BD-Basiliensis

tales from Shakespeare

série:	Littérature anglaise (Shakespeare)
éditeur:	Ernest Nister
auteur:	Lamb Mary
classement:	biblio3D
année:	1905
format:	cartonné
état:	TBE
valeur:	50 €
critère:	**
remarques:	English book Tales from Shakespeare, illustrated by W. Paget an introduction of Shakespeare's plays to young people (comedies, histories and tragedies) the book contains 20 plays with 70 magnificent illustrations about: - the tempest - a midsummer night's dream - winter tales - much ado about nothing - as you like it - the two gentlemen of Verona - the merchant of Venice - Cymbeline - King Lear - Macbeth - all's well that ends well - the taming of the shrew - the comedy of errors - measure for measure - twelfth night; or, what you will - Timon of Athens - Romeo and Juliet - Hamlet, prince of Denmark - Othello - Pericles, prince of Tyre following further plays of Shakespeare are not mentioned in the book: a) comedy - the merry wives of Windsor, love's labour's lost, the two noble kinsmen b) history - king John, Richard II, Henry IV, V and VI, Richard III, Henry VIII and Edward III c) tragedy - Troilus and Cressida, Coriolanus, Titus Andronicus, Julius Caesar, Antony and Cleopatra 1/ the tempest (comedy) - the Tempest is a comedy written in 1610–1611, and thought to be one of the last plays that Shakespeare wrote alone, - after the first scene, which takes place on a ship at sea during a tempest, the rest of the story is set on a remote island where the sorcerer Prospero, a complex and contradictory character, lives with his daughter Miranda, - Miranda will find his love affair with Ferdinand, son of the king of Naples who was marooned on the island, - the play contains music and songs that evoke the spirit of enchantment on the island, it explores many themes, including magic, betrayal, revenge, and family contributing spectacle, allegory, and elevated language 2/ a midsummer night's dream (comedy) - this comedy was written in 1595/96, it consists of multiple subplots that revolve around the antique greek law entitling a father to put his daughter to death if she would not obey to marry the pretendant proposed by the father, - a conflict between four Athenian lovers (Hermia, Lysander, Demetrius and Helena), it is one of the most popular plays of Shakespeare although it is a bit a confusion between lovers evolving in a midsummer night's dream and also a confused play by Shakespeare 3/ the winter's tale (comedy) - the struggle between Leontes, king of Sicily and Polixenes king of Bohemia involving Hermione, queen of Sicily, her son Mamillius and her daughter Perdita; - an affair of jealously, - some critics consider it to be one of Shakespeare's problem plays because the first three acts are filled with intense psychological drama, while the last two acts are comedic and supply a happy ending 4/ much ado about nothing (comedy) - two enemies (Benedick and Beatrice) converted into new and loving friends at the court of Leonato, governor of Messina and two loving friends converted to new and severe enemies (Claudia and Hero) by the mad man Don John, - everything is tricked into a belief of love - by means of "noting" (which, in Shakespeare's day, sounded similar to "nothing" as in the play's title and which means gossip, rumour, and overhearing), - Benedick and Beatrice are tricked into confessing their love for each other and Claudio is tricked into rejecting Hero at the altar in the erroneous belief that she has been unfaithful, - at the end, Benedick and Beatrice join forces to set things right and the others join in a dance celebrating the marriages of the two couples 5/ as you like it (pastoral comedy) - a matter of family between Celia, daughter of the usurper king Frederick and Rosalind, daughter of a banished king in the great French forest of Arden - the love affair between Rosalind and Orlando, a young noble man having become a wrestler - all actors seemed however to like this new way of life - the play follows its heroine Rosalind as she flees persecution in her uncle's court, accompanied by her cousin Celia to find safety and, eventually, love, in the forest of Arden, in the forest, they encounter a variety of memorable characters notably the melancholy Orlando who provides a sharp contrast to the other characters in the play, always observing and disputing the hardships of life in the country 6/ the two gentlemen of Verona (comedy) - a tale of friendship between two gentlemen: Valentine and Protheus who is in love with Julia, soon Valentine fell in love with Silvia whose love is disputed by Thurio - rivality broke out between the two friends, Protheus developing into a false friend but finally they will reconcile - it is considered by some to be Shakespeare's first play and is often seen as showing his first tentative steps in laying out some of the themes and motifs with which he would later deal in more detail, for example, it is the first of his plays in which a heroine dresses as a boy, the play deals with the themes of friendship and infidelity, the conflict between friendship and love and the foolish behaviour of people in love 7/ the merchant of Venice (dramatic comedy) - the great enmity between the Jew Shylock, an usurer and Antonio, the noble merchant of Venice and the bond for lending money to Antonio with no interest but in case of non-payment to take a pound of flesh from Antonio's body (however without any drop of blood, that was the trick of the action) >> a cur = a worthless dog - comedy in which a merchant in Venice named Antonio defaults on a large loan provided by a Jewish moneylender, Shylock; main characters: - Antonio, a prominent merchant of Venice in a melancholic