The History Of European Theatre

Episode 221:

Last time I took you into the world of the court masque with the help of Kristen Macdermott who, I think you will agree, painted a very detailed picture of that very particular theatrical form and the way the Stuart court embraced it. As we heard, masques were often written by playwrights and performed by actors who also wrote for and performed in the public playhouse, so it’s no surprise that a few plays feature masques. We have already encountered short masques in ‘Much Ado About Nothing’ and ‘Timon of Athens’, with the best known example from ‘The Tempest’ still to come and Shakespeare’s next offering ‘Anthony and Cleopatra’ would, you might think, have been another opportunity to include a masque featuring exotic characters to add to the glamorous setting. In fact, Shakespeare chose not to include a masque specifically, but we can see that he uses the attributes of the masque throughout the play.

Masque elements used in ‘Antony and Cleopatra’
The dating of the play
The early print history of the play
The sources for the play
The different style of the play from it’s near neighbours
A brief synopsis of the play
How the main characters and the political story and love story are balanced in the play
The hyperbolic language used in the play
The character of Antony
Equals and opposites in the play and how Antony deals with them
The character of Octavius
The character of Cleopatra
The death of Cleopatra
Antony and Cleopatra as a Stuart period play
A short word on the history of criticism of the play
The later performance history of the play

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Episode 220:

This is the second part of my conversation with Kristen McDermott about the court masque. In this part we discuss two masques and the later history of the art form.

Kristen McDermott is professor of English at Central Michigan University and co-author with Ari Berk of ‘William Shakespeare his life and times’ and the collection ‘Masques of Difference’, as well as numerous papers on Shakespeare and renaissance theatre. I have put a link in the show notes to Kristen’s website where you can find further details of her work. Kris is also a listener and supporter of the podcast, so I was particularly happy to welcome her as a contributor on the microphone as well. I spoke to Kris over a zoom call from her home in Michigan.

Find more about Kris at: https://kristen-mcdermott.com

Links to ‘Masques of Difference’

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Masques-Difference-Revels-Student-Editions/dp/071905754X/ref=sr_1_1?

https://www.amazon.com/Masques-Difference-masques-Student-Editions/dp/071905754X/ref=sr_1_1?

https://manchesteruniversitypress.co.uk/9780719057540/

Links to Greer Gilman books: https://smallbeerpress.com/books/2014/09/23/exit-pursued-by-a-bear/

Support the podcast at:
www.thehistoryofeuropeantheatre.com
www.patreon.com/thoetp
www.ko-fi.com/thoetp

You can find an advertisement free version of the latest podcast episodes by joining on Patreon at the lowest paid tier level – that’s for just £1 per month.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Episode 219:

In this episode I take a look at the court masques of the Jacobean period. To do this I’m very lucky to have the guidance of Kristen McDermott who edited and wrote an extensive introduction to a collection of Jonson’s Masques called Masques of Difference. It is a volume that has been in print for an impressive twenty years and one that I found immensely useful in aiding my understanding of the court masque, an art form that can seem very obscure to us now. In the first part of the conversation Kristen describes the development of the masque from it’s very early days through to its flowering in the court of James 1st largely under the care of Ben Jonson and Inigo Jones. Next time Kris and I continue the conversation and discuss some of those ‘masques of difference’ and the later years of the court masque.

Kristen McDermott is professor of English at Central Michigan University and co-author with Ari Berk of ‘William Shakespeare His Life and Times’ and the collection ‘Masques of Difference’, as well as numerous papers on Shakespeare and renaissance theatre.

Find more about Kris at: https://kristen-mcdermott.com

Links to ‘Masques of Difference’

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Masques-Difference-Revels-Student-Editions/dp/071905754X/ref=sr_1_1?

https://www.amazon.com/Masques-Difference-masques-Student-Editions/dp/071905754X/ref=sr_1_1?

https://manchesteruniversitypress.co.uk/9780719057540/

Support the podcast at:
www.thehistoryofeuropeantheatre.com
www.patreon.com/thoetp
www.ko-fi.com/thoetp

You can find an advertisement free version of the latest podcast episodes by joining on Patreon at the lowest paid tier level – that’s for just £1 per month.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Episode 218:

Last time I looked at the first part of ‘King Lear’ from the opening scene where Lear makes his disastrous decision to split his kingdom between his children, through to the renowned scene where the ex-king and his fool are caught in a raging storm on the moor and saved only by the loyalty of Kent. On the way I looked at the deliciously evil Edmund, the poor judgement of his father Gloucester, and the scheming of Lear’s oldest daughter Goneril. Now I will complete this look at the play and discuss it’s place as a very Jacobean play addressing the concerns of its time when King James was working hard at an attempt to unite his disparate kingdom.

The role, character and purpose of the Fool
The mock trial scene
The blinding of Gloucester
The character and cruelty of Regan
Edgar and Gloucester on the cliffs at Dover
Hope before tragedy as Lear and Cordelia are reunited
A family dispute as the heart of the play
Why Lear resonates so strongly with audiences
The sense of ‘no place’ in the play
King Lear as a message for King James
The significance of the non-Christian setting of the play
The play as a tragedy and a history play
A brief view of the later critical and performance history of the play
A small selection of ‘King Lear’ on film

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www.thehistoryofeuropeantheatre.com
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Episode 217:

‘King Lear’, the play that is now often regarded as Shakespeare’s finest and deepest work is most often compared to the other two great tragedies of this period in Shakespeare’s writing, ‘Hamlet’ and ‘Othello’, and of course there are thematic comparisons that can be made with those plays, but it has to be pointed out that ‘King Lear’ is also a very different play in tone and structure. Whether we rate ‘King Lear’ as Shakespeare’s best play or not it is a play that has deeply affected audiences and critics through the centuries and I can only imagine the mark it leaves on actors who take on the main roles. Sadly, what we lack is much detail about initial reactions to the play.

The early performance and publishing history of the play
The influences and sources for the play
The opening scene of the play and the abandonment of the natural order
The questions of judgement and miscommunication in the play
The character of Goneril
Edmund as one of Shakespeare’s truly evil characters
Kent as the voice of reason and loyalty
Lear and the Fool in the storm
Lear’s moral awakening

Support the podcast at:
www.thehistoryofeuropeantheatre.com
www.patreon.com/thoetp
www.ko-fi.com/thoetp

You can find an advertisement free version of the latest podcast episodes by joining on Patreon at the lowest paid tier level – that’s for just £1 per month.


Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.