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COPYRIGHT 2006 Associated University Presses
Cymbeline: Constructions of Britain, by Ros King. Aldershot: Ashgate, 2005. Pp. xiv + 197. Cloth $89.95.
Shakespeare's Cymbeline, because of its complexities of plot and language, poses difficulties for both critics and theater companies. For Ros King, it is a play that "[w]e just have not known how to take" (1). In her book Cymbeline: Constructions of Britain, King takes on this difficult and intriguing play; using a multifaceted approach, she addresses the related problems of how to read and how to perform Cymbeline while exploring the historical and cultural context in which the play was written. Her aim is to provide a "holistic analysis of the construction, performance and reception of a piece of theatre that is simultaneously historical, cultural, theatrical, linguistic and performative" (3). Her extensive study of Cymbeline--which offers detailed textual analysis and descriptions of performance as well as an overview of the play's historical and cultural influences--explores how the play engages and responds to early modern considerations of monarchy, union, empire, and religious conflict. In addition to her examination of the historical, cultural, and literary contexts of Cymbeline, King emphasizes the variety of possible performance choices and meanings inherent within the play that allow it to respond to different cultural pressures over time.
She begins with a discussion of the language of the two gentlemen in the play's opening...
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