The proIogues to Shakespeare's The proIogues to Shakespeare's

pIays. Do they "make aII weII"? pIays. Do they "make aII weII"?
Raquel Lothringer Raquel Lothringer
rlothringer@arnet.com.ar rlothringer@arnet.com.ar
XXXVI Faapi Conference XXXVI Faapi Conference
Tucumn Tucumn- - 2011 2011
A Room of One's Own A Room of One's Own
%he context where it all began.
Hamlet: Is this a prologue or the posy of a ring?
Licenciatura en ngls (UNL)
Seminario "Literatura en Lengua nglesa .
Contenidos Mnimos
Shakespeare y la posmodernidad: seleccin de una obra de
Shakespeare para su discusin desde aproximaciones tericas
diversas.
ims ims
%o explore Shakespeare's prologues to determine
their features and functions.
%o interpret them in the light of the English dramatic
tradition and Elizabethan stage conventions.
%he Prologue as a Genre %he Prologue as a Genre
abeIs: prologue, preface, foreword, introduction. prologue, preface, foreword, introduction.
Types: authorial, editorial, by a delegate. authorial, editorial, by a delegate.
Functions: inform, interpret, give coherence, cater inform, interpret, give coherence, cater
for readers. for readers.
Features: metatextual, peripheral and ancillary. metatextual, peripheral and ancillary.
uthorial Prologues to Literary uthorial Prologues to Literary
%exts %exts
Prologues to Narrative Fiction
%end to make text genre clear. %end to make text genre clear.
ntroduce characters before the story proper begins. ntroduce characters before the story proper begins.
Contribute to suspend disbelief. Contribute to suspend disbelief.
Prologues to Dramatic %exts Prologues to Dramatic %exts
%wo types: %wo types:
Not aimed at performance. Not aimed at performance.
Meant for stage presentation. Meant for stage presentation.
%he Prologue in the English %he Prologue in the English
%raditions %raditions
!eriod !eriod !Iays with !roIogues !Iays with !roIogues
1560 1560- -1639 1639 40% 40%
1580 1580- - 1589 1589 64% 64%
1590 1590- -1599 1599 31% 31%
Bruster and Weimann (2004 Bruster and Weimann (2004
Shakespeare's Prologues Shakespeare's Prologues (1) (1)
Prefatory role
Voiced by a single performer.
Deprived of character status.
ddressed to the audience.
Shakespeare's Prologues Shakespeare's Prologues (2) (2)
Functions
%o inform.
%o involve the audience.
Shakespeare's Prologues Shakespeare's Prologues (3) (3)
Power relationships Power relationships
symmetrical dyads instantiated by the
prefatory role
Prologue empowered to guide the audience.
Prologue disempowered humbly begging attention and
promising to please the audience.
%he Enigma of Shakespeare's %he Enigma of Shakespeare's
Prologues Prologues
Do they make all well? Do they make all well?
or or
re they mere posies of rings? re they mere posies of rings?