"Foolery, sir, does walk about the orb like the sun": fool-characters and comic dramatic structures in Hamlet, Twelfth night and Troilus and Cressida

Markus, Zoltan (1993). "Foolery, sir, does walk about the orb like the sun": fool-characters and comic dramatic structures in Hamlet, Twelfth night and Troilus and Cressida. University of Birmingham. M.Phil.

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Abstract

The thesis analyses fool-characters and comic structures in Shakespeare's three plays-each play representing a different dramatic genre. The chapter on Hamlet primarily focuses on Hamlet's fool-role originating from his "antic disposition." In Twelfth Night, the study examines the topsy-turvydom dominant in Olivia's household. Sir Toby Belch, as a Lord of Misrule, and Feste, as a professional jester, are the central characters in the analysis. In the chapter on Troilus and Cressida--a dramatic work frequently categorized as a "problem play"-the dramatic functions of two fool-characters, Pandarus and Thersites, are explored.
The thesis examines the sources and theatrical traditions relevant to the analysed characters. It also investigates the various ways in which these characters create a counterweight to the social and political status quo of their respective plays, as a result of which they eventually become expelled, muted, or forced to adjust to the final social and political constellation emerging at the conclusion of the plays.

Type of Work: Thesis (Masters by Research > M.Phil.)
Award Type: Masters by Research > M.Phil.
Supervisor(s):
Supervisor(s)EmailORCID
Matheson, Thomas PendletonUNSPECIFIEDUNSPECIFIED
Licence:
College/Faculty: Faculties (to 1997) > Faculty of Arts
School or Department: School of English, Drama and American & Canadian Studies, The Shakespeare Institute
Funders: None/not applicable
Subjects: P Language and Literature > PN Literature (General) > PN2000 Dramatic representation. The Theater
P Language and Literature > PR English literature
URI: http://etheses.bham.ac.uk/id/eprint/1292

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