The Romance Cycle

Other Resources for The Romance Cycle

The Plays
**Shakespeare, William: The Late Romances, edited by David Bevington, Bantam edition.

Shakespeare, William: Cymbeline, The Arden edition, edited by J. N. Noworthy

Shakespeare, William: Pericles, The Arden edition, edited by F. D. Hoeniger

The Oxford and Folger editions are also recommended.

Other Shakespeare Canon Resources
**Boyce, Charles: Shakespeare A – Z. A dictionary of Shakespeariana, including characters, criticism, plot synopses, and entries about Shakespeare’s life and times.

Asimov, Isaac: Asimov’s Guide to Shakespeare. Well-written populist guide to the plays of Shakespeare.
**Partridge, Eric: Shakespeare’s Bawdy. The title says it all. An excellent glossary and guide to the off-color in Shakespeare.

Schmidt, Alexander: Shakespeare Lexicon and Quotation Dictionary.
This incredible resource goes word by word through the entire Shakespeare canon, listing not only meanings of the word but also every place Shakespeare used the word. It’s an invaluable tool.

Criticism
Gesner, Carol: Shakespeare and the Greek Romance: a Study of Origins. This is an excellent academic study of the origins of the Romance in Ancient Greek Literature.

Gorfain, Phyllis: “Puzzle and Artifice: The Riddle as Metapoetry in Pericles” from Pericles: Critical Essay edited by David Skeele
(Originally published in Shakespeare Survey, 29 (Cambridge University Press, 1976), 11-20.) A useful article using the Antiochan riddle as a means of understanding the episodic structure of Pericles as a unified whole.

Greenblatt, Stephen: Shakespearean Negotiations, esp. “Martial Law in the Land of Cockaigne.” New Historicist criticism is invaluable for understanding the change that happened in the late 16th century world of art and literature when James I ascended the throne.

Palfrey, Simon: Late Shakespeare: A New World of Words. An excellent study of the late Romances, especially in relationship to the two oldest children of James I and their taste in Court entertainment. The linguistic analysis was also quite helpful to understanding the world of The Romance Cycle.

Simonds, Peggy Muñoz: Myth, Emblem, and Music in Shakespeare’s Cymbeline. A smart textual analysis, especially helpful in understanding the Classical references in Cymbeline in their Elizabethan context.

Skeele, David: Pericles, Critical Essays. This is a comprehensive overview of the critical and performance views of Pericles.

Skeele, David: Thwarting the Wayward Seas: A Critical and Theatrical History of Shakespeare’s Pericles in the Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries. This is a companion volume to the Critical Essays, an invaluable tool for understanding the evolving nature of views about Pericles through time.

**Starred resources are on sale in the Court lobby before and during The Romance Cycle performances.

Other Books and Romances
Bettelheim, Bruno: The Uses of Enchantment: the meaning and importance of Fairy Tales

Calasso, Roberto: The Marriage of Cadmus and Harmony translated from the Italian by Tim Parks

Ovid: Metamorphoses

Asbury, Herbert: Gangs of Chicago: an informal history to the Chicago Underworld (reissue of Gem of the Prairie). This book, released as a tie-in to the film Gangs of New York, has some of the easiest to read and descriptive narratives about nineteenth century American bordellos. And these bordellos are in turn amazingly similar to the bawdy house depicted in Act IV of Pericles.

Web Resources
http://www.georgetown.edu/cball/apt/apt.html
This web site traces the evolution of the tale of Appolonius of Tyre from the Old English to Gower’s Middle English version (If you have any trouble with the address, go to http://www.georgetown.edu/cball/apt, which is an index, and then choose the ".html" option).

http://icg.harvard.edu/~chaucer/special/authors/gower/

Films
Shakespeare in Love: 1998, Academy Award Best Picture. This film transforms the early life of William Shakespeare into a Romance. Although the film covers the time period of Romeo and Juliet, it’s irreverent style and playful use of anachronisms make it an excellent preparation for The Romance Cycle. And why not watch it again?

