Shakespeare in His Country’s Service : Two Early-18th-Century Adaptations of The Taming of the Shrew
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| Year of publication | 2023 |
| Type | Appeared in Conference without Proceedings |
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| Description | The paper discussed two early-18th-century afterpieces based on the Induction of Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew. The pieces were staged under the same title, The Cobbler of Preston, in 1716 by two competing London theatres: Drury Lane, which wanted ostentatiously to show its loyalty to the then new Whig regime; and Lincoln’s Inn Fields, which sought to distance itself from the political situation in the country. While the Drury Lane version is a valuable example of Shakespeare being appropriated for the then current social and political climate, the Lincoln’s Inn Fields version is an early instance of Shakespeare being presented to London audiences as a national classic – a status that he fully gained only in the 1760s thanks the efforts of David Garrick. |
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