Shakespeare, the Illusion of Depth, and the Science of Parts

My dissertation interrogates theatre and performance theory through the lens of
recent developments in cognitive science. I explore the power of poetry in
performance to illuminate the connection and seams between body and language,
actor and character, fact and fiction. I reexamine some of the work of new critics
and new historicists given the latest developments within neuroscience and suggest
a path of integration between the sciences and literary and theatre theory. Rather
than simply referencing scientific research as supplemental evidentiary material to
a re-reading of Hamlet, I investigate how cognitive science can unveil
Shakespeare's textual theatrics and spot light blind spots in theatre and performance
theory.