Shakespeare's "Pericles" Synopsis and Comments - Shakespeare's first masterpiece romance play with a dramatic storyline!
I would like to introduce Shakespeare's "Pericles," first performed in 1608. I read the Chikuma Shobo, Matsuoka Kazuko edition.
Let's take a quick look at the book.
Pericles' tumultuous journey began when he discovered the incestuous relationship between the princess he was about to woo and her father. The mysterious events occur one after another in the device of the poet Gower's narration. This is the story of Pericles and his family, who overcome their harsh fate and are filled with joy after a long period of time. A new translation of Shakespeare's first romance play, popular in England.
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The "Pericles" is aKing Lear"andMacbeth."This work marks the beginning of the "romance play" era that Shakespeare reached after such profound tragic works as
The commentary at the end of the book describes what this romance play is about as follows.
Shakespeare's romance plays are called romances, but they are not love stories. It means a work filled with a sense of the bizarre, in which a person who is supposed to be dead is brought back to life by a divine omen or a prophecy. Starting with "Pericles," "The Winter's Tale," "Cymbeline," and "The Tempest" usually fall into this genre. Shakespeare ended his career with comedies and, finally, fairy-tale romances.
Chikuma Shobo, Shakespeare, translated by Kazuko Matsuoka, Pericles, p. 198
I call them Shakespeare's romances, but they are not romances," he said. It is not a romance, but a work filled with a bizarre atmosphere in which there is a prophecy from the gods and people who are supposed to be dead come back to life.
I see that Shakespeare's "romance plays" have a different atmosphere from the "romance" we usually imagine.
The translator's commentary also spoke of this as follows.
Shakespeare's romances, beginning with "Pericles," are, at worst, absurd and unrealistic in their plotting. At best, they are simple fairy tales with a nostalgic, provincial flavor. The inclusion of supernatural elements such as oracles and magic is one of its characteristics.
Pericles is also a play about good and evil. In today's world, there is a tendency for the bad guys to get the better end of the deal. That is why we need a simple and straightforward story like this. As Gower says at the beginning of the play, "The good old things are the best. Our strongest wish would be the resurrection of our dead loved ones. In "Pericles," that wish is granted. In Shakespeare's hands, the ridiculous and opportunistic turn into miracles. This is why I hope "The Pericles" will be read more often and performed on stage more often.
Chikuma Shobo, Shakespeare, translated by Kazuko Matsuoka, Pericles, p194
Indeed, reading "Pericles," it is just as Matsuoka-san said, a beautiful good-punishment story. The main characters go through hardships, and just when they are about to give up, the story comes to a wonderful conclusion. This is exhilarating. And Gower's narration as the mouthpiece is also very good. The exquisite narration that connects the story to the story amplifies the reader's sense of anticipation.
And Mr. Matsuoka...That's why I hope The Pericles will be read more often and will be on the stage more often."As stated above, this is a work with tremendous power. In fact, this work was very popular even during Shakespeare's lifetime, and the commentary at the end of the book says the following.
The first performance of "Pericles" was in 1608. It was very popular at the time, and the cover of the first edition of the book in 1609 states that it was "a play of great popularity these days. The popularity of the play led to the publication of a novel by George Wilkins, "The Adventures of Pericles, Lord of Tyre," in 1608, which was titled "The Story of the Pericles Recently Performed. Venetian and French ambassadors in London at the time also went to the theater to see the play.
Its reputation was not limited to its first performance. In February 1610, it was revived at a Yorkshire nobleman's house; in May 1619, at the Court (Whitehall) for the French Ambassador; and in June 1631, at the Globe Theatre, and there are records that it was revived frequently. The fact that in 1629, Shakespeare's junior playwright Ben Jonson angrily remarked that it was "outrageous" that a "musty play like 'Pericles'" should be so popular is a testament to its enduring popularity.
