Selected Shakespeare
| ISTENING to "Capulet," in the BBC series of vignettes of Shakespeare’s characters, I was undecided about tae success of such specialised programmes. For whom are they intended? The ordinary listener, the lover of Shakespeare, or the student of drama? It is a dangerous busifess to choose, out of such a play as Romeo and Juliet, only those passages which relate to one particular character. It may produce, instead of the l.ving picture which is intended, a pedantic study reminiscent of
the. methods used in our youth when Shekespeare was "done" at school, and done to death in most cases. It reveals, too, that often the poet necessarily failed to make certain characters completely comprehensive (the plays are long enough already, without allowing time fot complete pictures of all characters), and that he left certain omiss.ons to be filled in by the combined commonsense of audience and. actors. It is one more proof of the immortality of the plays that they withstand such selec‘tive editing as is given them in this series. What modern playwright would pass the test of having only one character’s scenes dissected from. the play and delivered by means of radio and a running BBC commentary? (continued on next page)
VIEWSREEL (Cont'd) (continued from previous page)
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https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/periodicals/NZLIST19470221.2.15.1.6
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New Zealand Listener, Volume 16, Issue 400, 21 February 1947, Page 11
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211Selected Shakespeare New Zealand Listener, Volume 16, Issue 400, 21 February 1947, Page 11
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Copyright in the work University Entrance by Janet Frame (credited as J.F., 22 March 1946, page 18), is owned by the Janet Frame Literary Trust. The National Library has been granted permission to digitise this article and make it available online as part of this digitised version of the New Zealand Listener. You can search, browse, and print this article for research and personal study only. Permission must be obtained from the Janet Frame Literary Trust for any other use.
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