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"We Three": The Mythology of Shakespeare's Weird Sisters
by Laura Shamas
Publication Date: 2007. Peter Lang USA.
ISBN-13: 978-0-8204-7933-0. www.peterlang.com.
From the cover: "The Weird Sisters, from William Shakespeare's play Macbeth, are arguably the most famous trio of witches in English literature. Shakespeare's Weird Sisters are a complex trinitarian mythological construction--a unique amalgamation of classical, folkloric, and socio-political elements. This book is an archetypal exploration of the Weird Sisters. By examining this feminine trio through the lens of mythology, new insights about their significance may be understood. The ramifications extend from classical comprehension to twenty-first century pop culture observations related to female trios."
"Excellently researched...This creative weaving of the mythological heritage is unique to Shakespeare. It suggests that the politics of Macbeth is more mysterious than other scholars have perceived...A highly persuasive second chapter explores the triangulations of Macbeth and of feminine archetypes in literature...In a daring argument, Shamas excavates the maternal resonance of the witches...Another very valuable aspect of this book is in the amplification of the theme of the weird sisters into other myths, fairytales, and later literature...Laura Shamas is to be congratulated for giving to Shakespeare's most dramatically powerful creatures of darkness their proper place as guardians of the 'weyward path' to the Other..."We Three" is now an indispensable resource for that most spell-binding of plays."
- Susan Rowland, book review, Spring Journal, Volume 78 (Fall 2007, pages 377-379)
"Laura Shamas's study is especially valuable because she brings to the same conversation the scholars of Shakespeare and those in mythology. Her analysis of Hecate, the archetypal witch, and the resurgence of Hecate's myth in the Weird Sisters is absolutely fascinating."
- Ginette Paris, Pagan Meditations
"Laura Shamas has stirred the witches' cauldron once again! The magic of the weird sisters comes to life wondrously in this most remarkable brew of history, folktale, mythology, psychology, contemporary cultural criticism, and the phenomenology of the meaning of 'threeness.' The reader will be spellbound by the prehistory and archetypal sources of Shakespeare's famous witches. The drama of female threesomes is illuminating in the extreme!"
- David L. Miller, Three Faces of God
Playwriting for Theater, Film and Television
by Laura Shamas
Betterway Books, 1991. ISBN-13: 978-15588702134
From School Library Journal:
"YA--A step-by step how-to for playwriting, this is a readable guide. In a no-nonsense but good-humored fashion, Shamas not only outlines how to write plays or screenplays, but also provides valuable contest, marketing, and publishing information for beginners."
-Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Library Journal:
"This unusual and exemplary manual focuses on the process of writing one's own play. Most books of this ilk give innumerable pages to plot points, action curves, and formal presentation but little to the basic concerns of novice writers, such as outlining character and plot, filling in those outlines, and dealing with a case of writer's block. This book addresses all these concerns with clear instructions and exercises, providing a simple and warm discussion of the whole process. Classics in the field of screen writing, e.g., Edward Dmytryk's On Screen Writing (Focal Pr., 1985) or Syd Field's Screenplay (Dell, 1984. pap.) , concentrate on what the industry expects in form and content rather than on the more practical aspects of writing and marketing a play. Thus, this is a welcome addition to the classics: together they present a much fuller picture of the entire process."
- Robert Rayher, Sch . of the Art Inst. of Chicago Lib. Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Essays by Laura Shamas:
Over a dozen non-fiction essays by Laura Shamas on myth and modern life have been published in print and new media. Her work has appeared in Newsday, The Los Angeles Times, Spring Journal, and The San Francisco Jung Institute Library Journal, among others. Here is a representative sampling:"Oscar Exemplars: Toward an Exploration of Current Heroes, Hero Worship, and the Academy Awards," by Laura Shamas in Society for the Interdisciplinary Study of Social Imagery (SISSI) Conference Proceedings 2004, August 2004.
"Muse-Worthy: Francine Prose's The Lives of Muses" by Laura Shamas, Spring Journal, Volume 70, March 2004.
"The Clinton Years: America's Zeus" by Laura Shamas, Newsday, January 14, 2001.
"Entertainment: A Dirty Word?" by Laura Shamas, Los Angeles Times, May 1, 2000.
"The Hera Factor in Hillary's Run" by Laura Shamas, Los Angeles Times, July 11, 1999.
"Old Problem, New Myth: Y2K Hype Latest Manifestation of Humanity's Resistance to Change" by Laura Shamas, Los Angeles Daily News, June 20, 1999.
Laura Shamas' thoughts on winter and Aphrodite are cited in: Earth Bound: Daily Meditations for All Seasons by Brian Nelson, Skinner House, 2004.
© Copyright 2008 by Laura Shamas. Books and Essays. All Rights Reserved.