Tolkien and Shakespeare
Essays on Shared Themes and Language
Published on 5. April 2007
Book
Paperback/Softback
336 pages
978-0-7864-2827-4 (ISBN)
Description
Tolkien and Shakespeare: one a prolific popular dramatist and poet of the Elizabethan era, the other a twentieth-century scholar of Old English and author of a considerably smaller body of work. Though unquestionably very different writers, the two have more in common than one might expect.
These essays focus on the broad themes and motifs which concerned both authors. They seek to uncover Shakespeare's influence on Tolkien through echoes of the playwright's themes and even word choices, discovering how Tolkien used, revised, updated, "corrected," and otherwise held an ongoing dialogue with Shakespeare's works.
The depiction of Elves and the world of Faerie, and how humans interact with them, are some of the most obvious points of comparison and difference for the two writers. Both Tolkien and Shakespeare deeply explored the uses and abuses of power with princes, politics, war, and the lessons of history. Magic and prophecy were also of great concern to both authors, and the works of both are full of encounters with the Other: masks and disguises, mirrors that hide and reveal, or seeing stones that show only part of the truth.
These essays focus on the broad themes and motifs which concerned both authors. They seek to uncover Shakespeare's influence on Tolkien through echoes of the playwright's themes and even word choices, discovering how Tolkien used, revised, updated, "corrected," and otherwise held an ongoing dialogue with Shakespeare's works.
The depiction of Elves and the world of Faerie, and how humans interact with them, are some of the most obvious points of comparison and difference for the two writers. Both Tolkien and Shakespeare deeply explored the uses and abuses of power with princes, politics, war, and the lessons of history. Magic and prophecy were also of great concern to both authors, and the works of both are full of encounters with the Other: masks and disguises, mirrors that hide and reveal, or seeing stones that show only part of the truth.
Reviews / Votes
"some worthwhile contributions here"-Library Journal; "recommend[ed]"-Mythlore; "this collection is well worth the time of scholars of Tolkien and Shakespeare alike. Both sides will find insights into their own author...Croft has done an admirable job of assembling a strong collection of essays that should persuade many to rethink basic assumptions about Tolkien's relationship to Shakespeare"-Journal of the Fantastic in the Arts; "of interest to children's literature scholars"-Children's Literature Association Quarterly; "I enjoyed-and found my thinking stimulated by-this book...will look forward to new work from its authors, including its editor"-Tolkien Studies; "scholars of English literature explore how the Elizabethan playwright and poet influenced the 20th-century scholar of Old English and writer of fantasy in terms of themes, motifs and word choices"-Reference & Research Book News.More details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
Jefferson, NC
United States
Target group
Professional and scholarly
Interest Age: From 18 years
Product notice
Paperback (trade)
Illustrations
notes, references, index
Dimensions
Height: 229 mm
Width: 152 mm
Thickness: 20 mm
Weight
547 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-7864-2827-4 (9780786428274)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Persons
Janet Brennan Croft is liaison to the school of communication and information and librarian for disability services and copyright at Rutgers University Libraries in North Brunswick, New Jersey. She has written on the Peter Jackson films, J.K. Rowling, Terry Pratchett, Lois McMaster Bujold, and other authors, and is editor or co-editor of five collections of literary essays and edits the refereed scholarly journal Mythlore.
Content
Table of Contents
Introduction: Tolkien and Shakespeare: Influences, Echoes, Revisions
FAERIE
Clashing Mythologies: The Elves of Shakespeare and Tolkien
"How Now, Spirit! Whither Wander You?" Diminution: The Shakespearean Misconception and the Tolkienian Ideal of Faerie
Just a Little Bit Fey: What's at the Bottom of The Lord of the Rings and A Midsummer Night's Dream?
"Perilously Fair": Titania, Galadriel, and the Fairy Queen of Medieval Romance
POWER
"We Few, We Happy Few": War and Glory in Henry V and The Lord of the Rings
The Person of a Prince: Echoes of Hamlet in J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings
How "All That Glisters Is Not Gold" Became "All That Is Gold Does Not Glitter": Aragorn's Debt to Shakespeare
"The Shadow of Succession": Shakespeare, Tolkien, and the Conception of History
"The Rack of This Tough World": The Influence of King Lear on Lord of the Rings
Shakespearean Catharsis in the Fiction of J.R.R. Tolkien
MAGIC
Prospero's Books, Gandalf's Staff: The Ethics of Magic in Shakespeare and Tolkien
Merlin, Prospero, Saruman and Gandalf: Corrosive Uses of Power in Shakespeare and Tolkien
"Bid the Tree Unfix His Earthbound Root": Motifs from Macbeth in J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings
THE OTHER
Hidden in Plain View: Strategizing Unconventionality in Shakespeare's and Tolkien's Portraits of Women
Something Is Stirring in the East: Racial Identity, Confronting the "Other," and Miscegenation in Othello and The Lord of the Rings
Self-Cursed, Night-fearers, and Usurpers: Tolkien's Atani and Shakespeare's Men
Gollum and Caliban: Evolution and Design
Of Two Minds: Gollum and Othello
About the Contributors
Index
Introduction: Tolkien and Shakespeare: Influences, Echoes, Revisions
FAERIE
Clashing Mythologies: The Elves of Shakespeare and Tolkien
"How Now, Spirit! Whither Wander You?" Diminution: The Shakespearean Misconception and the Tolkienian Ideal of Faerie
Just a Little Bit Fey: What's at the Bottom of The Lord of the Rings and A Midsummer Night's Dream?
"Perilously Fair": Titania, Galadriel, and the Fairy Queen of Medieval Romance
POWER
"We Few, We Happy Few": War and Glory in Henry V and The Lord of the Rings
The Person of a Prince: Echoes of Hamlet in J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings
How "All That Glisters Is Not Gold" Became "All That Is Gold Does Not Glitter": Aragorn's Debt to Shakespeare
"The Shadow of Succession": Shakespeare, Tolkien, and the Conception of History
"The Rack of This Tough World": The Influence of King Lear on Lord of the Rings
Shakespearean Catharsis in the Fiction of J.R.R. Tolkien
MAGIC
Prospero's Books, Gandalf's Staff: The Ethics of Magic in Shakespeare and Tolkien
Merlin, Prospero, Saruman and Gandalf: Corrosive Uses of Power in Shakespeare and Tolkien
"Bid the Tree Unfix His Earthbound Root": Motifs from Macbeth in J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings
THE OTHER
Hidden in Plain View: Strategizing Unconventionality in Shakespeare's and Tolkien's Portraits of Women
Something Is Stirring in the East: Racial Identity, Confronting the "Other," and Miscegenation in Othello and The Lord of the Rings
Self-Cursed, Night-fearers, and Usurpers: Tolkien's Atani and Shakespeare's Men
Gollum and Caliban: Evolution and Design
Of Two Minds: Gollum and Othello
About the Contributors
Index