The development of Schakespeare's dramaturgy

Abstract

The first part of this essay draws attention to certain elements in Shakespeare's dramatic art which have largely escaped comment, and certainly co-ordinated comment. It offers a very tentative systematisation of these elements, suggesting their possible importance. The second section is a consideration of the part they play in a single work, The Winter's Tale.

In relation to the potentialities of the subject both parts of the essay are perfunctory. The systematisation attempted is very sketchily worked out, and even the application of it to The Winter's Tale far from exhaustive. The paper is not intended as an articulated piece of work but only as an indication of work that should be done.