Dramatic Realism; since its birth in the hectic late years of the nineteenth century; gave theatrical and thematic energy to the interaction between a playrsquo;s text and the way that it looked on the stage. Characters began to find themselves in rooms and settings that played an active and changing role in the drama; and their dialogue and reactions evolved in time with these changes. As life itself became more elaborate during the 20th Century; so these rooms were invaded and then defined by the outside world.Fred Miller Robinsonrsquo;s enjoyable and stimulating essays on this enduring genre tackle the dreams and anxieties of the middles classes of the Industrial Revolution ndash; dreams of domestic comfort and refuge; and anxieties about how entrapping that comfort could be. Moving from Ibsen to Chekhov and onwards into later plays in which the reality of lsquo;Realismrsquo; comes under scrutiny; this is a book to dip into before a performance or to study during a class.
#1528478 in eBooks 2015-11-18 2015-11-18File Name: B0184T6WU0
Review
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful. Lycanthropic melancholyBy Christopher (o.d.c.)"...One met the duke bout midnight in a laneBehind Saint Marks church. with the leg of a manUpon his shoulder; and he howld fearfully;Said he was a wolf. only the differenceWas. a wolfs skin was hairy on the outside.His on the inside; bade them take their swords.Rip up his flesh. and try."The Duchess of Malfi is John Websters masterpiece. and justly renowned as the Jacobean drama par excellence. A young widow. rich and beautiful. secretly marries her steward. against the wishes of her brothers. a cardinal and a judge. who have insinuated Bosola. a convicted murderer. into her household as "intelligencer." One brother. Ferdinand. is insanely jealous of his sister:"CARDINAL. __ __ __ Shall our blood.The royal blood of Arragon and Castile.Be thus attainted?FERDINAND. __ __ Apply desperate physic:We must not now use balsamum. but fire.The smarting cupping-glass. for that s the meanTo purge infected blood. such blood as hers.There is a kind of pity in mine eye.--I ll give it to my handkercher; and now tis here.I ll bequeath this to her bastard.CARDINAL. __ __ __What to do?FERDINAND. Why. to make soft lint for his mothers wounds.When I have hewd her to pieces... "Unlike the Kindle edition of The White Devil. this edition has some notes and glosses. Coming as they do at the end. they seem like crossword clues without a crossword: At the expense of. Rolls of lint used to dress wounds. Surgeons. A small horse. Ballasted. A lively dance. Throws into the shade. At the point of. Coaches. Spy. Cheats. Spy. Malfi. Gallery in the Duchess palace. Lustful. Genesis xxxi.. 31-42. The net in which he caught Venus and Mars. Housekeepers. Produced. Qq. read STRANGE. Guess. The phrase used to indicate that accounts had been examined and found correct. Using words of present time; i.e.. "I take." not "I will take."To use the notes. one would have to go to the end of the book. page back to the beginning of the notes. bookmark that location. and then jump to the bookmarked location when needed. Proof that Project Gutenberg started aeons ago.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. HelpfulBy Waycoldness907Love it. This classic play is well presented and the extra material was very helpful in understanding the characters and plot.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Amazing!!!By SanraizuI read this for the first time in my English Honors class in sophomore year in high school as homework and I was intrigued by the tragic tale of the Duchess and her beloved Antonio. Truly a romantic tragedy without overdoing the romance. Definitely a well recommended book!
