The Ambassador as Proteus: Indirect Characterization and Diplomatic Appeasement in Catiline and Measure for Measure

Carles, Nathalie Rivère de

doi:10.1057/978-1-137-43693-1_6

Cited by 1 publication

(1 citation statement)

References 0 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Flanked by a retinue and an interpreter, the Russian ambassador is dramatised in a conventional manner: he is named after his function, is confined to a form of silence as he does not speak English and plays the part of Catastrophe, being both a semi-silent figure and the pretext to announce Gresham's reversal of fortune in the shape of his wrecked ship. 40 The novelty here is the focus on the multiple forms of diplomatic multilingualism: Heywood reprised the actual diplomatic conventional use of Latin as lingua franca as full multilingualism rather than mere code-switching. He stressed the role of chirological codes related to welcome ceremonies as proved by the inner stage direction indicating a drinking gesture: "We understand that signe".…”

Section: Heywood's Russian Ambassador: Diplomatic Topicality As Theat...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Playing Dumb: Diplomacy and Dramatised Multilingualism in Thomas Heywood’s If you know not me, you know nobody, part 2

Carles¹

2021

asf

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Michael Clyne defines multilingualism as the ability to speak several languages and that of using several languages, whether by an individual, an entire nation or society. 1 Defining multilingualism in terms of use and territory echoes the Humanist approach to languages and, particularly, to Latin. The Humanist philological project promoted Latin to create a neutral zone where one would reach an audience beyond their linguistic community 2 while increasingly codifying vernacular languages. 3 These two dynamics underpin the relationship of the Renaissance audience with the language of the Other: language is in turn a conflict zone and a way to diminish hostility. 2Multilingualism in the Renaissance is both a matter of delocalising and re-localising languages in a less adversarial linguistic territory. It is a subtle form of linguistic diplomacy that Thomas Heywood dramatises in the literal context of two diplomatic scenes in the second part of If you know not me, you know no bodie or The Troubles of the Queene Elizabeth, first registered in 1605. 4 Heywood's is a rare play dramatising this form of diplomatic multilingualism blending Latin and vernacular language through the voice of an ambassador and his interpreter. Written and performed within the two years following Elizabeth I's death in 1603, Heywood's two-part play dramatises immediate-to-recent history. Part 1 chronicles Mary I's reign, ending with Elizabeth's accession. Part 2 is a hotchpotch of significant events symbolising the creativity, threats and victories of the Elizabethan era: the first three acts deal with Thomas Gresham's building of the Royal Exchange, then the action shifts from city comedy to historical play as the plot focuses on Elizabeth and her political entourage, with Doctor William Parry's assassination attempt and the Spanish Armada's failed invasion of England. 5 The play was written and first performed at the same time as the 1604 Treaty

show abstract

Section: Heywood's Russian Ambassador: Diplomatic Topicality As Theat...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Playing Dumb: Diplomacy and Dramatised Multilingualism in Thomas Heywood’s If you know not me, you know nobody, part 2

Carles¹

2021

asf

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

The Ambassador as Proteus: Indirect Characterization and Diplomatic Appeasement in Catiline and Measure for Measure

Cited by 1 publication

References 0 publications

Playing Dumb: Diplomacy and Dramatised Multilingualism in Thomas Heywood’s If you know not me, you know nobody, part 2

Playing Dumb: Diplomacy and Dramatised Multilingualism in Thomas Heywood’s If you know not me, you know nobody, part 2

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About