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Recent Posts
- Patriotic women: Shakespearean heroines of the 1720s
- Sir Francis Kynaston: The importance of the ‘Nation’ for a 17th-century English royalist
- Anciennete among the Non-Jurors: a study of Henry Dodwell
- Wet-nurses in early modern England: some evidence from the Townshend archive
- Masters and servants: the Hudson’s Bay Company and its personnel, 1668-1782
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Drama Archive
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‘Ripeness is all’: the death of Elizabeth in drama
Posted on April 22, 2012 | No CommentsAs the life of Elizabeth I began to wane, rumours repeatedly circulated that her possible successor, James VI of Scotland, would not wait peacefully until her death, but intended to seize the English throne forthwith. -
All the World’s a Stage: Pageantry as Propaganda at the Court of Elizabeth I, 1558-1569
Posted on April 11, 2012 | No CommentsIn order to strengthen her position and unite the country during her first decade as queen, Elizabeth and her council launched an organized and effective propaganda campaign and cultivated an image that focused her subjects’ loyalty on her. She accomplished this through the use of spectacle, drama, and pageantry, specifically in her coronation procession, the performance of plays and masques at court, and annual progresses. -
Warning, Familiarity and Ridicule: Tracing the Theatrical Representation of the Witch in Early Modern England
Posted on February 1, 2012 | No CommentsThe image of the witch and the vehicle of the theatre seem to be a natural fit. The spectacle inherent in the supernatural aspects of the witch provided a wealth of vivid opportunities for the employing the latest in scenic and technical advances and for experimenting with the possibilities for new special effects. -
All Singing, All Dancing
Posted on November 22, 2011 | No CommentsSexually explicit jigs were a major part of the attraction of the Elizabethan, Jacobean and Restoration stage, as Lucie Skeaping explains. -
Ophelia’s Mistreatment and Ignored Monastic Opportunities
Posted on October 16, 2011 | No CommentsAn examination of her relationship with Polonius and Laertes will culminate with an inspection of the relationship between Ophelia and Laertes, using the feminist theory employed by Virginia Wolf -
‘I do mistake my person all this while’: Blindness and Illusion in Richard III
Posted on October 3, 2011 | No Comments‘I do mistake my person all this while’: Blindness and Illusion in Richard III Rutter Giappone, Krista Bonello (University of Kent) Skepsi: Bad Behaviour in Medieval and Early Modern Europe, Volume... -
Historicising Shakespeare’s Richard II: Current Events, Dating, and the Sabotage of Essex
Posted on May 5, 2010 | No CommentsHistoricising Shakespeare’s Richard II: Current Events, Dating, and the Sabotage of Essex Fitter, Chris Early Modern Literary Studies 11.2 (September, 2005) Abstract This essay unfolds three, interlinked arguments. First, on... -
Who Knows Who Knows Who’s There? An Epistemology of Hamlet (Or, What Happens in the Mousetrap)
Posted on May 4, 2010 | No CommentsWho Knows Who Knows Who’s There? An Epistemology of Hamlet (Or, What Happens in the Mousetrap) Roth, Steve Early Modern Literary Studies 10.2 (September, 2004) Abstract There is one singular... -
Shakespeare and the Public Discourse of Sovereignty: “Reason of State” in Hamlet
Posted on April 29, 2010 | No CommentsShakespeare and the Public Discourse of Sovereignty: “Reason of State” in Hamlet DiMatteo, Anthony Early Modern Literary Studies 10.2 (September, 2004) Abstract Hamlet marks a turning point in Shakespeare’s evolving... -
“Caparisoned like the horse”: Tongue and Tail in Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew
Posted on April 29, 2010 | No CommentsCaparisoned like the horse”: Tongue and Tail in Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew Sloan, LaRue Love Early Modern Literary Studies 10.2 (September, 2004) Abstract Critics commenting on Petruchio’s diseased... -
