Daniel Mesguich's Shakespearean Play: Performing the Shakespeare Myth

Shakespeare's widespread appeal can be explained by the ideological force of his name. In France, belief in the Shakespeare myth has led to provocative productions since the 1960s. Controversial French director Daniel Mesguich participates in the myth, but he also exposes it. Using the teaching...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Theatre journal (Washington, D.C.) D.C.), 2007-03, Vol.59 (1), p.39-55
Main Author: Fayard, Nicole
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Archives
Audiences
Authorship
Curtains
Deconstructionism
Directing
Directors
Drama
French theater
Language translation
Libraries
Literary criticism
Meaning
Mesguich, Daniel
Play languages
Production techniques
Semiotic signs
Shakespeare plays
Shakespeare, William
Shakespeare, William (1564-1616)
Shakespearean plays
Stage production
Theater
Theater criticism
Theater directors
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Summary:Shakespeare's widespread appeal can be explained by the ideological force of his name. In France, belief in the Shakespeare myth has led to provocative productions since the 1960s. Controversial French director Daniel Mesguich participates in the myth, but he also exposes it. Using the teachings of Derrida and Lacan, Mesguich confronts the audience with the recognition of the ontological instability of Shakespearean meanings. Destabilizing Shakespearean performance destabilizes the subject, asking how and what theatre communicates. The confrontation between play and performance texts points to the absence of the original Author and to the presence of the director as Author, and exposes how texts and meanings are constructed.
ISSN:0192-2882
1086-332X
1086-332X
DOI:10.1353/tj.2007.0053