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Medieval Shakespeare
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Medieval Shakespeare
Kisha G. Tracy
Associate Professor, English Studies
Fitchburg State University
ktracy3@fitchburgstate.edu
"Medieval London in the Age of Shakespeare"
Chaucer & Shakespeare's London
Claes Visscher, Old London Bridge in 1616
Theatre of memory
Medieval Drama
Question: why might early Christians be skeptical of drama/plays?
Medieval Drama
Types of Medieval Drama
- Morality Plays
- Mystery Plays
- Saints Lives
Types
Cycles
- York Mystery Plays
- Chester Mystery Plays
- Wakefield Mystery Plays
- N-Town Plays
Cycles
Logistics
- Guilds (development of cities/merchant classes)
- Plays representing their professions
- Local actors
- Festivals - pageant wagons
Logistics
Characteristics
- Inclusive
- Did not separate comedy and tragedy
- Not confined to real time/space
- Performance of violence
Characteristics
Historic Sources
Macbeth
Who was the historical Macbeth?
Macbeth
c. 1005-1057
Mormaer of Moray
Troops killed Duncan I, 1040
Succeeded, King of Alba (17 years)
Killed, Battle of Lumphanan, 1057
Stepson Lulach killed by Malcolm III
Sources:
Anglo-Saxon Chronicle (Old English)
The Prophecy of Berchán (Middle Irish)
Annals of Tigernach (Latin, Old/Middle Irish)
Marianus Scotus, Cronica Clara (Latin)
Annals of Ulster (Irish, Latin)
Holinshed
Holinshed's Chronicles of England, Scotland, and Ireland
First edition: 1577; second: 1587
"Universal Cosmography of the whole world, and therewith also certain particular histories of every known nation" - later just the British Isles
Raphael Holinshed, et al
Scottish section: essentially a translation of Hector Boece, Historia Gentis Scotorum, 1527
Lear
Who was the historical Lear?
Legendary king
Lear
Source:
Geoffrey of Monmouth, Historia regum Britanniae, 1136 (Latin)
- Line of Brutus (Troy)
- Eponymous founder of Leicester
- Goneril, Regan, and Cordelia
- Story of his debasement
- Return
Richard III
Who was the historical Richard?
Shakespeare's Source:
Thomas More, History of King Richard III, c. 1513
Richard III
Literary
Sources
Literary Sources
Hamlet
Shakespeare's Source:
Saxo Grammaticus, Gesta Danorum, 13th cent (Latin)
"Life of Amleth"
- Brothers: Orvendil and Fengi
- Orvendil marries King's daughter, Geruth
- Child: Amleth
- Fengi murders Orvendil
- Fengi marries Geruth
- Amleth pretends madness
- Amleth kills a hidden spy
- Amleth allows two retainers to be killed in his stead
- Amleth revenges his father and becomes king