https://lodel.appli.univ-poitiers.fr:443/shakespeare/index.php?id=2956 Index des publications de auteurs Imke Lichterfeld fr 0 https://lodel.appli.univ-poitiers.fr:443/shakespeare/index.php?id=3260 jeu., 29 janv. 2026 00:39:35 +0100 lun., 09 févr. 2026 01:27:44 +0100 https://lodel.appli.univ-poitiers.fr:443/shakespeare/index.php?id=3260 https://lodel.appli.univ-poitiers.fr:443/shakespeare/index.php?id=3186 In 1973, Michael Manheim published The Weak King Dilemma in the Shakespearean History Play, analysing flawed, indecisive, and unsteady kings whose status as courageous warlords is dismissed and their reign doomed as these attributes would rather be applied to women. Gender binaries and preconceived configurations have often been called into question but the spectrum between feminine and masculine has lately become the focus of attention. Female actors today raise their voice to claim parts formerly restricted to male colleagues due to the character’s binary gender. Disrupting conservative casting concepts against sexist preconceptions raises awareness towards power structures in the acting business. Transformations of traditional casting allow for fascinating staging opportunities. Directed by Deborah Warner, Fiona Shaw played Richard II in 1995 at the National Theatre. In 2016, Gillian Bevan portrayed King Cymbeline in their RSC production (Dir. Melly Still). In 2017, Betsy Schwartz was Henry VI in an all-female adaptation called Bring Down the House by the Seattle Shakespeare Company (Dir. Rosa Joshi). However, Richard II has been labelled “effeminate”, Cymbeline as “unreasonable”, and Henry VI as “milquetoast”. This reading would not speak of female empowerment. The theatre is a cultural construct, a configuration of contemporary society. Strong male characters have been cast with women. Additionally, production dynamics depend on ensemble interaction. Yet, the above castings seem to perpetuate the stereotype of a petulant, feeble, and emotional woman whose regiment must fail. Patriarchal power relations can then be traced in today’s Shakespearean castings. This seems a twisted discourse of enablement. This contribution adds to the discourse on equality in contemporary performance industries concerning female weak kings/monarchs in Shakespeare and question its function. En 1973, Michael Manheim a publié The Weak King Dilemna in the Shakespearean History Play (Le dilemme du roi faible dans les pièces historiques de Shakespeare, non traduit) analysant les rois défaillants, indécis et instables, dont le statut de guerrier courageux est rejeté et leur règne condamné, étant donné que ces défauts seraient plutôt attribués à des femmes. On a souvent remis en cause la binarité du genre et les configurations préconçues, mais la variété entre le féminin et le masculin est récemment devenue un centre de préoccupation. À présent, des actrices font entendre leur voix pour réclamer des rôles qui étaient autrefois réservés aux acteurs étant donné le genre binaire du personnage. Déranger les concepts traditionnels de distribution des rôles en s’opposant aux préconceptions sexistes met l’accent sur les leviers de pouvoir dans le milieu théâtral. Transformer les distributions traditionnelles permet de fascinantes possibilités scéniques. Sous la direction de Deborah Werner, Fiona Shaw a interprété Richard II en 1995 à Londres, au National Theatre. En 2016, Gillian Bevan a représenté Cymbeline à la RSC dans une mise en scène de Melly Still. En 2017, Betsy Schwartz a endossé le rôle de Henry VI dans une adaptation uniquement féminine intitulée Bring Down the House par la Seattle Shakespeare Company, mise en scène par Rosa Joshi. Cependant, Richard II a été accusé d’être « efféminé », Cymbeline d’être « déraisonnable » et Henry VI d’être « timoré ». Cette lecture ne ferait pas la part belle à l’émancipation féminine. L’art théâtral est une construction culturelle, une configuration de la société contemporaine. De puissants personnages masculins ont été interprétés par des actrices. De plus, la dynamique d’un spectacle dépend de l’interaction entre tous les interprètes. Cependant, les distributions ci-dessus semblent perpétuer le stéréotype de la femme irritable, faible et émotive, dont l’armée doit être battue. Les distributions shakespeariennes actuelles peuvent révéler des liens de pouvoir patriarcal. Cela semble un discours biaisé concernant les capacités réelles. Cet article s’inscrit dans la trajectoire de l’égalité dans la distribution des spectacles contemporains en ce qui concerne les faibles rois shakespeariens interprétés par des actrices, et en questionne le fonctionnement. sam., 14 déc. 2024 19:32:03 +0100 sam., 28 févr. 2026 12:36:44 +0100 https://lodel.appli.univ-poitiers.fr:443/shakespeare/index.php?id=3186 https://lodel.appli.univ-poitiers.fr:443/shakespeare/index.php?id=3174 sam., 14 déc. 2024 19:21:44 +0100 sam., 28 févr. 2026 12:06:32 +0100 https://lodel.appli.univ-poitiers.fr:443/shakespeare/index.php?id=3174 https://lodel.appli.univ-poitiers.fr:443/shakespeare/index.php?id=3138 lun., 09 déc. 2024 04:02:03 +0100 sam., 28 févr. 2026 12:37:10 +0100 https://lodel.appli.univ-poitiers.fr:443/shakespeare/index.php?id=3138 https://lodel.appli.univ-poitiers.fr:443/shakespeare/index.php?id=2952 Female actors today raise their voice to claim parts that used to be restricted to male actors. Due to professional gender restrictions, young males portrayed female characters on the early modern stage. Casting women was illegal then. Now, roles are mostly cast according to the binary genders of characters. If traditional “legitimate” casting – even today – is equal to “white male” for male parts, then transformations of these concepts allow for fascinating opportunities. One aspect addressed in this paper is the representation of such “legitimacy” and its subversion. An “illegitimate” child in the early modern era was considered an “Other” due to their hybridity, expressed through a non-normative, transgressive sexuality. Bastard children like Philipp in Shakespeare’s devastating tragedy King John are “dangerous social outsider[s]” (Neill) and they constitute a marginal group that can nevertheless influence staged politics. However, the bastard can also be an attractive, charismatic character, active, and intelligent. Disrupting conservative casting concepts against sexist preconceptions, the bastard in King John has lately been cast with women. Such revolutionary castings of the “Other”, the illegitimate, the abject via cross-dressing, as well as gender-blind and gender-conscious role swaps on the contemporary stage, can demonstrate not only a certain fluidity in gender representation but also different political and social issues. We can explore these possibilities alongside ideas that Shapiro underlines as a “fascination with sexual identity and gender roles”. Casting Philipp with a female actor raises the awareness of female power in the acting business, “a female ‘object’ who inexplicably returns the glance, reverses the gaze, and contests the place and authority of the masculine position” (Butler). This demands readings of female empowerment. lun., 22 janv. 2024 21:56:26 +0100 sam., 28 févr. 2026 12:05:10 +0100 https://lodel.appli.univ-poitiers.fr:443/shakespeare/index.php?id=2952