Shakespeare, the King's Playwright: Theater in the Stuart Court, 1603-1613 / Edition 1

Paperback (Print)
Buy Used
Buy Used from BN.com
$14.52
(Save 34%)
Item is in good condition but packaging may have signs of shelf wear/aging or torn packaging.
Condition: Used – Good details
Eligible for FREE SHIPPING details
Usually ships within 24 hours details
Used and New from Other Sellers
Used and New from Other Sellers
from $9.25
Usually ships in 1-2 business days
(Save 57%)
Other sellers (Paperback)
  • All (14) from $9.25   
  • New (2) from $20.81   
  • Used (12) from $9.25   

More About This Textbook

Overview

Soon after James Stuart became king of England in 1603, William Shakespeare, while still working in the public theater, became the royal playwright, and his acting troupe became the premier playing company of the realm. How did this courtly setting influence Shakespeare's work? What was it like to view, perform in, and write plays conceived for the Stuart king? In this fascinating and lively book, one of our most eminent literary critics explores these questions by taking us back to the court performances of some of Shakespeare's most famous plays, examining them in their settings at the royal palaces of Whitehall and Hampton Court. Alvin Kernan looks at Shakespeare as a patronage playwright whose work after 1603 focused on the main concerns of his royal patron: divine-right kingship in Lear, the corruption of the court in Antony, the difficulties of the old military aristocracy in Coriolanus, and other vital matters. Kernan argues that Shakespeare was neither the royal propagandist nor the political subversive that the New Historicists have made him out to be. He was, instead, a great dramatist whose plays commented on political and social concerns of his patrons and who sought the most satisfactory way of adjusting his art to court needs.
Read More Show Less

Product Details

  • ISBN-13: 9780300072587
  • Publisher: Yale University Press
  • Publication date: 9/28/1997
  • Edition description: New Edition
  • Edition number: 1
  • Pages: 258
  • Product dimensions: 6.03 (w) x 9.26 (h) x 0.57 (d)

Table of Contents

List of Illustrations
Preface
Introduction: Shakespeare at the Stuart Court
1 Art and Theater in the Service of the Leviathan State 1
2 Blood Revenge in Elsinore and in Holyrood: Hamlet, Hampton Court, Christmas 1603 24
3 The King's Prerogative and the Law: Measure for Measure, Whitehall, December 26, 1604 50
4 The Politics of Madness and Demonism: Macbeth, Hampton Court, August 7, 1606 71
5 The True King: Lear, Whitehall, Christmas 1606 89
6 Sex and Favor in the Court: Antony and Cleopatra, Whitehall, Christmas 1607 106
7 The Military and the Court Aristocracies: Coriolanus, Whitehall, Christmas 1608 132
8 The King and the Poet: The Tempest, Whitehall, Winter 1613 150
9 Shakespeare's Sonnets and Patronage Art 169
10 What the King Saw, What the Poet Wrote 188
Appendix A: Theatrical Calendar of the King's Men at Court, 1603-14 203
Appendix B: The Great Hall at Christ Church, Oxford, August 1605 209
Bibliography 211
Index 221
Read More Show Less

Customer Reviews

Be the first to write a review
( 0 )
Rating Distribution

5 Star

(0)

4 Star

(0)

3 Star

(0)

2 Star

(0)

1 Star

(0)

Your Rating:

Review Guidelines
Add Recommendations
Your Name: Create a Pen Name or

Barnes & Noble.com Review Rules

Our reader reviews allow you to share your comments on titles you liked, or didn't, with others. By submitting an online review, you are representing to Barnes & Noble.com that all information contained in your review is original and accurate in all respects, and that the submission of such content by you and the posting of such content by Barnes & Noble.com does not and will not violate the rights of any third party. Please follow the rules below to help ensure that your review can be posted.

Reviews by Our Customers Under the Age of 13

We highly value and respect everyone's opinion concerning the titles we offer. However, we cannot allow persons under the age of 13 to have accounts at BN.com or to post customer reviews. Please see our Terms of Use for more details.

What to exclude from your review:

Please do not write about reviews, commentary, or information posted on the product page. If you see any errors in the information on the product page, please send us an email.

Reviews should not contain any of the following:

  • - HTML tags, profanity, obscenities, vulgarities, or comments that defame anyone
  • - Time-sensitive information such as tour dates, signings, lectures, etc.
  • - Single-word reviews. Other people will read your review to discover why you liked or didn't like the title. Be descriptive.
  • - Comments focusing on the author or that may ruin the ending for others
  • - Phone numbers, addresses, URLs
  • - Pricing and availability information or alternative ordering information
  • - Advertisements or commercial solicitation

Reminder:

  • - By submitting a review, you grant to Barnes & Noble.com and its sublicensees the royalty-free, perpetual, irrevocable right and license to use the review in accordance with the Barnes & Noble.com Terms of Use.
  • - Barnes & Noble.com reserves the right not to post any review -- particularly those that do not follow the terms and conditions of these Rules. Barnes & Noble.com also reserves the right to remove any review at any time without notice.
  • - See Terms of Use for other conditions and disclaimers.
Search for Products You'd Like to Recommend

Recommend other products that relate to your review. Just search for them below and share!

Create a Pen Name

Your Pen Name is your unique identity on BN.com. It will appear on the reviews you write and other website activities. Your Pen Name cannot be edited, changed or deleted once submitted.

 
Your Pen Name can be any combination of alphanumeric characters (plus - and _), and must be at least two characters long.

Continue Anonymously
    If you find inappropriate content, please report it to Barnes & Noble
    Why is this product inappropriate?
    Comments (optional)