Shakespeare and the Traditions of Comedy by Leo Salingar (PDF)

Description

This book relates Shakespeare’s comedies to a broad European background. At the beginning and again at the end of his career, Shakespeare was attracted by a tradition of stage romances which can be traced back to Chaucer’s time. But the main shaping behind his comedies came from the classical tradition. Mr Salingar therefore examines the underlying theme of ‘errors’ in Greek and Roman comedies and, taking three Italian comedies famous in the sixteenth century as examples, he then reveals how the Italian Renaissance revived the classical tradition, and what effect this revival had on Shakespeare the Elizabethan playwright and discusses such topics as the device of the play within a play and Shakespeare’s choice of Italian short stories as plot material. This book shows how Shakespeare changed the motifs he took over from previous traditions of comedy and highlights the innovations he introduced, as an actor-dramatist writing in the first period of commercial theatre in Europe.

User’s Reviews

Editorial Reviews: Review ‘ … a major achievement in presenting and understanding comedy before Shakespeare and Shakespeare’s masterly use of it.’ The Times Literary Supplement’This is a splendid book – splendid in its directness and splendid in the wealth of intellect and illustration to which the reader is treated. … It is good to see critical insight and historical knowledge brought together so fruitfully.’ Literature and History’ … a sound and scholarly treatment of a highly complex and fascinating intellectual heritage … This will no doubt remain for years to come the standard work in its field.’ The Virginia Quarterly Review Book Description This book relates Shakespeare’s comedies to a broad European background.

Reviews from Amazon users which were colected at the time this book was published on the website:

⭐An excellent study of the classical and popular Italian tradition behind Shakespeare’s comedies, this book became a scholarly standard soon after it came out in 1974. I lost the copy I bought then, and found that I missed it when I began writing again about Shakespeare. It’s still useful, and I would have given it 5 stars if it hadn’t been joined at the top and updated by a couple of other equally valuable studies. It certainly hasn’t been replaced.

⭐The book is in perfect conditions. It perfectly corresponds to what I’ve ordered. Definitly 5 stars.

⭐

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