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Reimagining Shakespeare’s <italic>The Tempest</italic> in its afterlife: a study of cuts, revisions, and potential sources.
- Source :
-
Textual Practice . Jul2024, p1-27. 27p. - Publication Year :
- 2024
-
Abstract
- In this paper, I discuss the influence of commedia dell'arte on <italic>The Tempest</italic> and consider the possibility of a late truncation of the play. This foundation sets the stage for the task of writing my own twenty-first century adaptation, <italic>This Thing of Darkness</italic>. By examining Kathleen Lea's discussion of commedia scenarios and considering their parallels with <italic>The Tempest</italic>, I postulate several possible missing elements including the unfinished revenge plots and the uncomplicated romance plot of Miranda and Frederick. I consider Henry David Gray's hypothesis that Shakespeare cut his own climax in favour of a wedding masque to appease the court of King James I, which adds another layer of complexity to our understanding of <italic>The Tempest</italic>'s evolution. In considering the ethics of adaptation, I draw on Walter Benjamin's model of the textual <italic>afterlife</italic> which suggests that every text has the potential to be reinterpreted and reworked by future generations. I then situate <italic>This Thing of Darkness</italic> as a pre-imagination of <italic>The Tempest</italic> that addresses these criticisms dramaturgically. Through engaging with these potential source materials, <italic>This Thing of Darkness</italic> opens new avenues for understanding both the First Folio <italic>Tempest</italic> and its many afterlives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Subjects :
- *TWENTY-first century
*AFTERLIFE
*CRITICISM
*AXIOMS
*POSSIBILITY
*PERFORMING arts
Subjects
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 0950236X
- Database :
- Academic Search Index
- Journal :
- Textual Practice
- Publication Type :
- Academic Journal
- Accession number :
- 178710814
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.1080/0950236x.2024.2380266