"Hamlet"
Anthony B. Dawson(Author)
Manchester University Press
Published on 7. September 1995
Book
Hardback
272 pages
978-0-7190-3933-1 (ISBN)
Description
This analysis of the performance history of "Hamlet" recreates more than a dozen productions from three centuries. It is intended both for students of Shakespearean theatre and for playgoers. Bringing together theatre history and the interests of cultural criticism and performance theory, Dawson traces the Anglo-American acting tradition and provides an account of the interpretative problems associated with texts, character, design, and the production of meaning. He offers an ongoing commentary on the cultural roles of various actors who have brought Shakespeare's most fully individualized characters to life, showing how the performances of such actors as Garrick, Irving and Olivier have mirrored changing notions of selfhood. The final chapters extend the analysis to a number of film versions, notably those of Olivier, Kozinstev and Zeffirelli, as well as to several important European stage productions.
More details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
Manchester
United Kingdom
Target group
College/higher education
Illustrations
12 illustrations, notes, bibliography, index
Dimensions
Height: 216 mm
Width: 138 mm
ISBN-13
978-0-7190-3933-1 (9780719039331)
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Schweitzer Classification
Content
Performing "Hamlet"s meanings; "Hamlet" on stage 1600-1900; the 1920s - old ways meet the new stagecraft; Gielgud and Olivier in the '30s; post-war "Hamlet"s at Stratford-upon-Avon - 1948-1964; Royal Shakespeare and Royal Court in 1980; "Hamlet" at the movies - Olivier and Kozintsev; through the looking glass - Zeffirelli and the BBC; translations.