Looking at things awry : An analysis of point of view in Shakespeare's second tetralogy / Akira Charoensit
Imprint
2016
Descript
II, 50 leaves
SUMMARY
This paper addresses the issue of points of view in the second tetralogy of Shakespeare's history plays which comprisc four plays, Richard II, Henry IV Part I & II, Henry V and seeks to understand the relation between the use of viewpoints in the plays and their impact on the audience's mind. In doing so it employs an empirical approach based on various findings in cognitive science and psycholinguistics. The main textual analysis is divided into three parts. The first tackles the issue of the problematic existence of points of view in Elizabethan drama and the techniques used by Shakespeare to create an internal point of view in Richard II. The second examines the shifting self-perspective of the character of Bolingbroke or Henry IV from play to play. The third and last is a detailed analysis of how Shakespeare uses the Chorus to manipulate the audience's perspective towards and its impression of Prince Hal
