Shakespeare and the Quotidian : Transcending Times, Transcending Cultures

This seminar focuses on the way popular beliefs, entertainments, and attitudes found in Shakespeare's plays re-create commonplace cultural forms and expressions such as religious and agricultural rituals. How are these quotidian practices represented on the early modern stage by actions and properties?

Appropriations of quotidian practices -- from food preparation to medicine to the use of tools -- give ballast to what is “for all time” in Shakespeare. Participants are invited to approach this topic from any one of several directions. How do quotidian references determine meaning in a particular Shakespearean play or group of plays? How have later adaptations -- on the stage, in film, in electronic media -- dealt with these specifics of early modern culture? Do such
adaptations affect the reception of Shakespeare's plays globally or in local performances. Contributors are also welcome to suggest other strategies for exploring Shakespeare and the quotidian.