Publication details
"One Modern Ghost of Hamlet's Pedigree." Ghost and other Surepnatural Occurrences in Gothic Plays.
| Authors | |
|---|---|
| Year of publication | 2016 |
| Type | Appeared in Conference without Proceedings |
| MU Faculty or unit | |
| Citation | |
| Description | "One Modern Ghost of Hamlet´s Pedigree": Ghosts and Other Supernatural Occurrences in Gothic Plays - One of the important aspects of the genre of Gothic drama is the treatment of supernatural elements – the introduction of ghosts and apparitions – that contributed to the development of theatrical machinery and specific staging methods of the period. Various demons, spectres or phantoms gradually became the epitomes of the genre. The ghosts of murdered relatives were clearly derived from Shakespeare whose influence was strongly felt in Gothic drama. However, Shakespeare provided an example for less serious manifestations of the supernatural elements as well. A parallel to the personifications of the forces of nature - fairies and elves from A Midsummer Night´s Dream - can be seen in the number of spirits, fairies and goblins which populated the woods and meadows of scenes in later Gothic plays. Staging of ghosts and supernatural events contributed to the theatrical success of the genre and was often the main crowd-puller for the audience. |