Pronouncing Shakespeare : the Globe experiment / David Crystal.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Crystal, David, 1941-

Contributor:

Horace Howard Furness Memorial Library (University of Pennsylvania)

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Shakespeare, William, 1564-1616--Language.

Shakespeare, William.

Shakespeare, William, 1564-1616.

English language--Early modern, 1500-1700--Pronunciation.

English language.

English language--Early modern--Pronunciation.

Shakespeare, William, 1564-1616--Stage history--England--London.

Shakespeare, William, 1564-1616--Stage history--1950-.

Shakespeare, William, 1564-1616. Romeo and Juliet.

Globe Theatre (London, England : 1996- ).

England--London.

Physical Description:

xviii, 188 pages : illustrations ; 21 cm

Place of Publication:

Cambridge ; New York : Cambridge University Press, 2005.

Summary:

For three days in June 2004, Shakespeare's Globe in London presented Romeo and Juliet in Early Modern English pronunciation, as part of an 'original practices' production. It was an experiment, the first time a professional theatre company had attempted such an event on a London stage in over 350 years, and there was much uncertainty over the outcome. Would the actors be able to cope with it? Would the audiences be able to understand it? How would the Elizabethan accent affect the way the characters were interpreted? Would there be any unexpected dramatic consequences? In this unusual book, written immediately after the event, David Crystal records the story of the production, from initial proposal, through planning and rehearsals, to eventual performance and critical reaction. He explains the historical linguistic background, paying special attention to the question everyone asks: 'How do we know how they spoke in those days?' His interviews with everyone involved in the production-director, actors, and audience-provide a lively commentary which brings together the worlds of linguistics, literature, and theatre studies.

Contents:

1 Idea 1

2 Proposal 11

3 Evidence 43

4 Rehearsal 97

5 Performance 133

6 Consequences 161

Appendix 1 Chief distinctive Early Modern English vowels 175

Appendix 2 Extracts from the transcription 177

Appendix 3 Audio-visual aids 181.

Notes:

Includes index.

ISBN:

0521852137

OCLC:

58422827

Publisher Number:

9780521852135 (hbk.)