mistaken or puzzled about one's own motives , feelings , or capacities . One can deceive oneself . The fal- libility of ...
... feelings of others . One does not have full and infallible access even to all parts of one's own mind . One can be mistaken or puzzled about one's own motives , feelings , or capacities . One can deceive oneself . The fal- libility of ...
Page 39
... feelings . His attempt to penetrate her " privat'st thoughts " is also an arrogation of divine authority because " The Lord onely hath preserved this as a prerogative royall to himselfe , exactly to know the depth of our hearts . " Au ...
... feelings . His attempt to penetrate her " privat'st thoughts " is also an arrogation of divine authority because " The Lord onely hath preserved this as a prerogative royall to himselfe , exactly to know the depth of our hearts . " Au ...
Page 40
... feelings , beliefs , and motives on the basis of her outward behavior . By giving us direct access to a character's mind , an au- thor gives us a godlike power in regard to the character that we might yearn for but could never possess ...
... feelings , beliefs , and motives on the basis of her outward behavior . By giving us direct access to a character's mind , an au- thor gives us a godlike power in regard to the character that we might yearn for but could never possess ...
Page 41
... feelings that courses through you , most of them hardly drawing your attention . The multiplicity and density of detail is far greater than even the richest collection of verbalized thoughts or conversations with yourself that may have ...
... feelings that courses through you , most of them hardly drawing your attention . The multiplicity and density of detail is far greater than even the richest collection of verbalized thoughts or conversations with yourself that may have ...
Page 45
... feelings . The mere fact that a character speaks to himself or herself was an important element in his or her characterization . The character shows daring , foolishness , duplicity , alienation , or some other permanent trait or ...
... feelings . The mere fact that a character speaks to himself or herself was an important element in his or her characterization . The character shows daring , foolishness , duplicity , alienation , or some other permanent trait or ...
Contents
9 | |
13 | |
35 | |
From Antiquity to the Middle of the Sixteenth Century | 62 |
The Late Sixteenth Century and Early Seventeenth Century | 84 |
Shakespeares Soliloquies The Representation of Speech | 119 |
SHOW ME THY THOUGHT | 174 |
Shakespeares Soliloquies Audience Address and SelfAddress | 199 |
7 To be or not to be | 231 |
From the Late Seventeenth Century to the Twentieth Century | 278 |
Shakespeares Soliloquies Transformed | 325 |
10 The Celebrated Soliloquy | 370 |
CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION | 435 |
Works Cited | 454 |
Index | 466 |
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Common terms and phrases
acters action actor addressed speech addressed to playgoers addresses playgoers apostrophe audience address Betterton boy actor chapter char character's characters onstage Claudius clearly Colley Cibber conventions governing soliloquies Davenant Davenant's demonstrates direct access dominant convention dramatic context dramatists earlier eavesdropping eavesdropping episodes enemy evidence explicit explicitly expresses father feigned soliloquy genuine soliloquy gives voice guarded in asides Hamlet heard hearing human Iago imagine incongruities innermost thoughts interior monologue kinds of soliloquies King King Lear late seventeenth century later liloquies Love's Labor's Lost Macbeth Menaechmus mind offstage Ophelia oquies Othello outward behavior overheard soliloquies passage performed playgoers Polonius post-Renaissance present pretends quies Renaissance Renaissance drama Renaissance playgoers representation Richard Romeo says scene self-addressed speech Shake Shakespeare's plays Shakespeare's soliloquies Shakespeare's theater situation solilo soliloquies and asides soliloquies in Shakespeare's soliloquies represented speech soliloquy guarded speaker speare's theatrical Thomas Betterton thou tion University Press unspoken thoughts words spoken
Popular passages
Page 226 - O, that this too, too solid flesh would melt, Thaw, and resolve itself into a dew ! " Or that the Everlasting had not fix'd His canon 'gainst self-slaughter...
Page 55 - So saying, her rash hand in evil hour Forth reaching to the Fruit, she pluck'd, she eat: Earth felt the wound, and Nature from her seat Sighing through all her Works gave signs of woe, That all was lost.
Page 236 - I have heard of your paintings too, well enough ; God hath given you one face and you make yourselves another: you jig, you amble, and you lisp, and nick-name God's creatures, and make your wantonness your ignorance.
Page 166 - Our remedies oft in ourselves do lie, Which we ascribe to heaven : the fated sky Gives us free scope; only, doth backward pull Our slow designs, when we ourselves are dull.
Page 47 - God, and this stone, which I have set up for a pillar, shall be God's house : and of all that thou shalt give me I will surely give the tenth unto thee.
Page 121 - Prompted to my revenge by heaven and hell, Must, like a whore, unpack my heart with words, And fall a-cursing, like a very drab, A scullion!
Page 195 - Achilles' image stood his spear Griped in an armed hand ; himself behind Was left unseen, save to the eye of mind : A hand, a foot, a face, a leg, a head, Stood for the whole to be imagined.
Page 42 - I thought well as well him as another and then I asked him with my eyes to ask again yes and then he asked me would I say yes to say yes my mountain flower and first I put my arms around him yes and drew him down to me so he could feel my breasts all perfume yes and his heart was going like mad and yes I said yes I will Yes.
Page 182 - I am thane of Cawdor : If good, why do I yield to that suggestion Whose horrid image doth unfix my hair, And make my seated heart knock at my ribs, • Against the use of nature...