Shaffer, Peter (Vol. 5) - Shaffer, Peter 1926–
Shaffer, Peter 1926–
Shaffer is a British playwright noted for technical skill, versatility, and sophistication. His early successes were Five Finger Exercise and The Royal Hunt of the Sun. (See also Contemporary Authors, Vols. 25-28.)
[Without] spectacular theatricality, [The Royal Hunt of the Sun] amounts to very little; it may be total theatre but it is strictly fractional drama; and being exposed to Peter Shaffer's meditations on religion, love, life, and death for three solid hours is rather like being trapped in a particularly active wind tunnel with no hope of egress. (p. 114)
[The] conquest of Peru by the Spanish invaders is a natural subject for the theatre; it is the kind of dark myth that fascinated Antonin Artaud as an alternative to the decaying subject matter of the Occidental stage. The idea for the play, as a matter of fact, was probably suggested to Mr. Shaffer by Artaud's first scenario for his...
[The entire page is 4492 words long]
Join eNotes
Over 3,500 study guides, question and answer forums, literature criticism, reference content, and much more!
Navigate
