The Stage as Purgatory: Shakespearean Moral Dilemmas

Authors

  • Vesna Lopičić

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.18485/bells.2014.6.8

Keywords:

theatre, Purgatory, Greenblatt, Leyshon, Shakespeare, Stoppard, moral dilemmas

Abstract

This article was inspired by Trevor Nunn’s 2011 production of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead at the Theatre Royal Haymarket in London. As the performance and the title of the play transpire, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are detained in Purgatory after being killed in England. The aim of this article is to explore the reasons why Tom Stoppard keeps them in Purgatory and repeatedly exposes them to the crucial moments from their earthly lives. The necessary theoretical framework is set out by Stephen Greenblatt’s study Hamlet in Purgatory (2002), and Gareth Leyshon’s B.Th. thesis The Purpose of Purgatory: Expiation or Maturation? (2005). The conclusion we would like to propose is that the purpose of their detention is maturation, meaning the ability to make morally right choices when faced with Shakespearean moral dilemmas.

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Published

2014-11-23

How to Cite

Lopičić, V. (2014). The Stage as Purgatory: Shakespearean Moral Dilemmas. Belgrade English Language and Literature Studies, 6(1), 157–173. https://doi.org/10.18485/bells.2014.6.8

Issue

Vol. 6 No. 1 (2014): BELLS - volume 6

Section

SHAKESPEARE: LITERARY AND CULTURAL STUDIES

License

Copyright (c) 2021 Vesna Lopičić

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