Shakespearersquo;s The Comedy of Errors is the slapstick farce of his youth. In it; the lost twin sons of the old merchant Egeonmdash;both named Antipholusmdash;find themselves in Ephesus; without either one even knowing of the otherrsquo;s existence. Meanwhile; Egeon has arrived in search of the son he thinks is still alivemdash;and has been sentenced to death for the ldquo;crimerdquo; of being from Syracuse. To add to the confusion; the two Antipholuses have twin servants; both named Dromio. As the four men unwittingly encounter each other; the play is crammed with wildly escalating misunderstandings before the truth emerges and Egeon is pardoned. Shakespeare bases his story on Plautusrsquo;s Menaechmi; a play about identical twins who accidentally meet after a lifetime apart. He borrows from another Plautus play by having Adriana; the wife of one Antipholus; entertain the other. The spirited Adriana often gives speeches evoking strong emotionsmdash;as do other characters at times. Even here; Shakespeare suggests complexities beyond the farce. The authoritative edition of The Comedy of Errors from The Folger Shakespeare Library; the trusted and widely used Shakespeare series for students and general readers; includes: -The exact text of the printed book for easy cross-reference -Hundreds of hypertext links for instant navigation -Freshly edited text based on the best early printed version of the play -Full explanatory notes conveniently linked to the text of the play -Scene-by-scene plot summaries -A key to the playrsquo;s famous lines and phrases -An introduction to reading Shakespearersquo;s language -An essay by a leading Shakespeare scholar providing a modern perspective on the play -Fresh images from the Folger Shakespeare Libraryrsquo;s vast holdings of rare books -An annotated guide to further reading Essay by Arthur F. Kinney The Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington; DC; is home to the worldrsquo;s largest collection of Shakespearersquo;s printed works; and a magnet for Shakespeare scholars from around the globe. In addition to exhibitions open to the public throughout the year; the Folger offers a full calendar of performances and programs. For more information; visit Folger.edu.
2015-03-25 2015-03-25File Name: B00X5ZAZGQ
Review
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful. Art in SocietyBy Suckwoo LeeArt is a social institution. So it cant be insulated from social influences. Artists are sellers in market. They earn their bread by selling their products; artworks.Art is a language shared by social actors. Artworks cant be read without shared code to interpret the meaning of the text. They call it as convention. Convention is established through the power relationship in the market among producer (artists); intermediary (critics) and consumer (audience).In this regard; art is just another medium like mass media. The author questions when the mass media dominates the culture; what is the status of pure art? In this vein; following questions; which have haunted the field of artistic production since the 19th century; gains renewed significance. Could art secure its autonomy as modernists dreamt of? What is the social role of art?To answer those questions; the author probes into the language and market of visual art from pop art to postmodernism. Various avant-garde movements since pop art has borrowed and exploited material; subject and strategy of mass media. In turn; mass culture has utilized the art as high culture. But the position of pure art is still restricted to institutionalized sanctuary like museum; university. Its no more than high culture protected from below. Its utilized to distinguish from others by high society. Its not clear whether artwork is different from luxury goods in its utility. Adornos word still reverberates in the circle of artists: "Today; it goes without saying that nothing concerning art goes without saying; not much without thinking. Everything about art has become problematic: its inner life; its relation to society; even its right to exist".
