Wednesday, November 25, 2015

A Time-Analysis of the Plots of Shakspere's Plays

P. A. Daniel - A Time-Analysis of the Plots of Shakspere's Plays (1879)

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Ever wonder how long the stories in each of Shakespeare's plays lasted?  Me neither but here's a breakdown with descriptions of how it was determined, though it should be noted that he's focusing on what is presented on stage and not the gaps between scenes (which is years in some instances).  The events in As You Like It, for instance, took 10 days starting with the Duke's quarrel and ending with his restoration.  Hamlet is 7 days from the first guard scene to the assorted deaths at the end though he admits there are some doubtful gaps in the story.  Some of the times seem short - he gives 8 days to The Winter's Tale, 10 to Coriolanus and 14 to Pericles.

Peter Augustin Daniel was a Shakespeare editor and scholar.  He seems to have been a friend of George Meredith. Oddly I can find no dates or more specific information other than a book calling him a "relatively unknown figure" (Encyclopedia of Library and Information Science: Volume 30, p397).