On the 'Stageability' of Shakespeare’s Sonnets

Authors

  • Milica Konstantinović

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.18485/bells.2015.7.3

Keywords:

sonnets, Shakespeare, stageability, dramatism, drama, performativity, narratability, characterization

Abstract

This paper deals with the question of the “stageability” and dramatism of Shakespeare’s sonnets by reviewing thematic content, genre assumptions, biographical elements, and the historical context from which they emerged. The connection between Shakespeare’s sonnets and plays is maintained, and the performative and social aspects of the sonnets are analyzed together with their interaction and provocativeness, which is cloaked in ideology, eroticism, and politics. The dramatism of the sonnets is demonstrated by addressing questions about narrativity, plot, characters, action, and dialogue. Through analysis of the narrativity of the sequence, the order of which is recognized as deliberate and authentic, structural elements for possible drama are stressed and connected with Shakespeare’s theatrical opus. We also discern the self-reflexive nature of the sonnets as a genre.

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Published

2015-11-25

How to Cite

Konstantinović, M. (2015). On the ’Stageability’ of Shakespeare’s Sonnets. Belgrade English Language and Literature Studies, 7(1), 53–73. https://doi.org/10.18485/bells.2015.7.3

Issue

Vol. 7 No. 1 (2015): BELLS - volume 7

Section

LITERARY AND CULTURAL STUDIES

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