The Cambridge Introduction to Shakespeare's Comedies (Cambridge Introductions to Literature)

165 Pages·2008·0.82 MB·English

by  Penny Gay

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TheCambridgeIntroductionto
Shakespeare’s Comedies
WhydidtheatreaudienceslaughinShakespeare’sdayandwhydothey
stilllaughnow?WhatdidShakespearedowiththeconventionsof
comedythatheinherited,sothathisplayscontinuetoamuseandmove
audiences?Whatdohiscomedieshavetosayaboutlove,sex,gender,
power,family,community,andclass?Whatplacehavepain,cruelty,and
evendeathinacomedy?Whyallthosepuns?Inasurveythattravels
fromShakespeare’searliestexperimentsinfarceandcourtlylove-stories
tothegreatromanticcomediesofhismiddleyearsandthe
mould-breakingexperimentsofhislastdecade’swork,thisbook
addressesthesevitalquestions.Organisedthematically,andcoveringall
Shakespeare’scomediesfromthebeginningtotheendofhiscareer,it
providesreaderswithamapoftheplaywright’scomicstyles,showing
howhebuiltoncomedicconventionsashefurtherenrichedthe
possibilitiesofthegenre.
penny gay isProfessorofEnglishandDramaattheUniversityof
Sydney.

Cambridge Introductions to Literature
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Idealforstudents,teachers,andlecturers
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Keysuggestionsforfurtherreading
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The Cambridge Introduction to
Shakespeare’s Comedies
PENNY GAY
CAMBRIDGEUNIVERSITYPRESS
Cambridge, New York, Melbourne, Madrid, Cape Town, Singapore, São Paulo
Cambridge University Press
The Edinburgh Building, Cambridge CB28RU, UK
Published in the United States of America by Cambridge University Press, New York
www.cambridge.org
Information on this title: www.cambridge.org/9780521856683
© Penny Gay 2008
This publication is in copyright. Subject to statutory exception and to the provision of
relevant collective licensing agreements, no reproduction of any part may take place
without the written permission of Cambridge University Press.
First published in print format 2008
ISBN-13 978-0-511-39347-1 eBook (EBL)
ISBN-13 978-0-521-85668-3 hardback
ISBN-13 978-0-521-67269-6 paperback
Cambridge University Press has no responsibility for the persistence or accuracy of urls
for external or third-party internet websites referred to in this publication, and does not
guarantee that any content on such websites is, or will remain, accurate or appropriate.
Contents
Preface page ix
1 Introduction:comedyasideaandpractice 1
2 Farce:TheComedyofErrors,TheTamingofthe
Shrew,TheMerryWivesofWindsor 16
3 Courtlyloversandtherealworld:TwoGentlemen
ofVerona,AMidsummerNight’sDream,The
MerchantofVenice 35
4 Comedyandlanguage:Love’sLabour’sLost 58
5 Romanticcomedy:MuchAdoAboutNothing,As
YouLikeIt,TwelfthNight 71
6 Problematicplotsandendings:clowningand
comedypost-Hamlet:MeasureforMeasure,All’s
WellThatEndsWell,TheWinter’sTale,Cymbeline,
TheTempest 103
7 TheafterlivesofShakespeare’scomedies 124
Conclusion 138
Furtherreading 141
Notes 143
Index 151
vii