Renaissance Drama: An Anthology of Plays and Entertainments

by Arthur F. Kinney (Editor), John B. Heywood (Contributor), Thomas Heywood (Contributor)

This pioneering collection of non-Shakespearean Renaissance drama covers the full sweep of dramatic performances in the England Shakespeare knew. Newly edited from manuscript and quarto, all the major playwrights are here, among them Marlowe, Jonson, Middleton, and Webster. At the same time, the volume features plays, pageants, and entertainments not widely anthologized elsewhere, such as the coronation entries of Elizabeth I and Queen Anne, and Thomas Heywood 's A Woman Killed with Kindness.The second edition includes new emphasis on women as authors and subjects. More early material has also been added, such as Noah and The Second Shepherds ' Play. Mary Sidney 's The Tragedy of Antony has been included in its entirety, as have John Marston 's The Malcontent and Ben Jonson 's The Masque of Queens. As before, extensive footnotes clarify special terms and hidden meanings, and introductions to each of the individual works highlight relevant socio-historical information. A general introduction recalls the cultural history of the Shakespearean age in early modern England.

Genres: Plays, Classics, Fiction, Theatre

914 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2000

Reviews

[Jess · Rating 4 out of 5]

Had to buy this for university and on the whole it was a really interesting collection of works.

[Joy-Aisling · Rating 3 out of 5]

The editions of the texts are interestingly and knowledgeably commented on, but it is exceedingly poor critical practice that Kinney has not page-referenced or line-referenced his citations from the plays (making said quotations extremely hard to find). It's a huge oversight in something that's meant to be a useful critical text.

[Alyssa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yeah, sure, it's a textbook. It also happens to be an excellent comprehensive anthology for anyone interested in the subject.

[Dana · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent variety of featured plays - very pleased to see the Sidneys included. Well-written and helpful introductions.