Renaissance Drama

Renaissance Drama explores the rich variety of theatrical and performance traditions and practices in early modern Europe and intersecting cultures. Volume 41 features articles that extend the scope of our understanding of early modern playing, theatre history, and dramatic texts and interpretation, encouraging innovative theoretical and methodological approaches to these traditions, examining familiar works, and revisiting well-known texts from fresh perspectives.

Renaissance Drama By Women is a unique volume of plays and documents. For the first time, it demonstrates the wide range of theatrical activity in which women were involved during the Renaissance period. It includes full-length plays, a translated fragment by Queen Elizabeth I, a masque, and a substantial number of historical documents. With full and up-to-date accompanying critical material, this collection of texts is an exciting and invaluable resource for use in both the classroom and research. Special features introduced by the editors include: * introductory material to each play * modernized spellings * extensive notes and annotations * biographical essays on each playwright * a complete bibliography Methodically and authoritatively edited by S.P. Cerasano and Marion Wynne-Davies, Renaissance Drama by Women is a true breakthrough for the study of women's literature and performance.

RENAISSANCE DRAMA Experience the best and most noteworthy works of Renaissance drama This Third Edition of Renaissance Drama: An Anthology of Plays and Entertainments is the latest installment of a groundbreaking collection of non-Shakespearean Renaissance drama. Covering not only the popular drama of the period, Renaissance Drama includes masques, Lord Mayor shows, royal performances, and the popular mystery plays of the time. The selections fairly represent the variety and quality of Renaissance drama and they include works of scholarly and literary interest. Each work included in this edition comes with an insightful and illuminating introduction that places the piece in its historical and cultural context, with accompanying text explaining the significance of each piece and the ways in which it interacts with other works. New to this edition are: The famous entertainment for Elizabeth at Kenilworth George Peele’s remarkably inventive The Old Wives’ Tale The oft-forgotten history of Thomas of Woodstock, predecessor to Shakespeare’s Richard II John Lyly’s Gallathea, a work which explores gender and love, written for the Children’s Company at Saint Paul’s Ben Johnson’s Volpone and the controversial Epicoene Perfect for scholars, teachers, and readers of the English Renaissance, Renaissance Drama: An Anthology of Plays and Entertainments belongs on the bookshelves of anyone with even a passing interest in the drama of its time.

Renaissance Drama in Action is a fascinating exploration of Renaissance theatre practice and staging. Covering questions of contemporary playhouse design, verse and language, staging and rehearsal practices, and acting styles, Martin White relates the characteristics of Renaissance theatre to the issues involved in staging the plays today. This refreshingly accessible volume: * examines the history of the plays on the English stage from the seventeenth century to the present day * explores questions arising from reconstructions, with particular reference to the new Globe Theatre * includes interviews with, and draws on the work and experience of modern theatre practitioners including Harriet Walter, Matthew Warchus, Trevor Nunn, Stephen Jeffreys, Adrian Noble and Helen Mirren * includes discussions of familiar plays such as The Duchess of Malfi and 'Tis Pity She's A Whore, as well as many lesser known play-texts Renaissance Drama in Action offers undergraduates and A-level students an invaluable guide to the characteristics of Elizabethan and Jacobean drama, and its relationship to contemporary theatre and staging.

"The Renaissance saw a dramatic explosion of such force that, four hundred years later, its plays are still amongst the most frequently performed and studied we have. This anthology offers a full introduction to Renaissance theatre in its historical and political context, along with newly edited and comprehensively annotated texts of the following plays: The Spanish Tragedy (Thomas Kyd); Arden of Faversham (Anon.); Edward II (Christopher Marlowe); A Woman Killed with Kindness (Thomas Heywood); The Tragedy of Mariam (Elizabeth Cary); The Masque of Blackness (Ben Jonson); The Knight of the Burning Pestle (Francis Beaumont); Epicoene, or the Silent Woman (Ben Jonson); The Roaring Girl (Thomas Middleton and Thomas Dekker); The Changeling (Thomas Middleton and William Rowley); and 'Tis Pity She's a Whore (John Ford).".

At first consideration, it would seem that Shakespeare and Monty Python have very little in common other than that they’re both English. Shakespeare wrote during the reign of a politically puissant Elizabeth, while Python flourished under an Elizabeth figurehead. Shakespeare wrote for rowdy theatre whereas Python toiled at a remove, for television. Shakespeare is The Bard; Python is-well-not. Despite all of these differences, Shakespeare and Monty are in fact related; this work considers both the differences and similarities between the two. It discusses Shakespeare’s status as England’s National Poet and Python’s similar elevation. It explores various aspects of theatricality (troupe configurations, casting and writing choices, allusions to classical literature) used by Shakespeare, Ben Jonson and Monty Python. It also covers the uses and abuses of history in Shakespeare and Python; humor, especially satire, in Shakespeare, Jonson, Dekker and Python; and the concept of the “Other” in Shakespearean and Pythonesque creations.

This anthology offers a full introduction to Renaissance theatre in its historical and political context, along with newly edited and thoroughly annotated texts of the following plays: * The Spanish Tragedy (Thomas Kyd) * Arden of Faversham (Anon.) * Edward II (Christopher Marlowe) * A Woman Killed with Kindness (Thomas Heywood) * The Tragedy of Mariam (Elizabeth Cary) * The Masque of Blackness (Ben Jonson) * The Knight of the Burning Pestle (Francis Beaumont) * Epicoene, or the Silent Woman (Ben Jonson) * The Roaring Girl (Thomas Middleton & Thomas Dekker) * The Changeling (Thomas Middleton & William Rowley) * 'Tis Pity She's a Whore (John Ford). Each play is prefaced by an introductory headnote discussing the thematic focus of the play and its textual history, and is cross-referenced to other plays of the period that relate thematically and generically. An accompanying website contains a wide selection of contextual documents which supplement the anthology: www.routledge.com/textbooks/0415187346