Discoveries on the Early Modern Stage
Contexts and Conventions

Detailed study of the action of discovery as plot device, visual motif, and thematic trope on the early modern stage.

Leslie Thomson (Author)

9781108454360, Cambridge University Press

Paperback / softback, published 12 November 2020

277 pages, 32 b/w illus.
23 x 15 x 1.5 cm, 0.42 kg

'This book undeniably sits within the realm of theatre and theatre history, but also contributes to art history and cultural history. As a resource for scholars thinking about staging, stage directions, art, culture, discovery spaces, props, or the business of early modern theatre, this book will surely shine new light on the topic of discoveries and lead its readers to generative new ideas and conclusions.' Jess Hamlet, Early Theatre

This study of the action of discovery as plot device, visual motif, and thematic trope on the early modern stage considers an important and popular performance convention in its cultural and religious contexts. Through close examination of a number of 'discoveries' taken from a wide range of early modern plays, Leslie Thomson traverses several related disciplines, including theatre history, literary analysis, art history, and the history of the religious practices that would have influenced Shakespeare and his contemporaries. Taking as its primary focus the performance of disguise-discoveries and discovery scenes, the analyses include considerations of how this particular device relates to genre, plot structure, language, imagery, themes, and the manipulation of playgoer expectations. With strong reference to the visual arts, and an appendix that addresses the problem of how and where discovery scenes were performed, Thomson offers an innovative perspective on the staging and meaning of early modern drama.

Introduction
1. Kinds and uses
2. Time and truth
3. Religious rites and secular spectacle
4. Revelation and belief
5. Private places and hidden spaces
6. Invention and artifice
Appendix: was there a central opening in the tiring house wall?

Subject Areas: Shakespeare studies & criticism [DSGS], Literary studies: plays & playwrights [DSG], Literary studies: c 1500 to c 1800 [DSBD], Shakespeare plays [DDS], Theatre studies [AN]