"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):