“He is turned a ballad-maker”: Broadside Appropriations in Early Modern England
Posted on April 23, 2010 | No Comments“He is turned a ballad-maker”: Broadside Appropriations in Early Modern England Fisher, Joshua B. Early Modern Literary Studies 9.2 (September 2003) Abstract Responding to an enduring critical heritage that often... -
“The City Cannot Hold You”: Social Conversion in the Goldsmith’s Shop
Posted on April 22, 2010 | No Comments“The City Cannot Hold You”: Social Conversion in the Goldsmith’s Shop Jenstad, Janelle Day Early Modern Literary Studies 8.2 (September 2002) / Special Issue 10 Abstract The goldsmith’s imbrication in... -
Orlando and the Golden World: The Old World and the New in As You Like It
Posted on April 6, 2010 | No CommentsOrlando and the Golden World: The Old World and the New in As You Like It Hopkins, Lisa Early Modern Literary Studies 8.2 (September 2002) / Special Issue 10 Abstract... -
“Powdered with Golden Rain”: The Myth of Danae in Early Modern Drama
Posted on April 6, 2010 | No Comments“Powdered with Golden Rain”: The Myth of Danae in Early Modern Drama Sanders, Julie Early Modern Literary Studies 8.2 (September 2002) / Special Issue 10 Abstract This essay explores the... -
Performance, Subjectivity and Slander in Hamlet and Much Ado About Nothing
Posted on April 6, 2010 | No CommentsPerformance, Subjectivity and Slander in Hamlet and Much Ado About Nothing Piette, Adam Early Modern Literary Studies 7.2 (September, 2001) Abstract Erving Goffman’s The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life... -
Time for the Plebs in Julius Caesar
Posted on April 6, 2010 | No CommentsTime for the Plebs in Julius Caesar Holmes, Christopher Early Modern Literary Studies 7.2 (September, 2001) Abstract When Cicero in Julius Caesar says “Indeed it is a strange-disposed time,” he... -
Greenaway’s Books
Posted on April 5, 2010 | No CommentsGreenaway’s Books Marx, Steven Early Modern Literary Studies 7.2 (September, 2001) Abstract The cinematic devices of Peter Greenaway’s adaptation of The Tempest, Prospero’s Books, highlight resemblances between Shakespeare’s last complete... -
“Subjected Thus”: Plague and Panopticism in Richard II
Posted on April 5, 2010 | No Comments“Subjected Thus”: Plague and Panopticism in Richard II Cox, Nick Early Modern Literary Studies 6.2 (September, 2000) Abstract This essay seeks to read Richard II from within a theoretical framework... -
Jonson’s Romish Foxe: Anti-Catholic Discourse in Volpone
Posted on April 5, 2010 | No CommentsJonson’s Romish Foxe: Anti-Catholic Discourse in Volpone Brunning, Alizon Early Modern Literary Studies 6.2 (September, 2000) Abstract This paper considers that Ben Jonson’s 1606 play Volpone contains a level of... -
The Healthy Body: Desire and Sustenance in John Lyly’s Love’s Metamorphosis
Posted on April 5, 2010 | No CommentsThe Healthy Body: Desire and Sustenance in John Lyly’s Love’s Metamorphosis Dooley, Mark Early Modern Literary Studies 6.2 (September, 2000) Abstract John Lyly’s play Love’s Metamorphosis is described on its... -
Alarums and Defeats: Henry VI on Tour
Posted on April 1, 2010 | No CommentsAlarums and Defeats: Henry VI on Tour Hampton-Reeves, Stuart Early Modern Literary Studies 5.2 (September, 1999) Abstract The importance of provincial touring to early modern performance culture has undergone a... -
Shakespeare’s ‘lost play’ published
Posted on March 19, 2010 | No CommentsA literary detective from The University of Nottingham who claims to have found evidence of a ‘lost play’ by Shakespeare has won the backing of the acclaimed Shakespeare publishers, Arden,... -
Marlowe, Edward II, and the Cult of Elizabeth
Posted on March 18, 2010 | No CommentsMarlowe, Edward II, and the Cult of Elizabeth Kay, Dennis Early Modern Literary Studies 3.2 (September 1997) Abstract This paper seeks to relate Edward II to the cult of Elizabeth,... -
“And shall I die, and this unconquered?”: Marlowe’s Inverted Colonialism
Posted on March 18, 2010 | No Comments“And shall I die, and this unconquered?”: Marlowe’s Inverted Colonialism Hopkins, Lisa Early Modern Literary Studies 2.2 (August 1996): Contents Abstract Critical attention has often been drawn to Christopher Marlowe’s... -
