Shakespeare: The Tragedies [Hardcover]

John Russell Brown (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0333589564 | ISBN-13: 978-0333589564 | Publication Date: April 14, 2001

This comprehensive and well-informed study is also a work of detection and reappraisal. Each tragedy is considered both as a text and as a play to experience in performance. Shakespeare's engagement with this form of drama is followed step-by-step until its concluding years of intense activity. No theory of tragedy emerges, but rather an increasing ability to maintain and communicate a clear-eyed perception of a changing and often violent society in which action is stronger than words or conscious intention.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Brown (research consultant, Middlesex Univ.; Discovering Shakespeare) presents a multifaceted appraisal of Shakespeare's ten tragedies plus the historical tragedies Richard II and III. He presents summaries of the plays, interpretations based on performance and staging, discussions of the accuracy of the source texts, textual interpretations, discussions of the major themes and subplots treated in the plays, and evaluations of how each play is related to Shakespeare's development as a playwright. Two chapters each are devoted to Hamlet and King Lear and three pages to Timon of Athens. The result is a comprehensive introduction to the complexities of Shakespeare's work; few authors attempt to cover so much in one volume. Readers wanting more information on a topic should refer to book-length treatments of the individual topics, such as Marvin Rosenberg's "Masks of " series (Univ. of Delaware), which provides critical interpretations of plays in performance. Recommended for academic libraries. Shana C. Fair, Ohio Univ., Zanesville
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

A comprehensive introduction to the complexities of Shakespeare's work; few authors attempt ti civer so much in a single volume. Library Journal

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 380 pages
• Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan (April 14, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0333589564
• ISBN-13: 978-0333589564
• Product Dimensions: 8.7 x 5.8 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,876,571 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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