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Other Resources for The Romance Cycle The Plays *Shakespeare, William: The Late Romances, edited by David Bevington, Bantam edition. Shakespeare, William: Cymbeline, The Arden edition, edited by J. N. Noworthy Shakespeare, William: Pericles, The Arden edition, edited by F. D. Hoeniger The Oxford and Folger editions are also recommended. Other Shakespeare Canon Resources* *Boyce, Charles: Shakespeare A – Z. A dictionary of Shakespeariana, including characters, criticism, plot synopses, and entries about Shakespeare’s life and times. Asimov, Isaac: Asimov’s Guide to Shakespeare. Well-written populist guide to the plays of Shakespeare. Partridge, Eric: Shakespeare’s Bawdy. The title says it all. An excellent glossary and guide to the off-color in Shakespeare. Schmidt, Alexander: Shakespeare Lexicon and Quotation Dictionary. This incredible resource goes word by word through the entire Shakespeare canon, listing not only meanings of the word but also every place Shakespeare used the word. It’s an invaluable tool. Criticism* Gesner, Carol: Shakespeare and the Greek Romance: a Study of Origins. This is an excellent academic study of the origins of the Romance in Ancient Greek Literature. Gorfain, Phyllis: “Puzzle and Artifice: The Riddle as Metapoetry in Pericles” from Pericles: Critical Essay edited by David Skeele (Originally published in Shakespeare Survey, 29 (Cambridge University Press, 1976), 11-20.) A useful article using the Antiochan riddle as a means of understanding the episodic structure of Pericles as a unified whole. Greenblatt, Stephen: Shakespearean Negotiations, esp. “Martial Law in the Land of Cockaigne.” New Historicist criticism is invaluable for understanding the change that happened in the late 16th century world of art and literature when James I ascended the throne. Palfrey, Simon: Late Shakespeare: A New World of Words. An excellent study of the late Romances, especially in relationship to the two oldest children of James I and their taste in Court entertainment. The linguistic analysis was also quite helpful to understanding the world of The Romance Cycle. Simonds, Peggy Muñoz: Myth, Emblem, and Music in Shakespeare’s Cymbeline. A smart textual analysis, especially helpful in understanding the Classical references in Cymbeline in their Elizabethan context. Skeele, David: Pericles, Critical Essays. This is a comprehensive overview of the critical and performance views of Pericles. Skeele, David: Thwarting the Wayward Seas: A Critical and Theatrical History of Shakespeare’s Pericles in the Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries. This is a companion volume to the Critical Essays, an invaluable tool for understanding the evolving nature of views about Pericles through time. *Starred resources are on sale in the Court lobby before and during The Romance Cycle* performances. Other Books and Romances Bettelheim, Bruno: The Uses of Enchantment: the meaning and importance of Fairy Tales Calasso, Roberto: The Marriage of Cadmus and Harmony translated from the Italian by Tim Parks Ovid: Metamorphoses Asbury, Herbert: Gangs of Chicago: an informal history to the Chicago Underworld (reissue of Gem of the Prairie). This book, released as a tie-in to the film Gangs of New York, has some of the easiest to read and descriptive narratives about nineteenth century American bordellos. And these bordellos are in turn amazingly similar to the bawdy house depicted in Act IV of Pericles. Web Resources http://www.georgetown.edu/cball/apt/apt.html This web site traces the evolution of the tale of Appolonius of Tyre from the Old English to Gower’s Middle English version (If you have any trouble with the address, go to http://www.georgetown.edu/cball/apt, which is an index, and then choose the ".html" option). http://icg.harvard.edu/~chaucer/special/authors/gower/ Films Shakespeare in Love: 1998, Academy Award Best Picture. This film transforms the early life of William Shakespeare into a Romance. Although the film covers the time period of Romeo and Juliet, it’s irreverent style and playful use of anachronisms make it an excellent preparation for The Romance Cycle. And why not watch it again?
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