mood. - Bassanio, Antonio's close friend, suitor to Portia - Gratiano, friend of Antonio and Bassanio - Lorenzo, friend of Antonio and Bassanio - Portia, a rich heiress, later the wife of Bassanio - Shylock, a miserly Jew, moneylender - Jessica, daughter of Shylock, later the wife of Lorenzo - the play ranks among the best plays of Shakespeare and is also concerned by some antisemitism's debate 8/ Cymbeline (tragedy) - like Othello and the winter's Tale, it deals with the themes of innocence and jealousy - Cymbeline, king of Britain during the Augustus reign with his daughter Imogen, married with the banished noble man Posthumus whose friend made the bet of being loved by Imogen - the whole play reveals an affair of treachery, misleading and finally of forgiveness note: a little similarity with snow white 9/ King Lear (tragedy) - derived from the legend of Leir of Britain, it tells the tale of a mythological pre-Roman Celticking who bequeaths his power and land to two of his three daughters, after they declare their love for him in an extremely fawning and obsequious manner, his third daughter gets nothing, because she will not flatter him as her sisters had done, when he feels he has been treated with disrespect by the two daughters who now have his wealth and power, he becomes furious to the point of madness, he eventually becomes tenderly reconciled to his third daughter, just before tragedy strikes her and then the king >> p. 144 it is an awful truth that innocence and piety are not always successful in this world 10/ Macbeth (tragedy) - a brave Scottish general named Macbeth receives a prophecy from a trio of witches that one day he will become King of Scotland, consumed by ambition and spurred to action by his wife, Macbeth murders King Duncan and takes the Scottish throne for himself, he is then wracked with guilt and paranoia, forced to commit more and more murders to protect himself from enmity and suspicion, he soon becomes a tyrannical ruler, the bloodbath and consequent civil war swiftly take Macbeth and Lady Macbeth into the realms of madness and death finally Macbeth finds his death in a battle with general Macduff >> p. 155 the ingredients of the three witches to summon the infernal spirits contain among others: the liver of a Jew and the finger of a dead child note: whereas the plays mentioned above have all an Italian scenery, king Lear and Macbeth take place in Britain 11/ all's well that ends well (comedy) - the play is considered one of Shakespeare's "problem plays"; a play that poses complex ethical dilemmas that require more than typically simple solutions, note: it is also a kind of medical play (Helena to cure the king of France with a special medecine) - Helena, the low-born ward of a French-Spanish countess, is in love with the countess's son Bertram, who is indifferent to her, Bertram goes to Paris to replace his late father as attendant to the ailing King of France, Helena, the daughter of a recently deceased physician, follows Bertram, ostensibly to offer the King her services as a healer, the King is sceptical and she guarantees the cure with her life: if he dies, she will be put to death, but if he lives, she may choose a husband from the court 12/ the taming of the shrew (comedy) - the main plot depicts the courtship of Petruchio and Katherina, the headstrong, obdurate shrew, initially, Katherina is an unwilling participant in the relationship, however, Petruchio "tames" her with various psychological torments such as keeping her from eating and drinking, until she becomes a desirable, compliant, and obedient bride, the subplot features a competition between the suitors of Katherina's younger sister, Bianca who is seen as the "ideal" woman, the question of whether the play is misogynistic has become the subject of considerable controversy, particularly among modern scholars, audiences, and readers >> p. 175 Katherine the Shrew was the eldest daughter of Baptista, a rich gentleman of Padua >> p. 176 Petruchio (who was ready to marry the Shrew against a good dowry wedding) was settling with himself the mode of courtship he should pursue, mostly noticed in the appropriate eloquence used by Petruchio to tame the Shrew and Baptista did not want to marry his youngest daughter unless the Shrew is being married >> p. 184 the wives' competition in which the Shrew took an important part and proved she was really tamed 13/ the comedy of errors (comedy) - it is Shakespeare's shortest and one of his most farcical comedies, with a major part of the humour coming from slapstick and mistaken identity - set in the Greek city of Ephesus (and of Syracuse), the play tells the story of two sets of identical twins who were accidentally separated at birth arrive in Ephesus, which turns out to be the home of their twin brothers, Antipholus of Ephesus and his servant, Dromio of Ephesus, when the Syracusans encounter the friends and families of their twins, a series of wild mishaps based on mistaken identities lead to wrongful beatings, a near-seduction, the arrest of Antipholus of Ephesus and false accusations of infidelity, theft, madness, and demonic possession >> p. 191 a real confusion of persons is the main theme of this play 14/ measure for measure (comedy) - the play's main themes include justice, "morality and mercy in Vienna", and the dichotomy (opposition) between corruption and purity: "some rise by sin, and some by virtue fall" - mercy and virtue prevail, as the play does not end tragically, with virtues such as compassion and forgiveness being exercised at the end of the production, while the play focuses on justice overall, the final scene illustrates that Shakespeare intended for moral