Shakespeare and the Folktale: An Anthology of Stories

by Charlotte Artese (Editor)

Overview

An international collection of the traditional tales that inspired some of Shakespeare's greatest plays

Shakespeare knew a good story when he heard one, and he wasn't afraid to borrow from what he heard or read, especially traditional folktales. The Merchant of Venice, for example, draws from "A Pound of Flesh," while King Lear begins in the same way as "Love Like Salt," with a king asking his three daughters how much they love him, then banishing the youngest when her cryptic reply displeases him. This unique anthology presents more than forty versions of folktales related to eight Shakespeare plays: The Taming of the Shrew, The Comedy of Errors, Titus Andronicus, The Merchant of Venice, All's Well That Ends Well, King Lear, Cymbeline, and The Tempest. These fascinating and diverse tales come from Europe, the Middle East, India, the Caribbean, and South America, and include stories by Gerald of Wales, Marie-Catherine d'Aulnoy, Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm, Giambattista Basile, J. M. Synge, Zora Neale Hurston, Italo Calvino, and many more. Organized by play, each chapter includes a brief introduction discussing the intriguing connections between the play and the gathered folktales. Shakespeare and the Folktale can be read for the pure pleasure these lively tales give as much as for the insight into Shakespeare's plays they provide.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780691197920
Publisher:	Princeton University Press
Publication date:	10/22/2019
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	392
File size:	1 MB

About the Author

Charlotte Artese is professor of English at Agnes Scott College and the author of Shakespeare's Folktale Sources.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments ix

Introduction 1

I The Taming of the Shrew 10

Taming of the Shrew 14

"The Most Obedient Wife" Svend Grundtvig 14

"How a Bad Daughter Was Made a Good Wife" Angus MacLellan 21

Lord for a Day 27

"The Frolicksome Duke: Or, The Tinkers Good Fortune" Anonymous Ballad 27

From The Thousand and One Nights, "Asleep and Awake" 30

The Wicked Queen Reformed by Whipping by a Cobbler 52

"The Queen and the Tripe-Seller" Rachel Harriette Busk 52

II The Comedy of Errors 59

The Twins or Blood-Brothers 62

"The Enchanted Doe" Giambattista Basile 62

"The Story of the Two Golden Brothers" D.L.R. E. O. Lorimer 69

"Blackjack and White Jack" Roger D. Abrahams 76

III Titus Andronicus 82

The Revenge of the Castrated Man 88

"Revenge" Mas'udi 88

Gerald of Wales, "The Scene of Sorrows" 89

"The Lady and the Blackamoor" Anonymous Ballad 91

The Maiden without Hands 98

"The Maiden without Hands" Jacob Wilhelm Grimm 98

"The Cruel Stepmother" Peter Buchan 105

"The Envious Sisters" W. Henry Jones Lewis L. Kropf 110

"Olive" Italo Calvino 115

"The Armless Maiden" Aleksandr Afanas'ev 124

IV The Merchant of Venice 130

A Pound of Flesh 133

"The Creditor" Johannes de Alta Silva 133

"White Onion" Yolando Pino-Saavedra 137

"The Cruel Creditor" Dov Noy 142

"Fareed and the Kázi" Meherjibhai Nosherwanji Kuka 146

Three Caskets 149

"The Maid in the Country Underground" Patrick Kennedy 149

V All's Well that Ends Well 155

The Man Who Deserted His Wife 159

"Ortodosio, Isabella, Argentina" Giovanni Francesco Straparola 159

"Catherine the Wise" Italo Calvino 167

"The Sultan's Camp Follower" Inea Bushnaq 175

"The Talisman of Chastity" Sangendi Mahalingam Natesa Sastri 180

VI King Lear 202

Love Like Salt 206

"Cap o' Rushes" Joseph Jacobs 206

"The Turkey-Girl" Jean-François Bladé 211

"Marie, the King's Daughter" Jean-Baptiste Frédéric Ortoli 220

"The Gift of God" Naki Tezel 224

"The Goose Girl at the Spring" Jacob Wilhelm Grimm 229

VII Cymbeline 241

The Wager on the Wife's Chastity 251

"The Wager on the Wife's Chastity" Yolando Pino-Saavedra 251

"The Innkeeper of Moscow" Kurt Ranke 257

"Wormwood" Italo Calvino 262

"The Lady O'Conor" J.M. Synge 269

Snow White 274

"Blanca Rosa and the Forty Thieves" Yolando Pino-Saavedra 274

"The Glass Coffin" Violet Paget 279

"Lasair Gheug, the King of Ireland's Daughter" Alan Bruford 283

The Maiden Who Seeks Her Brothers 292

"The Twelve Wild Ducks" Peter Christian Asbjørnsen Jørgen Moe 292

VIII The Tempest 300

The Magic Flight 304

"Nix Nought Nothing" Joseph Jacobs 304

"Green Sleeves" Peter Buchan 309

"The Two Kings' Children" Jacob Wilhelm Grimm 320

"Jack Beats the Devil" Zora Neale Hurston 329

"The Bee and the Orange Tree" Marie-Catherine d'Aulnoy 335

Bibliography 365

Index 369

Text Credits 375

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

"Charlotte Artese's fascinating anthology stirs the rich mix of global folktales to set out dozens that are like those Shakespeare knew. Not a collection of his sources but a demonstration of the intriguing ways similar folktales turn up all over the world, here is a delightful set of variations on themes, a gathering of stories we don't quite know in these tellings of old tales."—Peter Holland, University of Notre Dame

"Shakespeare and the Folktale is a pleasure to read and a rich resource for anyone who loves Shakespeare or storytelling. The book's lucid introductions to each play and tale-type provide insight into how Shakespeare wrote the plays and how audiences engaged with and understood them."—Patrick Ryan, author of Shakespeare’s Storybook: Folk Tales That Inspired the Bard

"This delightful collection is certain to appeal to Shakespeare enthusiasts of all ages. The accessible introduction and framing essays brilliantly explain the value of folktales to Shakespeare study. And the folktales themselves—thoughtfully selected from diverse cultures and times—are enormously pleasurable to read. A must-have for Shakespeare teachers."—Gina Bloom, University of California, Davis

"This anthology is a revelation. It might change perceptions of Shakespeare's plays and reopen the challenging, central question of why they have had such a long and robust afterlife."—Douglas Lanier, author of Shakespeare and Modern Popular Culture

Editorial Reviews

"Artese’s anthology reinforces and opens the mind to another way to meet those audience needs, starting with the stories of the people. . . . A wonderful companion for any scholar or practitioner of classical theater, and it embraces the crossroads of study."—-Kerry Kaleba, Journal of American Folklore

From the Publisher