Misreading Shakespeare

Introduction

A dynamic new study in literary and dramatic influence, Misreading Shakespeare defines and explores the relation between two modern plays—Edward Bond's Lear and Tom Stoppard's Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead—and Shakespeare's King Lear and Hamlet. While some see the modern plays as derivative, others claim that they are as original as the Shakespearean plays. The effort to define and explore this relationship is a challenge for critics and readers alike. Here, Wagdi Zeid, a playwright and professor of Shakespeare and drama, puts forth a theoretical perspective derived from W. Jackson Bate and Harold Bloom's theories of influence.

Scope of the Study

Zeid's study manages to define and explore not only this intriguing and ambiguous relationship but the concept of originality itself. Furthermore, while theorists like Bate and Bloom are wholly concerned with just general statements and concepts, Misreading Shakespeare goes inside the dramatic texts themselves, and this practical aspect makes a big difference. Also, neither Bate nor Bloom has tried to apply his theory to dramatic texts.

Audience and Purpose

Misreading Shakespeare offers readers both theory and practice. It was written for an eclectic audience, including scholars of drama, theatre, Shakespeare, and literary theory and criticism; playwrights and other writers striving for originality; and theatrical artists and audiences alike.