Case IX: Adapting Shakespeare on the Page and the Stage

Through the late 17th and 18th centuries, Shakespeare’s works were reinvented and adapted—and sometimes rewritten altogether—to suit modern expectations. The “Shakespeare” that appeared on stages in this period often differed radically from the plays we know today. At the same time, the growing tradition of scholarly editing began to treat Shakespeare with the same seriousness as Greek and Roman authors, and increasingly strove to recover authentic, unadulterated texts.

William Shakespeare (1564-1616). The Works of Shakespear: In six Volumes. Edited by Alexander Pope. Vol. 1. London: Tonson et al., 1725.

In the 1725 edition of Shakespeare’s dramatic works edited by Alexander Pope (1688–1744), the notoriously interventionist poet and editor added his own notes with judgments of Shakespeare’s style. In places he even demoted into footnotes the lines he deemed poetically unworthy of Shakespeare (though they remain perfectly visible—even highlighted—at the bottom of the page).

William Shakespeare (1564-1616). The Plays of William Shakespeare: In eight Volumes, with the Corrections and Illustrations of various Commentators. Vol. 1. Edited by Samuel Johnson. London: Tonson et al., 1765.

By 1765, Samuel Johnson’s (1709–1784) eight-volume edition would take a more curatorial approach, reprinting the annotations of prior editors (including Pope) with their names carefully affixed, while still reserving space for Johnson to demolish their opinions (especially Pope’s) when he felt it necessary.

William Shakespeare (1564-1616). The Plays and Poems of William Shakspeare: In ten Volumes, collated Verbatim with the most authentick Copies, and revised, with the Corrections and Illustrations of various Commentators. Vol. 1, part 2. Edited by Edmond Malone. London: Rivington et al., 1790.

By the time Edmond Malone (1741–1812) published his landmark ten-volume edition in 1790, there was a wealth of prior annotation to reproduce, along with an unprecedented amount of new historical and documentary research by Malone on Shakespeare, his language, and his time. All this knowledge sometimes edged Shakespeare’s lines off the page altogether.

Tinsel prints depicting Edmund Kean in the character of Othello and Charles Kean in the character of Shylock in a production of Merchant of Venice. [London?, mid-nineteenth century]

These two prints, engraved on paper with the addition of foil and leather, depict father and son actors, Edmund (1789-1833) and Charles (1811-1868) Kean, in Shakespearian roles for which they were famous in their day. Edmund was considered one of the greatest English tragic actors of the time, and excelled at playing villains. His son Charles was an actor-manager who staged a series of Shakespearian revivals notable for their historical accuracy. He was playing Iago to his father’s Othello, when Edmund Kean collapsed on stage during a performance, and died shortly afterwards. These two prints were formerly owned by Robertson Davies.