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Macbeth Multiplied
Negotiating Historical and Medial Difference Between Shakespeare and Verdi
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In what sense did Shakespeareâs representation of the Weird Sisters participate in the rewriting of village witchcraft? Was it likely to âencourage the Swordâ? Did operaâs specific medial conditions offer Verdi special opportunities to justify the presence of stage witches more than three centuries later? How valid is the parallel between 19th century opera and the voyeurism of madhouse spectacle? Was Shakespeareâs play really engaged in the project of exorcizing Queen Elizabethâs cultural memory? What does Verdiâs chorus of Scottish refugees have to do with shifting representations of âthe peopleâ?
These are among the questions tackled in this study. It provides the first in-depth comparison of Shakespeareâs and Verdiâs Macbeth that is written expressly from the perspective of current Shakespearean criticism whilst striving to do justice to the topicâs musicological dimension at the same time. Exploring to what extent the playâs matrix of possible readings is distinct from Verdiâs two operatic versions, the book seeks to relate such differences both to the historical contexts of the worksâ geneses and to their respective medial conditions. In doing so, it pays particular attention to shifting negotiations of witchcraft, gender, madness, and kingship. The study eventually broadens its discussion to consider other Shakespearean plays and their operatic offshoots, reflecting on some possible relations between historical and medial difference.
These are among the questions tackled in this study. It provides the first in-depth comparison of Shakespeareâs and Verdiâs Macbeth that is written expressly from the perspective of current Shakespearean criticism whilst striving to do justice to the topicâs musicological dimension at the same time. Exploring to what extent the playâs matrix of possible readings is distinct from Verdiâs two operatic versions, the book seeks to relate such differences both to the historical contexts of the worksâ geneses and to their respective medial conditions. In doing so, it pays particular attention to shifting negotiations of witchcraft, gender, madness, and kingship. The study eventually broadens its discussion to consider other Shakespearean plays and their operatic offshoots, reflecting on some possible relations between historical and medial difference.
âThe book [â¦] broadens our horizons, as it intends to, in a significant way.â in: Modern Language Review, Vol. 102, No. 3, 2007
Acknowledgements
Preliminaries
Introduction
1. Paltering in multiple senses: witchcraft, gender, madness I
2. Fantastical creatures: witchcraft, gender, madness II
3. Restoration and its discontents
4. Shakespeare, opera, difference
Works cited
Preliminaries
Introduction
1. Paltering in multiple senses: witchcraft, gender, madness I
2. Fantastical creatures: witchcraft, gender, madness II
3. Restoration and its discontents
4. Shakespeare, opera, difference
Works cited