“A true Copie”: Gascoigne’s Princely Pleasures and the textual representation of courtly performance
Posted on March 17, 2010 | No Comments“A true Copie”: Gascoigne’s Princely Pleasures and the textual representation of courtly performance Anderson, Susan Early Modern Literary Studies 14.1/Special Issue 18 Abstract The Princely Pleasures at Kenelworth Castle describes... -
‘If the head be evill the body cannot be good’: Legitimate Rebellion in Gascoigne and Kinwelmershe’s Jocasta
Posted on March 17, 2010 | No Comments‘If the head be evill the body cannot be good’: Legitimate Rebellion in Gascoigne and Kinwelmershe’s Jocasta Ward, Allyna E. Early Modern Literary Studies 14.1/Special Issue 18 Abstract The collaborative... -
Witchcraft, flight and the early modern English stage
Posted on March 16, 2010 | No CommentsWitchcraft, flight and the early modern English stage Booth, Roy Early Modern Literary Studies 13.1 (May, 2007) Abstract This is a discussion of something that never happened, in relation to... -
The Rumbling Belly Politic: Metaphorical Location and Metaphorical Government in Coriolanus
Posted on March 16, 2010 | No CommentsThe Rumbling Belly Politic: Metaphorical Location and Metaphorical Government in Coriolanus Eastman, Nate Early Modern Literary Studies 13.1 (May, 2007) Abstract That the rioting plebians in Coriolanus found their inspiration... -
“With Honour Quit the Fort”: Ambivalent Colonialism in Dryden’s Amboyna
Posted on March 16, 2010 | No Comments“With Honour Quit the Fort”: Ambivalent Colonialism in Dryden’s Amboyna Schille, Candy B. K. Early Modern Literary Studies 12.1 (May, 2006) Abstract The essay argues that Amboyna, its subject and... -
Love, Death and Resurrection in Tragicomedies by Seventeenth-Century English Women Dramatists
Posted on March 16, 2010 | No CommentsLove, Death and Resurrection in Tragicomedies by Seventeenth-Century English Women Dramatists Corporaal, Marguérite Early Modern Literary Studies 12.1 (May, 2006) Abstract In tragicomedies by seventeenth-century English women, such as Lady... -
From the ridiculous to the sublime: Ovidian and Neoplatonic registers in A Midsummer Night’s Dream
Posted on March 16, 2010 | No CommentsFrom the ridiculous to the sublime: Ovidian and Neoplatonic registers in A Midsummer Night’s Dream Carter, Sarah Early Modern Literary Studies 12.1 (May, 2006) Abstract A Midsummer Night’s Dream (1595)... -
Female Spectacle as Liberation in Margaret Cavendish’s Plays
Posted on March 15, 2010 | No CommentsFemale Spectacle as Liberation in Margaret Cavendish’s Plays Devlin Mosher, Joyce Early Modern Literary Studies 11.1 (May, 2005) Abstract In Cavendish’s life and in her plays, lavish confections and transsexual... -
“I Live With Bread Like You”: Forms of Inclusion in Richard II
Posted on March 15, 2010 | No Comments“I Live With Bread Like You”: Forms of Inclusion in Richard II Landau, Aaron Early Modern Literary Studies 11.1 (May, 2005) Abstract In this paper I examine the subtle, complex,... -
“The Cittie is in an uproare”: Staging London in The Booke of Sir Thomas More
Posted on March 15, 2010 | No Comments“The Cittie is in an uproare”: Staging London in The Booke of Sir Thomas More Hill, Tracey Early Modern Literary Studies 11.1 (May, 2005) Abstract The late sixteenth-century manuscript play... -
Richard Brome Online: Researchers bring historical work into the digital age
Posted on March 11, 2010 | No CommentsThe launch this week of a unique online edition of the collected plays of dramatist Richard Brome marks the culmination of a four-year project directed by researchers at Royal Holloway,... -
Does Beatrice Joanna Have a Subtext?: The Changeling on the London Stage
Posted on March 9, 2010 | No CommentsDoes Beatrice Joanna Have a Subtext?: The Changeling on the London Stage Nicol, Dave & Barker, Roberta Early Modern Literary Studies 10.1 (May, 2004) Abstract Middleton and Rowley’s tragedy The... -
“On forfeit of your selves, think nothing true”: Self-Deception in Ben Jonson’s Epicoene
