The rose of history: 'Citizen Kane', American literature and the recontextualizing of Shakespeare's historical and tragical plays

The Rose of History: CITIZEN KANE, American Literature and the Recontextualizing of Shakespeare, examines how director Orson Welles drew on both American literature and Shakespeare's histories and tragedies to create his most famous film. Through examination of the rise of the Resource Millionaire in American literature, I argue that Welles formed a wholly American version of the Kings and Princes who appear at the center of Shakespeare's plays. Further, I examine the direct correlation between scenes and narrative techniques used in Both Citizen Kane and in Shakespeare, culminating in a discussion of Hamlet's play-within-a-play and the opera sequences in Citizen Kane.