Description
Shakespeare and Commedia dell’Arte examines the ongoing influence of commedia dell’arte on Shakespeare’s plays.
Exploring the influence of commedia dell’arte improvisation, sight gags, and wordplay on the development of Shakespeare’s plays, Artemis Preeshl blends historical research with extensive practical experience to demonstrate how these techniques might be applied when producing some of Shakespeare's best-known works today. Each chapter focuses on a specific play, from A Midsummer Night’s Dream to The Winter’s Tale, drawing out elements of commedia dell’arte style in the playscripts and in contemporary performance.
Including contemporary directors’ notes and interviews with actors and audience members alongside Elizabethan reviews, criticism, and commentary, Shakespeare and Commedia dell’Arte presents an invaluable resource for scholars and students of Renaissance theatre.
Table of Contents
Preface
Introduction
Cast of Characters
Chapter 1: Italian Influences on Shakespeare and his Contemporaries
Chapter 2: Commedia dell’Arte in Italian and English Comedies
Chapter 3: Commedia dell’arte in A Midsummer Night’s Dream
Chapter 4: Commedia dell’arte in The Comedy of Errors
Chapter 5: Commedia dell’arte in The Merchant of Venice
Chapter 6: Commedia dell’arte in The Two Gentlemen of Verona
Chapter 7: Commedia dell’arte in Twelfth Night
Chapter 8: Commedia dell’arte in The Taming of the Shrew
Chapter 9: Commedia dell’arte in All’s Well That Ends Well
Chapter 10: Commedia dell’arte in The Winter’s Tale
Chapter 11: Commedia dell’arte in Much Ado About Nothing
Chapter 12: Commedia dell’arte in Othello
Chapter 11: Commedia dell’arte in The Tempest
Conclusion
Glossary
Commedia dell’arte Warm-up and Workout
Appendix