Posted on March 9, 2010 | No Comments“On forfeit of your selves, think nothing true”: Self-Deception in Ben Jonson’s Epicoene Jackson, J.A. Early Modern Literary Studies 10.1 (May, 2004) Abstract Ben Jonson’s Epicoene, or The Silent Woman... -
Religion, Politics, Revenge: The Dead in Renaissance Drama
Posted on March 8, 2010 | No CommentsReligion, Politics, Revenge: The Dead in Renaissance Drama Rist, Thomas Early Modern Literary Studies 9.1 (May 2003) Abstract This article argues that in the history of criticism preoccupation with the... -
Trevor Nunn’s Twelfth Night: Contemporary Film and Classic British Theatre
Posted on March 7, 2010 | No CommentsTrevor Nunn’s Twelfth Night: Contemporary Film and Classic British Theatre Jones, Nicholas R. Early Modern Literary Studies 8.1 (May 2002) Abstract Trevor Nunn’s Twelfth Night (1996) takes a relatively conservative... -
Music at the New Globe
Posted on March 6, 2010 | No CommentsMusic at the New Globe Schütz, Chantal Early Modern Literary Studies 7.1/ Special Issue 8 (May, 2001) Abstract The New Globe, a full scale authentic “instrument”, opened in summer 1997.... -
12 June 1599: Opening Day at Shakespeare’s Globe
Posted on February 24, 2010 | No Comments12 June 1599: Opening Day at Shakespeare’s Globe Sohmer, Steve Early Modern Literary Studies 3.1 (May 1997) Abstract This essay endeavors to retrieve the identity of the opening day and... -
Certain Speculations on Hamlet, the Calendar, and Martin Luther
Posted on February 24, 2010 | No CommentsCertain Speculations on Hamlet, the Calendar, and Martin Luther Sohmer, Steve Early Modern Literary Studies 2.1 (April 1996) Abstract In Shakespeare’s England the principal calendar was the church calendar. Letters,... -
“The price of one faire word”: Negotiating Names in Coriolanus
Posted on February 24, 2010 | No Comments“The price of one faire word”: Negotiating Names in Coriolanus Lucking, David Early Modern Literary Studies 2.1 (April 1996) Abstract This essay considers some of the implications of the dense... -
Personations: The Taming of the Shrew and the Limits of Theoretical Criticism
Posted on February 24, 2010 | No CommentsPersonations: The Taming of the Shrew and the Limits of Theoretical Criticism Yachnin, Paul Early Modern Literary Studies 2.1 (April 1996) Abstract This essay challenges a range of recent work... -
The Case of Moll Frith: Women’s Work and the “All-Male Stage”
Posted on February 22, 2010 | No CommentsThe Case of Moll Frith: Women’s Work and the “All-Male Stage” Korda, Natasha Early Modern Culture, No. 4 (2004) Abstract Recent scholarship on women’s involvement in theatrical production in early... -
Response to Ofelia: Lawrence Nowel: Excerpta Quaedam Danica (1565)
Posted on February 22, 2010 | No CommentsResponse to Ofelia: Lawrence Nowel: Excerpta Quaedam Danica (1565) Lindley, Arthur Early Modern Culture, No. 3 (2003) Abstract In case any of you missed the clues, let’s run through them... -
Ofelia Laurence Nowel: Excerpta Quaedam Danica (1565)
Posted on February 22, 2010 | No CommentsOfelia Laurence Nowel: Excerpta Quaedam Danica (1565) Holderness, Graham Early Modern Culture, No. 3 (2003) Abstract It was 1601. Shakespeare’s Hamlet was playing at the Globe Theatre. The great actor... -
Response to Margreta de Grazia’s “Hamlet’s Thoughts and Antics”
Posted on February 18, 2010 | No CommentsResponse to Margreta de Grazia’s “Hamlet’s Thoughts and Antics” Fleming, Juliet Early Modern Culture, No. 2 (2001) Abstract In “Hamlet’s Thoughts and Antics” Margreta de Grazia offers a series of... -
Hamlet’s Thoughts and Antics
Posted on February 18, 2010 | No CommentsHamlet’s Thoughts and Antics de Grazia, Margreta Early Modern Culture, No. 2 (2001) Abstract ‘In this tragedy I want a character who above all else THINKS. But can thinking possibly... -
What Do You Do With a Woman Warrior?: A Response to “‘Effeminate Dayes’”
Posted on February 17, 2010 | No CommentsWhat Do You Do With a Woman Warrior?: A Response to “‘Effeminate Dayes’” Rackin, Phyllis Early Modern Culture, No. 1 (2000) Abstract Banks and Holderness make a convincing argument that...