Theatre, Court and City, 1595–1610
Drama and Social Space in London

Explores the vital relationship between city and court in the drama of Shakespeare's time.

Janette Dillon (Author)

9780521661188, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 13 January 2000

200 pages, 12 b/w illus.
23.5 x 16 x 1.7 cm, 0.406 kg

'… much to be commended … consistently stimulating.' David Wiles, Theatre Research International

This book explores the vital and interactive relationship between city and court in the drama of Shakespeare's time. The growth of purpose-built playhouses in late sixteenth-century London began to shift the focus of performance for many companies away from provincial touring, making the city a more conspicuous presence in drama. Janette Dillon looks at relations between drama and city through the wider lens of fashion and commercialism, examining in particular the developing 'West End' area along the Strand. She argues that the drama is oriented towards both the city of London and the court, rather than to one or the other, as previous studies have assumed. The book is organized around physical and social forms of theatre space. It ranges from analysis of well-known plays, such as Shakespeare's Love's Labour's Lost and Jonson's Epicoene, to lesser-known drama by Heywood and the newly discovered Jonsonian entertainment, Britain's Burse.

List of illustrations
Acknowledgements
Conventions and abbreviations
Prologue
1. City, court and theatre
2. The place of exchange
3. From retreat to display
4. The place of dirt
5. Placing the boundaries
6. The place of accommodation
7. The masking of place
Epilogue
Notes
Bibliography
Index.

Subject Areas: Literary studies: plays & playwrights [DSG]