The Disguised Ruler in Shakespeare and his Contemporaries

The Disguised Ruler in Shakespeare and his Contemporaries
Author :
Publisher : Routledge
Total Pages : 334
Release :
ISBN-10 : 9781317035558
ISBN-13 : 1317035550
Rating : 4/5 (550 Downloads)

Book Synopsis The Disguised Ruler in Shakespeare and his Contemporaries by : Kevin A. Quarmby

Download or read book The Disguised Ruler in Shakespeare and his Contemporaries written by Kevin A. Quarmby and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2016-04-01 with total page 334 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In the early seventeenth century, the London stage often portrayed a ruler covertly spying on his subjects. Traditionally deemed 'Jacobean disguised ruler plays', these works include Shakespeare's Measure for Measure, Marston's The Malcontent and The Fawn, Middleton's The Phoenix, and Sharpham's The Fleer. Commonly dated to the arrival of James I, these plays are typically viewed as synchronic commentaries on the Jacobean regime. Kevin A. Quarmby demonstrates that the disguised ruler motif actually evolved in the 1580s. It emerged from medieval folklore and balladry, Tudor Chronicle history and European tragicomedy. Familiar on the Elizabethan stage, these incognito rulers initially offered light-hearted, romantic entertainment, only to suffer a sinister transformation as England awaited its ageing queen's demise. The disguised royal had become a dangerously voyeuristic political entity by the time James assumed the throne. Traditional critical perspectives also disregard contemporary theatrical competition. Market demands shaped the repertories. Rivalry among playing companies guaranteed the motif's ongoing vitality. The disguised ruler's presence in a play reassured audiences; it also facilitated a subversive exploration of contemporary social and political issues. Gradually, the disguised ruler's dramatic currency faded, but the figure remained vibrant as an object of parody until the playhouses closed in the 1640s.


The Disguised Ruler in Shakespeare and his Contemporaries Related Books

The Disguised Ruler in Shakespeare and his Contemporaries
Language: en
Pages: 334
Authors: Kevin A. Quarmby
Categories: Literary Criticism
Type: BOOK - Published: 2016-04-01 - Publisher: Routledge

GET EBOOK

In the early seventeenth century, the London stage often portrayed a ruler covertly spying on his subjects. Traditionally deemed 'Jacobean disguised ruler plays
Shakespeare's Theatres and the Effects of Performance
Language: en
Pages: 317
Authors: Farah Karim Cooper
Categories: Drama
Type: BOOK - Published: 2015-01-05 - Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing

GET EBOOK

How did Elizabethan and Jacobean acting companies create their visual and aural effects? What materials were available to them and how did they influence stagin
The Definitive Shakespeare Companion [4 volumes]
Language: en
Pages: 3141
Authors: Joseph Rosenblum
Categories: Drama
Type: BOOK - Published: 2017-06-22 - Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing USA

GET EBOOK

This expansive four-volume work gives students detailed explanations of Shakespeare's plays and poems and also covers his age, life, theater, texts, and languag
Measure for Measure
Language: en
Pages: 193
Authors: William Shakespeare
Categories: Literary Criticism
Type: BOOK - Published: 2024-03-12 - Publisher: Oxford University Press

GET EBOOK

'Some rise by sin, and some by virtue fall.' Can one life be measured against another? Can a woman's body be measured against a man's life? Can consensual sex b
Hamlet's Moment
Language: en
Pages: 336
Authors: András Kiséry
Categories: Literary Criticism
Type: BOOK - Published: 2016-04-28 - Publisher: Oxford University Press

GET EBOOK

Hamlet's Moment identifies a turning point in the history of English drama and early modern political culture: the moment when the business of politics became a