Shakespeare at the Globe, 1599-1609

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SHAKESPEARE AT THE GLOBE




  Shakespeare
  at the Globe

  1599-1609

  BERNARD BECKERMAN


  THE MACMILLAN COMPANY. 1962
  _New York_




© BERNARD BECKERMAN 1962

All rights reserved--no part of this book may be reproduced in any
form without permission in writing from the publisher, except by a
reviewer who wishes to quote brief passages in connection with a
review written for inclusion in magazine or newspaper.

  _First Printing_

  The Macmillan Company, New York
  Brett-Macmillan Ltd., Galt, Ontario

  _Printed in the United States of America_

  Library of Congress catalog card number: 62-7159




ACKNOWLEDGMENTS


My debts of gratitude, which this acknowledgment can hardly hope
to pay, are especially due to Professors Oscar J. Campbell, S.
F. Johnson, and Dr. John Cranford Adams, President of Hofstra
College. To detail the extent of Professor Campbell’s assistance
would be futile. I merely count myself fortunate in having enjoyed
his guidance and encouragement. From Professor Johnson this study
received a careful and perceptive scrutiny, to the excellence
of which I trust these pages testify. In supporting my work as
Director of the Hofstra College Shakespeare Festival, Dr. Adams
provided me with the opportunity not only to explore the authentic
staging of Shakespeare’s plays but also to draw upon his knowledge
and advice. Although my present views of Shakespearean staging
differ from his, nonetheless they owe much to the initial stimulus
he gave and the rigorous scholarship he exemplified. In addition, I
have benefited from the indulgence of various friends and scholars.
Dr. Raymond W. Short read and criticized the original draft of
the chapter on dramaturgy. Dr. James G. McManaway and Irwin Smith
offered valuable suggestions for the entire manuscript, and Mr.
Smith, together with Dr. Robert De Maria, Howard Siegman, and my
wife, Gloria, has assisted me in the final preparation of the
book.




CONTENTS


  Acknowledgments                                                  v

  Introduction                                                    ix

  One: THE REPERTORY                                               1

  Two: THE DRAMATURGY                                             24

        I. Premises for a Study of Shakespearean
           Dramatic Form                                          27

       II. Form and Function in the Finales of the
           Globe Plays                                            35

      III. The Nature and Form of the “Climax” in
           the Globe Plays                                        40

       IV. Structural Patterns in the Dramatic Narrative          45

        V. Scene Structure in Shakespeare                         54

       VI. Dramatic Unity in the Globe Plays                      57

  Three: THE STAGE                                                63

        I. Localization in Shakespeare’s Globe Plays              64

       II. The Parts of the Stage                                 69

      III. The Design of the Stage                               101

  Four: THE ACTING                                               109

        I. The Relation of Tudor Rhetoric to
           Elizabethan Acting                                    113

       II. The Influence of Theatrical Traditions
           upon Elizabethan Acting                               121

      III. The Effect of Playing Conditions upon
           Elizabethan Acting                                    127

       IV. Acting and the Elizabethan View of
           Human Behavior                                        137

           a) Decorum                                            139

           b) Motivation                                         142

           c) Passion                                            143

        V. The Effect of the Globe Plays upon the
           Acting                                                146

  Five: THE STAGING                                              157

        I. Stage Illusion at the Globe Playhouse                 157

       II. Stage Grouping at the Globe Playhouse                 169

      III.