That Shakespeare’s The Winter’s Tale (1610–1611) is modeled after Euripides’ Alcestis (fifth century B.C.) seems undeniable. However, it is generally accepted that Shakespeare knew little or no Greek, so Euripides’ original play would be an unlikely source. Thus, it seems most likely that Shakespeare came to know Euripides’ play through a Latin translation.
Summarize Argument: Phenomenon-Hypothesis
The author hypothesizes that Shakespeare probably learned about Euripedes’ play through a Latin translation. This is based on the fact that Shakespeare knew little or no Greek, which suggests he didn’t read the original version of Euripedes’ play.
Notable Assumptions
The author assumes that Shakespeare didn’t learn about the play through a translation in another language, such as English. The author also assumes that Shakespeare learned about Euripedes’ play through a translation, as opposed to learning about the play through a conversation or through other kinds of communiation with people who knew about the play. The author also assumes that Shakespeare could read Latin.
A
Latin phrases that were widely used in England during Shakespeare’s time appear in a number of his plays.
This doesn’t suggest that Shakespeare knew Latin. If the phrases were widely used, that suggests he may have simply used phrases that came to be part of general parlance. (Think about a phrase like “schadenfreude” - you may know what this means without knowing German.)
B
The only English language version of Alcestis available in Shakespeare’s time differed drastically from the original in ways The Winter’s Tale does not.
This provides evidence against the theory that Shakespeare learned about Euripedes’ play through an English translation.
C
Paul Buchanan’s 1539 Latin translation of Alcestis was faithful to the original and widely available during the 1600s.
This strengthens by affirming that there was in fact a Latin translation of Euripedes’ play in existence at the time Shakespeare wrote The Winter’s Tale.
D
Shakespeare’s father’s community standing makes it probable that Shakespeare attended grammar school, where Latin would have been a mandatory subject.
This strengthens by providing evidence that Shakespeare knew Latin.
E
There is strong evidence to suggest that Shakespeare relied on Latin translations of Greek plays as sources for some of his other works.
This strengthens by showing that there is precedent for the idea that Shakespeare was influenced by Latin translations of Greek plays.
A
He proposed two alternative hypotheses, each of which would explain a set of observations.
B
His investigation partially confirmed prior observations but led to a radical reinterpretation of those observations.
C
He proposed a theory and then proceeded to confirm it through observation.
D
He used different methods from those used in earlier studies but arrived at the same conclusion.
E
His investigation replicated previous studies but yielded a more limited set of observational data.