Shakespeare's works were well read not only in performance but also in book form, so much so that a sixth edition was published in 1635. The only other Shakespearean plays to have reached a sixth edition were "Richard III" and "Henry IV, Part I." In addition, when the monarchy was restored in 160, Shakespeare's plays were performed in their entirety. Moreover, when the theater reopened after the restoration of the monarchy in 160, "Pericles" was the first Shakespeare play to be performed. It was performed by the famous actor of the time, Thomas Betterton, and was very well received, and was repeated the following year.
Chikuma Shobo, Shakespeare, translated by Kazuko Matsuoka, Pericles, p198-199
Pericles" is not that famous in Japan, but I had no idea it was so popular!
I am currently reading Shakespeare's works, and this is how I came across this work, but "Pericles" was a no-mark for me as well.
Speaking of Shakespeare.Hamlet."andKing Lear", ,Romeo and JulietThe name recognition is still unmatched by the more well-known names such as
The fact that Pericles was even more popular than the other two is quite remarkable, isn't it?
And I had to read an article before I read this piece.
Here it is.
[PS: In March 2022, we also worked on Shakespeare's "Pericles" as a presentation performance of the acting course!
- Tsurugaku Band (@tsurugaku) December 30, 2022
The after talk with translator Kazuko Matsuoka as a guest speaker was also held, which turned out to be a very valuable time for us.
▼The talk can be viewed here.https://t.co/M5rYRSxPLO https://t.co/SN50H084S9 pic.twitter.com/jGKaEZEUcA
My favorite Sapporo theater troupe, Gemma Gekidan.
I met this theater company in 2018.You Can't Hurry Love"It was when I saw a play called
I was so hooked on this production that I have since visited the String Orchestra many times.
And this theater company regularly performs Shakespeare's plays and other plays as "Acting Course Presentation Performance". I also went to see "Hamlet" when I was living in Sapporo.
It was another wonderful experience that made me love Shakespeare even more and more. It was an experience that made me honestly think, "Shakespeare is so interesting.
Let me preface by saying that "Pericles" was performed by the Gemma Orchestra last year. And the translator, Ms. Kazuko Matsuoka, was the guest at the after talk.
The dialogue was extremely interesting and I couldn't wait to read "Pericles".
The article in the tweet above contains the conversation. Please read it. You will understand how interesting the work "Pericles" is.
I regret that I was not able to see "Pericles" by the String Orchestra due to the schedule. I heard that "The Merchant of Venice" will be performed in March this year, and I would love to go see it.
When I read "Pericles" I was struck by how brilliant it is. I can't tell you how many times I got goosebumps.
I was prepared for the quality of "Hamlet" and "King Lear" before I read them because they are so well known. However, I was not prepared for "Pericles. After the above discussion, I only had the expectation that "this work seems to be great.
This sense of expectation. For better or worse, this sense of anticipation has a significant effect on the impression one gets after reading a book.
So how was this "Pericles"?
This has already been the best reading experience I have ever had. Now "Pericles" has become one of the top works in my Shakespeare ranking.
As I mentioned earlier in this article, Gower's mouthpiece is so brilliant. His narration, which connects the story to the story, is exquisitely effective. The story itself is also cathartic, with the main characters suffering and suffering, and then, just when it seems like they are about to give up, there is a grand finale.
Pericles" is the first romance play written by Shakespeare after his tragic period. After writing such heavy tragedies as "King Lear" and "Hamlet," we can only be surprised that Shakespeare would write a play with such a happy ending.
In a sense, the world's strongest "depiction of rock bottom," cultivated through his tragic works, is still intact, and the most exhilarating ending of good and evil awaits us, so how could it not be interesting? Shakespeare, who mastered "rock bottom," has created a new sword of the family. This is strong! The deeper the depths of tragedy, the more joyous the resurrection. Shakespeare had acquired an extraordinary weapon in the last years of his life as a writer.
Pericles" has left a strong impression on me as well. It is interesting. I highly recommend this work.
That's all for "Shakespeare's "Pericles" Synopsis and Impressions - Shakespeare's first masterpiece romance play with a dramatic storyline!" The above is a summary of Shakespeare's "Pericles" and my impression of the play.
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