English Court Theatre, 1558–1642
English Court Theatre, 1558–1642
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USDSeveral famous playwrights of the Elizabethan and Stuart periods, including Shakespeare, wrote for open-air public theatres and also for the private, indoor theatres at the palaces at which the court resided. This book is a full account of such court theatre, and examines the theatrical entertainments for Elizabeth I, James I and Charles I. By contrast with the now vanished playhouses of the time, four of the royal chambers used as theatres survive, and the author attempts to draw as full a picture as he can of such places, the physical and aesthetic conditions under which actors worked in them, and the composition and conduct of court audiences. The book includes plans and illustrations of the theatres and an appendix which lists all known court performances of plays and masques between 1558 and 1652.
- Covers neglected area in age of Shakespeare, and is crucial to understanding Shakespeare's professional life: how plays were staged before monarchs in their own palaces and houses
- Places England within European context of court life and art patronage
- An appendix lists all court performances between 1558 and 1652, and should prove a valuable research resource
Reviews & endorsements
"The first complete survey of royal and noble patronage of the drama of the ages of Elizabeth I, James I, and Charles I is English Court Theatre 1558-1642. John H. Astington is especially reasonable and reliable on the physical conditions of performance. An important book." Bibliotheque D'Humanisme
"the most systematic and authoritative account to date of the arrangements by which Tudor and Stuart monarchs harnessed professional theater to the service of royal entertainment." Modern Philosophy vol 98/4
"This book is written in a clear and meticulous style, and it is filled with important information concerning the physical and aesthetic aspects of court theater." Sixteenth Century Journal
Product details
June 1999Hardback
9780521640657
308 pages
236 × 160 × 21 mm
0.655kg
21 b/w illus. 1 map
Available
Table of Contents
- List of illustrations and acknowledgements
- Preface
- List of abbreviations
- Introduction
- 1. The royal administration
- 2. Royal palaces
- 3. Royal theatres
- 4. Artists and artisans
- 5. Royal audiences
- 6. Royal occasions
- Conclusion
- Appendix: performances at court 1558–1642
- Notes
- Select bibliography
- Index.
