“Plots have I laid, inductions dangerous, / By drunken prophecies, libels and dreams” : Political Dreams in Shakespeare’s History Plays

KRAJNÍK, Filip. “Plots have I laid, inductions dangerous, / By drunken prophecies, libels and dreams” : Political Dreams in Shakespeare’s History Plays. In Myth and Dream / The Dreaming of Myth, University of Bologna, 23-24 May 2019. 2019.

Basic information

• Original name: “Plots have I laid, inductions dangerous, / By drunken prophecies, libels and dreams” : Political Dreams in Shakespeare’s History Plays
• Authors: KRAJNÍK, Filip (203 Czech Republic, guarantor, belonging to the institution).
• Edition: Myth and Dream / The Dreaming of Myth, University of Bologna, 23-24 May 2019, 2019.

Other information

• Original language: English
• Type of outcome: Presentations at conferences
• Field of Study: 60206 Specific literatures
• Country of publisher: Italy
• Confidentiality degree: is not subject to a state or trade secret
• RIV identification code: RIV/00216224:14210/19:00112409
• Organization unit: Faculty of Arts
• Keywords (in Czech): William Shakespeare; raně novověké anglické divadlo; historické hry; sen; mýtus
• Keywords in English: William Shakespeare; early-modern English theatre; history plays; dream; myth
• Tags: rivok
• Tags: International impact, Reviewed

Abstract

Although in the course of the 17th century, dreams as source of special knowledge were gradually losing their prestige in England, in the Tudor and Stuart periods, dreaming and its content still retained high cultural status and were subject of heated intellectual, theological, and even legal debates. One can mention William Laud, Archbishop of Canterbury, whose dreams accounts were used as evidence against him during his trial in the 1640s that ultimately lead to his execution. As Helen Hackett has recently shown, political dreams about the monarch were commonplace during the reign of Queen Elizabeth, who, as a woman on the throne, was an especially powerful object of (both real and fictitious) dreams of her subjects, who hoped for the Queen’s favour. Among the authors who employed dreams and a literary device in their works, Shakespeare was perhaps the most prolific one in this respect, making use of dreams and visions throughout his entire dramatic career. This presentation will focus on the dreams in Shakespeare’s history plays, whose political content provided an ideal opportunity for the dramatist to make use of supernatural dreams and an effective dramaturgical device. An attention will be paid to the variety of functions of the specific dream episodes, from foreshadowing the development of the plot to the delineation of individual characters or even shaping the moral image of the king himself. Among the discussed works will the Henry VI trilogy, Richard III, the Henry IV duology, and Henry VIII. The aim of the paper will be not only to show the dramaturgical ingenuity of Shakespeare, but also to what extent the political, intellectual and cultural contexts of the time were reflected in the dramatic dreams of the period.

Links

• MUNI/A/1396/2018, interní kód MU: Name: Researching Communication in English: Paradigms, Strategies, Developments (Acronym: RCE)

Investor: Masaryk University, Category A