Project Details
Abstract
Sea Images in Shakespeare's Plays and English Renaissance Maritime Culture
(Two-year Research Project)
Loaded with sea images, Shakespeare’s plays circulate the enormous fantasies of the
English about sea adventures during the Renaissance, which were triggered by excitement from
the discovery of new lands, new trade routes and legends of successful pirates. As an
island-country surrounded by waters, England has always had an intimate relationship with sea,
while Shakespeare, as a playwright attempting to attract audiences into his theater, certainly
knew how to play up familiar sea images in various ways to enhance the fascination of his plays.
This research reexamines Shakespeare’s use of sea images in his plays. By integrating textual
analysis with Renaissance historical contexts related to maritime culture, such as Queen
Elizabeth’s privateering practice, the legend of Sir Francis Drake and other famous pirates, and
England’s long term hostility with France and with Spain, the research appropriates new
historicist approaches aiming to shed more light on our understanding of Shakespeare’s
elaboration on sea images and cultural/historical significances of these images.
The research project is divided into two years. The first year aims at (1) exploring the
Renaissance historical contexts related to maritime culture, and (2) analyzing images and roles of
sea in four Shakespearean plays—The Tempest, The Merchant of Venice, Twelfth Night and
Hamlet. The second year aims at analyzing sea images in Shakespeare’s ten history plays within
English Renaissance maritime culture.
Project IDs
Project ID:PE10007-0347
External Project ID:NSC100-2410-H182-021
External Project ID:NSC100-2410-H182-021
Status | Finished |
---|---|
Effective start/end date | 01/08/11 → 31/07/12 |
Keywords
- Shakespeare
- maritime culture
- sea images
- privateering
- pirate
- geography
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