Reading Shakespeare's Soliloquies: Text, Theatre, Film
By (Author) Neil Corcoran
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
The Arden Shakespeare
25th January 2018
United Kingdom
Professional and Scholarly
Non Fiction
822.33
Hardback
240
Width 156mm, Height 234mm
517g
Now I am alone, says Hamlet before speaking a soliloquy. But what is a Shakespearean soliloquy How has it been understood in literary and theatrical history How does it work in screen versions of Shakespeare What influence has it had Neil Corcoran offers a thorough exploration and explanation of the origin, nature, development and reception of Shakespeare's soliloquies. Divided into four parts, the book supplies the historical, dramatic and theoretical contexts necessary to understanding, offers extensive and insightful close readings of particular soliloquies and includes interviews with eight renowned Shakespearean actors providing details of the practical performance of the soliloquy. A comprehensive study of a key aspect of Shakespeare's dramatic art, this book is ideal for students and theatre-goers keen to understand the complexities and rewards of Shakespeare's unique use of the soliloquy.
Reading Shakespeare's Soliloquies makes a consistently engaging and though-provoking contribution to this conversation ... I particularly appreciated both the assessible writing style and the emphasis on the interplay between text and performance; this is a book that I would gladly lend t the theatre majors who are skeptical that the academic study of Shakespeare has anything to say to them. * Sixteenth Century Journal *
Reduces the scale of dramatic guidework to a more portable and performable unit of studyIt is clear that Reading Shakespeares Soliloquies has great value for those teaching Shakespeare in a conservatory setting. Its wider importance, though, is in demonstrating that the soliloquys full uses and effects depend upon putting it under such exquisitely three-dimensional scrutiny. * Studies in English Literature 1500-1900 *
Amply demonstrates why Shakespeare's soliloquies deserve attention, not only as dramatic instruments within the plays themselves, but as exceptional literary phenomena, with a heritage of their own. * Times Literary Supplement *
Neil Corcoran is Emeritus Professor of English Literature at the University of Liverpool, UK.