justice to temper strict civil justice: a number of the characters receive understanding and leniency, instead of the harsh punishment to which they, according to the law, could have been sentenced - to note: the sentence to death made by the strict application of the law, it is severe but it is the law - to preserve a life for a sister's shame but the excellent exemple of the virtuous Isabel prevailed 15/ twelfth night; or what you will (comedy) - the play centres on the twins Viola and Sebastian who are separated in a shipwreck, Viola (who is disguised as Cesario) falls in love with Duke Orsino who in turn is in love with Countess Olivia, upon meeting Viola, Countess Olivia falls in love with her thinking she is a man - the scene takes place in Illyria, an ancient region of the Western Balkans and again a story with twins (Sebastian and Viola) 16/ Timon of Athens (tragedy) - it is about the fortunes of an Athenian named Timon, the central character is a beloved citizen of Athens who through tremendous generosity spends his entire fortune on corrupt hangers-on only interested in getting the next payout - a play about flattery >> p. 240 now was Timon as much avoided in his poverty as he had been courted and resorted to in his riches - note (by Shakespeare or by Paget?): the Athenians were ever noted to be a thankless and ungrateful people, giving disgust to their generals and best friends 17/ Romeo and Juliet (tragedy) - Shakespeare's use of his poetic dramatic structure (especially effects such as switching between comedy and tragedy to heighten tension, his expansion of minor characters and his use of sub-plots to embellish the story) has been praised as an early sign of his dramatic skill - the play takes place in Verona with the two chiefs families of the rich Capulets and Montagues who had developed an old quarrel between these families, nevertheless Romeo of the Montagues and Juliet of the Capulets have both fallen in love despite their family's enmities - Juliet who had secretly married Romeo must by her family's orders marry the French count Paris - to avoid this Juliet takes a sleeping phial and Romeo believing she is dead will kill Paris in a duel and takes himself a mortal drug - awakening and seing his beloved Romeo dead, Juliet takes her life by stabbing herself >> in a sense an affair of great love, misunderstanding, poison, great love and fate that ends with the death of the two lovers 18/ Hamlet, prince of Denmark (tragedy) - the Tragedy of Hamlet, prince of Denmark, is a tragedy written by Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601, it is Shakespeare's longest play with 30,557 words - set in Denmark, the play depicts Prince Hamlet and his revenge against his uncle, Claudius who has murdered Hamlet's father in order to seize his throne and marry Hamlet's mother - Hamlet is considered among the most powerful and influential works of world literature, with a story capable of "seemingly endless retelling and adaptation by others the characters: - young Hamlet, son of Hamlet, king of Denmark - Claudius, murderer of his brother Hamlet - Gertrude, first wife of Hamlet, then wife of Claudius - Horatio, friend of young Hamlet - Polonius, the king's chief counsellor - Ophelia, daughter of Polonius, in love with young Hamlet - Laertes, brother of Ophelia >> probably one of the best and most populous plays written by Shakespeare murdered by his brother Clauer 19/ Othello (tragedy) called also the tragedy of Othello or the Moor of Venice - the story revolves around its two central characters: Othello, a Moorish general in the Venetian army and his treacherous ensign, Iago, given its varied and enduring themes of racism, love, jealousy, betrayal, revenge, and repentance, Othello is still often performed in professional and community theatre alike - the love of Desdemona for a black man: Othello the Moor - again a theme of yealousy provoked by the traitor Iago conducting Othello to murder his innocent wife 20/ Pericles, prince of Tyre (comedy) - Pericles is a Jacobean play written at least in part by Shakespeare and included in modern editions of his collected works despite questions over authorship - Pericles, the young Prince (ruler) of Tyre in Phoenicia (Lebanon), hears the riddle and instantly understands its meaning: Antiochus is engaged in an incestuous relationship with his daughter, if he reveals this truth, he will be killed, but if he answers incorrectly, he will also be killed, Pericles hints that he knows the answer and asks for more time to think, Antiochus grants him forty days, and then sends an assassin after him, however, Pericles has fled the city in disgust and after this, Pericles goes on exile, during his trip his wife and daughter will be considered as dead, but later on he will find again his wife and his daughter again >> another title could also have been: all's well that ends well (being also the title of another play) note: the story of Pericles in Paget's book is not complete, it contains only the second part of the play when Pericles is on exile >> quite an interesting book with many illustrations giving a survey of Shakespeare's most populous plays illustrations as shown below: - cover of the book - the tempest - a midsummer night's dream - the winter's tale - much ado about nothing - as you like it - the two gentlemen of Verona - the merchant of Venice - Cymbeline - - King Lear - Macbeth - all's well that ends well - the taming of the Shrew 2x - the comedy of errors - measure for measure - - twelfth night: or, what you will - Timon of Athens - Rome and Juliet - Hamlet 3x - Othello 2x - Pericles, prince of Tyre -
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