Versions of Hamlet: Quartos, Folios, Edited
WHICH HAMLET?
Many choices, Shakespeare fans:
1. The First (“bad”/unauthorized) Quarto (1602-3) reflects perhaps an early draft, or a shorter script for countryside touring while playhouses were closed?
2. Later came the Second (expanded, approved) Quarto (1604).
3. Still later came the First Folio (1623).
4. Eventually, some scholars created editions of Hamlet that combined most of the unique passages from both the Second Quarto and the First Folio, making a MUCH longer text overall—
as if each word from Shakespeare were from an angel. (The Kenneth Branagh version uses this long, combined text.)
But Shakespeare was no angel.
Some prefer the First Folio because it might represent Shakespeare’s “last word” on the final (best?) text.
This is also limiting:
Perhaps he tailored each reversion to his changing times, and the last draft was not the best/last word, but more relevant to its times—and careful of its censors?
5. So this justifies what #dramaturgs and #directors have done all along: pick and choose parts of the text that they feel speak to their OWN times....
Which parts speak best to OUR own times?
#TextualCriticism #teaching #editing #scripting
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
[Originally posted around the week of 9/3/18
on LinkedIn]
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Links to a description of my book project:
On LinkedIn: https://lnkd.in/eJGBtqV
On this blog: https://pauladrianfried.blogspot.com/2017/05/hamlets-bible-my-book-project-im.html
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
#Shakespeare #Bible #Hamlet #Literature #LiteraryCriticism #Drama #Theatre #EarlyModern #religion #Renaissance #EnglishLiterature
Many choices, Shakespeare fans:
1. The First (“bad”/unauthorized) Quarto (1602-3) reflects perhaps an early draft, or a shorter script for countryside touring while playhouses were closed?
2. Later came the Second (expanded, approved) Quarto (1604).
3. Still later came the First Folio (1623).
4. Eventually, some scholars created editions of Hamlet that combined most of the unique passages from both the Second Quarto and the First Folio, making a MUCH longer text overall—
as if each word from Shakespeare were from an angel. (The Kenneth Branagh version uses this long, combined text.)
But Shakespeare was no angel.
Some prefer the First Folio because it might represent Shakespeare’s “last word” on the final (best?) text.
This is also limiting:
Perhaps he tailored each reversion to his changing times, and the last draft was not the best/last word, but more relevant to its times—and careful of its censors?
5. So this justifies what #dramaturgs and #directors have done all along: pick and choose parts of the text that they feel speak to their OWN times....
Which parts speak best to OUR own times?
#TextualCriticism #teaching #editing #scripting
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
[Originally posted around the week of 9/3/18
on LinkedIn]
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Links to a description of my book project:
On LinkedIn: https://lnkd.in/eJGBtqV
On this blog: https://pauladrianfried.blogspot.com/2017/05/hamlets-bible-my-book-project-im.html
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
#Shakespeare #Bible #Hamlet #Literature #LiteraryCriticism #Drama #Theatre #EarlyModern #religion #Renaissance #EnglishLiterature
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