English Renaissance Drama: A Very Short Introduction to Theatre and Theatres in Shakespeare's Time

about

This generous 184-page study guide aims to introduce students with little or no prior experience of the field to the conclusions of recent scholarship and research into theatrical conditions, conventions and concepts in the time of Shakespeare.

The book begins with a discussion of the origins of early modern English drama and of the theatres that were built for it. Attitudes to theatre and to players, and what audiences expected of both, are explored in the contexts of the constraints of the acting space and the political culture. The book then looks at the structure and dynamics of the theatrical companies before concluding with a discussion of the genres of plays and the expectations of them that people (including writers) held. Appendices list brief details of the major dramatists of the time, and summarise the main historical and dramatic events.

author

Charles Moseley teaches English and Classics in the University of Cambridge, and was formerly Programme Director of the University's International summer Schools in Shakespeare and English Literature. He has written extensively on Shakespeare and mediaeval literature, and in this series has written on Henry IV, The Tempest and Richard III.