Classicizing Shakespeare : Jean-François Ducis and the first European adaptations /

"Jean-François Ducis (1733-1816) was pivotal in introducing French and European audiences to Shakespeare's plays on the stage. Despite Ducis being unable to read English, it was through his adaptations of Hamlet, Romeo and Juliet, Othello, King Lear and Macbeth that theatre-goers first enc...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Willems, Michèle (Author)
Format: Book
Language:English
Published: London ; New York : The Arden Shakespeare, 2026.
Series:Shakespeare and adaptation.
Subjects:
Description
Summary:"Jean-François Ducis (1733-1816) was pivotal in introducing French and European audiences to Shakespeare's plays on the stage. Despite Ducis being unable to read English, it was through his adaptations of Hamlet, Romeo and Juliet, Othello, King Lear and Macbeth that theatre-goers first encountered Shakespeare's work. In this book, Ducis's rewritings of Shakespeare's plays are analysed in the context of the expectations of 18th-century audiences bred on a diet of classical plays and influenced by Voltaire's ambivalent reception of the dramatist. The nature of the adaptations and their wide-ranging impact is explored in detail to illuminate the classicizing of Shakespeare's works"-- Provided by publisher.
Physical Description:xxi, 223 pages : illustrations ; 23 cm.
Bibliography:Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN:9781350337824
135033782X
9781350337862
1350337862