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Time, space, and Shakespeare: Temporal and spatial disturbances at the point of cultural contact

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Date Issued:
2004
Summary:
Cultural geographic theory uses dramatic language (place ballets , time-space routines, temporal rhythms , etc.) to describe how humans sense and dwell in places. Because the theory contemplates human behavior enacted upon a stage, it is applicable to theater studies. This thesis asserts that Hamlet's, Othello's, and Antony's treacherous lifeworlds undermine their spatiotemporal senses and initiate quests similar to those described by Anne Buttimer as searches "for order, predictability, and routine, as well as [...] for adventure and change" ("Grasping" 285). Hamlet's revenge plot is a pursuit of order and reclamation of his identity at Elsinore. Desdemona's murder is Othello's attempt to salvage his character, which he believed sullied by infidelity. Alexandria offers Antony a life opposite Rome's and sets him on a course of indecisiveness. These plays demonstrate that, at the point of cultural contact, routines are interrupted and identities destabilize. Tragically, the characters lose themselves in the turmoil.
Title: Time, space, and Shakespeare: Temporal and spatial disturbances at the point of cultural contact.
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Name(s): Murray, Jessica L.
Florida Atlantic University, Degree grantor
Low, Jennifer A., Thesis advisor
Type of Resource: text
Genre: Electronic Thesis Or Dissertation
Issuance: monographic
Date Issued: 2004
Publisher: Florida Atlantic University
Place of Publication: Boca Raton, Fla.
Physical Form: application/pdf
Extent: 80 p.
Language(s): English
Summary: Cultural geographic theory uses dramatic language (place ballets , time-space routines, temporal rhythms , etc.) to describe how humans sense and dwell in places. Because the theory contemplates human behavior enacted upon a stage, it is applicable to theater studies. This thesis asserts that Hamlet's, Othello's, and Antony's treacherous lifeworlds undermine their spatiotemporal senses and initiate quests similar to those described by Anne Buttimer as searches "for order, predictability, and routine, as well as [...] for adventure and change" ("Grasping" 285). Hamlet's revenge plot is a pursuit of order and reclamation of his identity at Elsinore. Desdemona's murder is Othello's attempt to salvage his character, which he believed sullied by infidelity. Alexandria offers Antony a life opposite Rome's and sets him on a course of indecisiveness. These plays demonstrate that, at the point of cultural contact, routines are interrupted and identities destabilize. Tragically, the characters lose themselves in the turmoil.
Identifier: 9780496256594 (isbn), 13141 (digitool), FADT13141 (IID), fau:10002 (fedora)
Collection: FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection
Note(s): Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters
Thesis (M.A.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2004.
Subject(s): Human geography
Psychology, Comparative
Cognitive science
Time perception
Shakespeare, William,--1564-1616--Plays
Intersensory effects
Held by: Florida Atlantic University Libraries
Persistent Link to This Record: http://purl.flvc.org/fcla/dt/13141
Sublocation: Digital Library
Use and Reproduction: Copyright © is held by the author, with permission granted to Florida Atlantic University to digitize, archive and distribute this item for non-profit research and educational purposes. Any reuse of this item in excess of fair use or other copyright exemptions requires permission of the copyright holder.
Use and Reproduction: http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/
Host Institution: FAU
Is Part of Series: Florida Atlantic University Digital Library Collections.