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B Webb capstone thesis__final format approved LW 4-27-2023.pdf (764.33 KB)
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ETD Abstract Container
Abstract Header
Muted Daughters, Powerful Performance in Shakespeare's
Titus Andronicus
and
The Merchant of Venice
Author Info
Webb, Breann C.
ORCID® Identifier
http://orcid.org/0009-0006-9820-1629
Permalink:
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=dayton1682603031142905
Abstract Details
Year and Degree
2023, Master of Arts (M.A.), University of Dayton, English.
Abstract
This thesis explores questions of agency, embodiment, silence and performance, and disability, in two of William Shakespeare’s plays
Titus Andronicus
and
The Merchant of Venice
. I examine the ways in which directors and producers of contemporary adaptations of Shakespeare’s works, specifically the stage adaptation of
Titus Andronicus
by Lucy Bailey (2015) and the film adaptation by Julie Taymor (1999) and the stage adaptation of
The Merchant of Venice
by Polly Findlay (2015) and the film adaptation by Michael Radford (2004), alter the meaning of scenes for a modern audience, and help us to better understand the play texts themselves. In addition, these stage and film adaptations bring into question the wills and responsibilities of daughters during the early modern period in Europe that complicate meanings of power and identity. In
The Merchant of Venice
, the audience is confronted with a father–daughter relationship between Shylock and Jessica, that places Jessica’s will and religion in question when she wishes to marry a Christian instead of a Jew, which during this period, meant legally converting to Christianity. This play tackles concerns about violence, will, agency, and silence that audiences also see in the father-daughter relationship of Titus and Lavinia in
Titus Andronicus
. Furthermore, these relationships are shaped by larger structures like Christian hegemony, the Roman empire and antiquity, and patriarchy. Adaptations allow for a shift in emphasis and create meaning through action, not just words. For early modern audiences, and for us today, performance is fluid, contingent, and adaptive which allows for variances in interpretation. I argue that examining performances of Lavinia and Jessica side by side, allow for audiences to question issues of class, race, and violence enacted upon women’s bodies. Women’s voices, especially those of minorities, are heard or acknowledged only after the tragedy happens.
Committee
Kirsten Mendoza (Committee Chair)
David Fine (Committee Member)
Elizabeth Mackay (Committee Member)
Pages
89 p.
Subject Headings
Fine Arts
;
Literature
;
Womens Studies
Keywords
Titus Andronicus
;
The Merchant of Venice
;
adaptations
;
daughters
;
silence
Recommended Citations
Refworks
EndNote
RIS
Mendeley
Citations
Webb, B. C. (2023).
Muted Daughters, Powerful Performance in Shakespeare's
Titus Andronicus
and
The Merchant of Venice
[Master's thesis, University of Dayton]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=dayton1682603031142905
APA Style (7th edition)
Webb, Breann.
Muted Daughters, Powerful Performance in Shakespeare's
Titus Andronicus
and
The Merchant of Venice
.
2023. University of Dayton, Master's thesis.
OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center
, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=dayton1682603031142905.
MLA Style (8th edition)
Webb, Breann. "Muted Daughters, Powerful Performance in Shakespeare's
Titus Andronicus
and
The Merchant of Venice
." Master's thesis, University of Dayton, 2023. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=dayton1682603031142905
Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)
Abstract Footer
Document number:
dayton1682603031142905
Download Count:
143
Copyright Info
© 2023, all rights reserved.
This open access ETD is published by University of Dayton and OhioLINK.