Shakespeare and the Folktale: An Anthology of Stories

Shakespeare knew a good story when he heard one, and he wasn’t afraid to borrow from what he heard or read, especially traditional folktales. The Merchant of Venice, for example, draws from “A Pound of Flesh,” while King Lear begins in the same way as “Love Like Salt,” with a king asking his three daughters how much they love him, then banishing the youngest when her cryptic reply displeases him. This unique anthology presents more than forty versions of folktales related to eight Shakespeare plays: The Taming of the Shrew, The Comedy of Errors, Titus Andronicus, The Merchant of Venice, All’s Well That Ends Well, King Lear, Cymbeline, and The Tempest. These fascinating and diverse tales come from Europe, the Middle East, India, the Caribbean, and South America, and include stories by Gerald of Wales, Marie-Catherine d’Aulnoy, Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm, Giambattista Basile, J. M. Synge, Zora Neale Hurston, Italo Calvino, and many more. Organized by play, each chapter includes a brief introduction discussing the intriguing connections between the play and the gathered folktales. Shakespeare and the Folktale can be read for the pure pleasure these lively tales give as much as for the insight into Shakespeare’s plays they provide.

Edited by

Charlotte Artese is professor of English at Agnes Scott College and the author of Shakespeare's Folktale Sources.

Reviews

"Charlotte Artese's fascinating anthology stirs the rich mix of global folktales to set out dozens that are like those Shakespeare knew. Not a collection of his sources but a demonstration of the intriguing ways similar folktales turn up all over the world, here is a delightful set of variations on themes, a gathering of stories we don't quite know in these tellings of old tales."—Peter Holland, University of Notre Dame

"Shakespeare and the Folktale is a pleasure to read and a rich resource for anyone who loves Shakespeare or storytelling. The book's lucid introductions to each play and tale-type provide insight into how Shakespeare wrote the plays and how audiences engaged with and understood them."—Patrick Ryan, author of Shakespeare’s Storybook: Folk Tales That Inspired the Bard

"This delightful collection is certain to appeal to Shakespeare enthusiasts of all ages. The accessible introduction and framing essays brilliantly explain the value of folktales to Shakespeare study. And the folktales themselves—thoughtfully selected from diverse cultures and times—are enormously pleasurable to read. A must-have for Shakespeare teachers."—Gina Bloom, University of California, Davis

"This anthology is a revelation. It might change perceptions of Shakespeare's plays and reopen the challenging, central question of why they have had such a long and robust afterlife."—Douglas Lanier, author of Shakespeare and Modern Popular Culture