1st Edition

Shakespeare and Commedia dell'Arte Play by Play

By Artemis Preeshl Copyright 2017
    320 Pages
    by Routledge

    320 Pages
    by Routledge

    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.

    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

    Biography

    Artemis Preeshl is a Fulbright Senior Specialist in Theatre and professional director, actor, dialect coach, and choreographer who has worked at Tulane University, Loyola University New Orleans, Utah State University, the Faculty of Creative and Artistic Technology at Universiti Teknologi MARA in Malaysia, and Kalakshetra Foundation and the University of Madras in India.

    "Shakespeare and Commedia dell’Arte is a valuable reference source for scholars wishing to examine the history of Commedia dell’Arte and its influences on Elizabethan theatre, directors interested in how Shakespeare’s characters align with the Italian stock characters, and actors who want insight into the practical application of the style in performance. ... This book provides ample inspiration for considering how one could imbue scripts of all genres with the sixteenth-century stock character masks, or use the archetypes for the physical exploration of character behavior." -- Krista Scott, Texas Christian University