Background
I began this blog with no real semblance of theme other than that I wanted to have fun learning about Shakespeare. My natural inclinations have led me to pursue business-oriented themes and tie them back to Shakespeare. While following this business theme, my ideas and posts have still been somewhat scattered. I did the following:
- Read professional criticism on Leadership in Henry the V
- Analyzed elements of behavior change in Taming of the Shrew
- Performed a close reading to critique Othello as a leader
- Searched for the bottom line of A Winter's Tale
- Used two (Aesthetic Taste, Andrew Carnegie) different approaches to pursue the economic elements of Shakespeare
After two months, I've narrowed my research down to Shakespeare as a product. I will continue the blog with a very specific interest in identifying how Shakespearean theater acts as a marketable, revenue-generating product.
Hypothesis
The broad hypothesis of this blog is that Shakespeare can be considered the greatest entrepreneur of the 16th and 17th centuries, if not one of the greatest in history. On a smaller scale, my hypothesis is that the bottom line--profit--motivated the creation and performance of Shakespeares plays and must be considered in order to understand his success.
Questions
I wanted to set out a list of questions that this blog may or may not answer, but that I would like to consider in the course of my research:
- What historical evidence exists to suggest that Shakespeare was motivated by profit?
- What business strategies did Shakespeare use to achieve success?
- What aspects of his performances or the writing of his plays helped created a unique and desirable product?
- How do entertainment and emotional appeal function as commodities, with regard to his plays?
- How do modern business principles parallel or contrast with those of the theater companies?
I anticipate that this list will grow as my blog expands and matures.
Objectives
There are several objectives that I would like to fulfill as I continue this blog; they mainly related to course objectives for the Shakespeare class in which I am currently enrolled.
My objectives:
- Gain depth by pursuing further analysis of one play, Othello (LO#1B)
- Analyze how performances contribute to the product of Shakespeare (LO#1C)
- Apply a literary theory in a close reading of Shakespeare (LO#2C)
- Analyze a digital mediation of Shakespeare related to business (LO#2D)
- Finish reading both Othello and The Tempest
- Attempt some form of imitation of Shakespeare's writing (LO#3B)
- Engage the plays creatively
I will use this post as a starting point for my research and refer back to it as I continue to learn.
