172 Pages
by
Routledge
172 Pages
by
Routledge
172 Pages
by
Routledge
Also available as eBook on:
Did Shakespeare's original audiences weep? Equally, while it seems obvious that they must have laughed at plays performed in early modern theatres, can we say anything about what their laughter sounded like, about when it occurred, and about how, culturally, it was interpreted? Related to both of these problems of audience behaviour is that of the stage representation of laughing, and weeping,... Read more
Contents: Introduction; Renaissance constructions of laughter and weeping; Laughing on stage; Weeping on stage; Audiences laughing; Audiences weeping; Soft smiling?: Lyly and Jonson; Horrid laughter; Shakespeare's theatre of sympathy; Bibliography; Index.
Biography
Matthew Steggle is Reader in English at Sheffield Hallam University, UK.
’Mustering plenty of evidence to make his case, Steggle is careful not to take it all at face value... There is more critical work to be done on this intriguing topic, on the basis of this thoughtful, useful book.’ Times Literary Supplement ’One of the remarkable features of this book is the breadth of Steggle’s research... In assiduously tracing the impact of laughing and weeping in theaters, Steggle opens up a large and fascinating topic, and shows its importance for our understanding of early performance and audiences.’ Renaissance Quarterly
