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The Shakespeare Conference: SHK 17.0006  Wednesday, 8 February 2006

[1] 	From: 	Peter Hyland <phyland@huron.uwo.ca>
	Date: 	Friday, 09 Dec 2005 14:07:26 -0500
	Subj: 	RE: SHK 16.2035 Deceitful Plays

[2] 	From: 	Larry Weiss <larry@lweiss.net>
	Date: 	Friday, 09 Dec 2005 21:09:45 -0500
	Subj: 	Re: SHK 16.2035 Deceitful Play

[3] 	From: 	Kristen McDermott <mcder1k@cmich.edu>
	Date: 	Monday, 12 Dec 2005 09:51:43 -0500
	Subj: 	RE: SHK 16.2035 Deceitful Plays


[1]-----------------------------------------------------------------
From: 		Peter Hyland <phyland@huron.uwo.ca>
Date: 		Friday, 09 Dec 2005 14:07:26 -0500
Subject: 16.2035 Deceitful Plays
Comment: 	RE: SHK 16.2035 Deceitful Plays

Ben Jonson deceived his audience twice with transvestite characters, in 
The Silent Woman and The New Inn.

Peter Hyland

[2]-------------------------------------------------------------
From: 		Larry Weiss <larry@lweiss.net>
Date: 		Friday, 09 Dec 2005 21:09:45 -0500
Subject: 16.2035 Deceitful Plays
Comment: 	Re: SHK 16.2035 Deceitful Plays

Martin Steward makes an interesting point about Beaumont & Fletcher's 
practice of concealing material information known to some of the 
characters from the audience.  Shakespeare hardly ever indulged in this, 
but there are exceptions, such as withholding the true identity of the 
Abbess in C/E for a surprise ending.

But this is not the same thing as deliberately deceiving the audience 
with false information.  When Paulina says that Hermione is dead we are 
supposed to believe it.  And, if there were any doubt it would have to 
be dispelled by Antigonus's dream of Hermione's prophecy.  Keeping a 
secret and lying are two distinct offices.

[3]-------------------------------------------------------------
From: 		Kristen McDermott <mcder1k@cmich.edu>
Date: 		Monday, 12 Dec 2005 09:51:43 -0500
Subject: 16.2035 Deceitful Plays
Comment: 	RE: SHK 16.2035 Deceitful Plays

 >"Above all, WS intentionally deceives his audience" in WT, says Larry
 >Weiss in the Shadowplay thread (SHK 16.1993). "Can anyone think of any
 >pre-restoration play in which that was done?"

Jonson's Epicoene, as performed, keeps the actual sex of its title 
character a secret from the audience until the end, although a number of 
hints are dropped and the Dramatis Personae identifies Epicoene as "a 
young gentleman, supposed the Silent Woman." It's probably significant 
that many scholars identify Epicoene as a proto-Restoration comedy.

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