''A Midsummer Night''s Dream'' in Context - Magic, Madness and Mayhem

How might Shakespeare's audiences have responded to this enduringly popular comedy? This guide to the various contexts that situate 'A Midsummer Night's Dream' in its time, explains the Christian ethics, the contemporary socio-political scene, the literary atmosphere and requirements of comedy that inform the background of this mad play.

List of contents

Introduction; About this book - What is a context?; Part I. The Inherited Past; Prologue: The setting; i. The Historical Context; ii . The Elizabethan World Order: From Divinity To Dust; iii. Sin, Death and the Prince of Darkness; iv. The Seven Cardinal Virtues; v. Kingship; vi. Patriarchy, Family Authority and Gender relationships; vii. Man in His Place; viii. Images of Disorder: The Religious Context Unsettling Questions; Part II. The Elizabethan Present; ix. The Context of Comedy; x. Theseus and the Setting; xi. Puck's Permutations: The Context of Love; xii. 'Sweet Moon': The Context of Magic; xiii. Literary Context; xiv. Playing Parts; xv. Transgressions and Translations; Bibliography

About the author

Poet, painter, teacher and academic, Keith Linley has lectured at university and given papers at conferences and book festivals on a range of literary subjects.

Product details

• Authors: Keith Linley, Linley Keith
• Publisher: Anthem Press
• Languages: English
• Product format: Paperback / Softback
• Released: 21.11.2016
• EAN: 9781783085552
• ISBN: 978-1-78308-555-2
• No. of pages: 302
• Series: Anthem Perspectives in Literature
• Subjects: Humanities, art, music > Linguistics and literary studies > General and comparative literary studies; English, LITERARY CRITICISM / Drama, LITERARY CRITICISM / Modern / General, Literary studies: c 1600 to c 1800, Shakespeare Studies & Criticism, Literary studies: plays and playwrights, Relating to Shakespeare / Shakespearean