138,701 entries in:
Writing as Shakespeare, reflects posthumously on contemporary and current events, famous writers' commentary on his life, aspects of Hamlet, Measure for Measure, As You Like It, Comedy of Errors, Macbeth, King Lear, death, and the authorship question.
Examines the "doubting subject" in the Gita and Hamlet. Concludes that "the texts generate almost a Cartesian moment when the protagonists replace the medium of faith with that of doubt in order to understand the meaning of the world and their relationship with it." Further asserts that "Hamlet, primarily a metaphysical exploration, becomes deeply religious by this revelation of subjectivity."
Reconsiders Macbeth as murderer by taking a psychoanalytical approach towards his "confusion." Traces Macbeth's downslide from "once noble general" to "paranoid tyrantbutcher," deeming it punishment for his ignoble act. Concludes that when "Macbeth doth murder sleep," he defiles his honor by killing the king's physical body in its most vulnerable state, even if the king's actions warranted it.
Recasts Shakespeare as "actor-entrepreneur"; points out the "opportunistic genius" of playwrights who monitored and manipulated sources available to them to present plays that reflected popular literary genre.
Emphasizes role of food and drink in humoral medicine in order to portray Gertrude as a drunken, and therefore lecherous, woman. Illustrates the fatal gluttony of Hamlet's court through an examination of Gertrude's overindulgence; suggests that "the lust and gluttony that Hamlet attributes to his mother ultimately constitute a metaphor for the drunkenness that characterizes the Danish court as a whole."
Examines Shakespeare's use phrase "the which" as opposed to "which," paying "particular attention not only to grammatical functions, but also to extralinguistic factors such as genre, date of composition, medium (verse/prose), and sociolinguistic backgrounds of the fictional characters (gender, social class, and age)." Ultimately finds little correlation between use of "the which" and genre or sociolinguistic factors, but does prove a connection between the phrase and the date of composition and medium. English summary, 153.
Contends that Peter Greenaway's Prospero's Books (q.v.) "rewrites and rereads" Tempest by "build[ing] and simultaneously unravel[ing] a metaphorical palimpsest, consisting of texts and images superimposed." Argues that "this visual manuscript problematizes the physical presence of books and this play on screen, without overlooking ideological implications stemming from Elizabethan drama: the authorship of literature, the property of knowledge, and historical circumstances." English and Spanish summaries, 57.
Discusses Jay Hunter's cinematographic decisions in adapting Much Ado about Nothing for director Joss Whedon (q.v.).
Offers a stylistic reading of Coriolanus based on patterns of linguistic modality in dramatic dialogue, with special reference to forms of futurity, obligation and intent. Considers the "language of futurity" (will and shall modals) in Coriolanus and Macbeth. English summary, 277.
Drawing on Ernst Kantorowicz's King's Two Bodies, "demonstrate[s] the anomalous and imperfect character of the 'demise' which takes place in King Lear , as opposed to the one depicted in Richard II." Suggests that Lear becomes a "'shadow' after the division of the kingdom." English summary, 309.