Doctoral Dissertations
Date of Award
3-1986
Degree Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy
Major
English
Major Professor
Norman Sanders
Abstract
A critical appraisal of a Shakespearean play is complete only with the inclusion of its stage history. Richard II, particularly as produced by the Royal Shakespeare Company and its predecessors in Stratford-upon-Avon, has seen a wide variety of interpretations over many years, strong testimony to its vitality and universality for generations of audiences. Most of these productions have clearly been influenced by contemporary political and scholarly ideas, as well as by the current theatrical tastes and techniques.
The play was popular and controversial largely for its topical politics as long as there were reigning and ruling monarchs, although authorities tended to discourage the play. After nearly 150 years of neglect and virtually unrecognizable adaptations, in the 1850's the play began to make its way into the theatrical repertoire of major actors and companies as a chance for antiquarian spectacle. Later, echoing the trend in academic criticism exemplified by E. K. Chambers and A. C. Bradley, Frank Benson, the "father" of Stratford-upon-Avon Birthday Festivals, set the pattern for most twentieth-century interpretations of the title role: Richard is an artist whom Fate has tragically miscast as a king. Benson's concept reached its pinnacle in productions with John Gielgud and Maurice Evans, respectively, in productions in London and New York in the 1930's.
Variations upon the pattern of alienated romantic-artist tragedy began to appear after World War II and drew upon such scholars as John Palmer and E. M. W. Tillyard, who emphasized the play's political and Ill ethical themes. Productions in the 1950's and 1960's either followed the traditional concepts or attempted to realize on stage Shakespeare's history plays as a multi-part historico-socio-political epic of England or as a timeless mythic saga concerning ambition, war, and political power. Most recent productions, more dependent on academic "readings" of the play than ever before, have tried to combine the best of both worlds: exciting and moving theatricality as well as consistent, conceptually unified presentation.
"Production concepts" successfully re-interpret Richard II to both new audiences and experienced ones, ensuring that the play continues to be good theatre. However, the most moving and effective performances continue to be those which embrace a tragic aesthetic, carefully crafted so that an audience identifies with Richard in his struggle against his Fate and, through his fall, his recognition of his essential, individual humanity.
Recommended Citation
Gibson, Phillip J., "A stage mirror of Richard II : Shakespeare's play as produced at Stratford-Upon-Avon. " PhD diss., University of Tennessee, 1986.
https://trace.tennessee.edu/utk_graddiss/12254