English Renaissance Drama: A Norton Anthology

by David Bevington (Editor)

Popular in their own time, the 27 plays included here by Christopher Marlowe, Ben Jonson, John Webster, Thomas Middleton, among many others reveal why these playwrights achievements, like Shakespeare s, deserve reading, teaching, and performing afresh in our time. Edited by a team of exceptional scholars and teachers, this anthology opens an extraordinary tradition in drama to new readers and audiences."

Genres: Plays, Drama, Renaissance, Fiction, Classics, Theatre, Anthologies

1997 pages, Hardcover

First published July 18, 2002

About the author

David Bevington was an American literary scholar.

Reviews

[Fallon · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great anthology to begin diving into Shakespeare 's contemporaries. Definitely a useful starting point and a solid textbook for a contemporary class although for a Renaissance scholar could include a few more texts.

[Ari · Rating 4 out of 5]

Selectively 4.75

[Alan · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a collection! I'm so glad I was able to read this anthology. I didn't really know much about the English renaissance theater, so I had no idea what to expect going into this. It should come as no surprise that Shakespeare's contemporaries were not as far off, in terms of talent, from him - many of these plays prove it. From the early Elizabethan plays (such as The Spanish Tragedy) to the late Jacobean plays (such as The Duchess of Malfi) it's pretty much impossible to get bored with the seemingly endless dramas, conspiracies and twists that occupied the English zeitgeist. Every play was prefaced with a deep analyses and summary by an array of PhD professors. So much work was put into this anthology that I can only give it 5 stars.

[James]

I've read, so far, "The Roaring Girl" and "A Chaste Maid in Cheapside." The plays are great. The glosses are sometimes helpful but just as often pointless and distracting. The footnotes are more balanced, usually informative on points of history, culture and language. There is a tendency to paraphrase passages that are clear enough, and this can become tedious. Mostly, I wish this had been broken down into two volumes with better paper and less cumbersome dimensions. I really hate this onion paper bullshit. Yea, Norton!

[Michael P. · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an essential collection for anybody who has read Shakespeare and now wants to sample the other best plays of the era. Everything that must be in such a collection is in this one, and there are a half-dozen great bonus plays as well. Do not skip the fine contextualizing introduction by Kathanrie Eisaman Maus with an assist from David Bevington.

[Amy]

Read for English Renaissance Dramas capstone class. From this anthology we read The Spanish Tragedy, Doctor Faustus, The Jew of Malta, The Shoemaker's Holiday, Bartholomew Fair, The Revenger's Tragedy, The Roaring Girl, and The Duchess of Malfi. I think The Duchess of Malfi and The Spanish Tragedy were my favorites. :)

[Vicki · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you like Shakespeare, you must read some (or all!) of the plays in this anthology. Some personal favorites: A Chaste Maid in Cheapside, The Alchemist, Epicene, and The Roaring Girl.

[Catherine Osborne · Rating 5 out of 5]

I took a course with Katherine Maus (one of the editors of this excellent collection) and it was fascinating. So much fun, and important for lovers of Shakespeare.

[D'Argo Agathon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Obviously, I didn't read all the Renaissance tragedies, but this is a wonderful collection. Fascinating introductions, good glosses and notes, and a wide selection. Great book.

[Jeremy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was the only textbook for my 16th-century seminar with Dr. Maurice Hunt at Baylor (Spring 2013). We were not assigned every play in the book, but we did read some plays not included in the book.

[Alex · Rating 1 out of 5]

It is not a surprise to me that some people (historically) would try to make the performance of these plays illegal.

[Albie]

English Renaissance Drama (2002)

[Emily]

Blerg