Full-length play: Hell is empty and all the women are here and critical analysis: ‘Shakespeare in the dock: breaking the silence of will’s women in contemporary theatre’

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Roe, Hannah (2015). Full-length play: Hell is empty and all the women are here and critical analysis: ‘Shakespeare in the dock: breaking the silence of will’s women in contemporary theatre’. University of Birmingham. M.Res.

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Abstract

This thesis comprises an original full-length play, \(Hell\) \(is\) \(Empty\) \(and\) \(All\) \(the\) \(Women\) \(are\) \(Here\), and a critical analysis of the same play: ‘Shakespeare in the Dock: Breaking the Silence of Will’s Women in Contemporary Theatre’. Taking inspiration from William Shakespeare’s treatment of the tragic heroines in his own plays, \(Hell\) \(is\) \(Empty\) \(and\) \(All\) \(the\) \(Women\) \(are\) \(Here\) interrogates what would happen if Shakespeare was placed at the mercy of the aggrieved women he created.
The critical essay analyses the play through three different lenses: Strategy, Form and Context. The Strategy section recounts how \(Hell\) \(is\) \(Empty\) \(and\) \(All\) \(the\) \(Women\) \(are\) \(Here\) was taken from initial idea to complete theatrical text, focusing on the research carried out into representations of female oppression and the demonisation of strong women in Shakespeare’s plays. Form looks at the dramatic techniques present within the text such as Action, Character and Format, whilst Context examines the play in relation to other new writing and the recent surge in feminist appropriations of Shakespeare.

Type of Work:

Thesis (Masters by Research > M.Res.)

Award Type:

Masters by Research > M.Res.

Supervisor(s):