Face-to-Face in Shakespearean Drama: Ethics, Performance, Philosophy

Review
Face to face encounters are the essence of dramatic art. This collection shows us that close reading - knowing the score - is the condition of possibility for theatrical performance. The essays here feature some of the freshest and most original writing on Shakespeare I have seen in a long time., Michael D. Bristol, McGill University
Explores the drama of proximity and co-presence in Shakespeare’s plays
Key Features Brings together the rare pairing of philosophical ethics and performance studies in Shakespeare’s plays Engages with the thought of philosophers including Ludwig Wittgenstein, Hannah Arendt, Paul Ricoeur, Stanley Cavell, and Emmanuel Levinas
This book celebrates the theatrical excitement and philosophical meanings of human interaction in Shakespeare. On stage and in life, the face is always window and mirror, representation and presence. It examines the emotional and ethical surplus that appears between faces in the activity and performance of human encounter on stage. By transitioning from face as noun to verb – to face, outface, interface, efface, deface, sur-face – chapters reveal how Shakespeare's plays discover conflict, betrayal and deception as well as love, trust and forgiveness between faces and the bodies that bear them.
From the Inside Flap
‘Face to face encounters are the essence of dramatic art. This collection shows us that close reading - knowing the score - is the condition of possibility for theatrical performance. The essays here feature some of the freshest and most original writing on Shakespeare I have seen in a long time.’Michael D. Bristol, McGill UniversityExplores the drama of proximity and co-presence in Shakespeare’s playsThis book celebrates the theatrical excitement and philosophical meanings of human interaction in Shakespeare. On stage and in life, the face is always window and mirror, representation and presence. A distinguished group of contributors examine the emotional and ethical surplus that appears between faces in the activity and performance of human encounter on stage. By transitioning from face as noun to face as verb – to face, outface, interface, efface, deface, sur-face – chapters reveal how Shakespeare's plays discover conflict, betrayal and deception as well as love, trust and forgiveness between faces and the bodies that bear them.Matthew J. Smith is Associate Professor of English at Azusa Pacific University.Julia Reinhard Lupton is Professor of English at the University of California, Irvine.Cover image: Ian McKellen and Judi Dench in Macbeth, at the Other Place, Royal Shakespeare Company, Stratford-upon-Avon, 1976 ©Laurence Burns / ArenaPALCover design:[EUP logo]edinburghuniversitypress.comISBN 978-1-4744-3568-0Barcode
From the Back Cover
‘Face to face encounters are the essence of dramatic art. This collection shows us that close reading - knowing the score - is the condition of possibility for theatrical performance. The essays here feature some of the freshest and most original writing on Shakespeare I have seen in a long time.’ Michael D. Bristol, McGill University Explores the drama of proximity and co-presence in Shakespeare’s plays This book celebrates the theatrical excitement and philosophical meanings of human interaction in Shakespeare. On stage and in life, the face is always window and mirror, representation and presence. A distinguished group of contributors examine the emotional and ethical surplus that appears between faces in the activity and performance of human encounter on stage. By transitioning from face as noun to face as verb – to face, outface, interface, efface, deface, sur-face – chapters reveal how Shakespeare's plays discover conflict, betrayal and deception as well as love, trust and forgiveness between faces and the bodies that bear them. Matthew J. Smith is Associate Professor of English at Azusa Pacific University. Julia Reinhard Lupton is Professor of English at the University of California, Irvin