Bloomsbury Shakespeare and Early Modern Drama: Text and Performance (The Arden Shakespeare)

Where does Shakespeare fit into the drama of his day? Getting to know the work of Shakespeares contemporaries offers an insight into Elizabethan and Jacobean preoccupations and the theatrical climate of the early modern period. This book provides an essential overview of some major dramatic works from their stage origins to todays screen productions. Each chapter includes: · a detailed analysis of a play by Shakespeare considered alongside a key work by one other significant playwright of the day (including The Merchant of Venice, Volpone , The Spanish Tragedy, Titus Andronicus, Othello, The Changeling, Romeo and Juliet, The Duchess of Malf i, Measure for Measure, 'Tis Pity She's a Whore, The Taming of the Shrew, The Tragedy of Mariam, Doctor Faustus and Hamlet) · close reading of the text · discussion of early modern theatrical practices · a focus on one ground-breaking example of early modern drama on screen · suggestions for links with other early modern texts and further reading This book provides a route map to the very latest developments in early modern drama studies, fostering confident and independent thinking, making it an ideal introduction for students of Shakespeare and his contemporaries. Review Excellent scholarship that can set the tone for complex and thoughtful engagement in the classroom ... Shakespeare and Early Modern Drama: Text and Performance fills a gap in the Arden catalogue that helps to tie together the primary use of the Arden editions, pedagogy, and the expert scholarship found in the Critical Companions series ... Given its wide focus on, yet clarity of explanation of, a variety of approaches to the texts, this book should become a regular feature in additional reading material on syllabuses across the English academy. - Sixteenth Century Journal About the Author Pamela Bickley taught for nearly 20 years at Royal Holloway, University of London and is a Trustee of the English Association. Her most recent publication is Contemporary Fiction: The Novel since 1990 (2009).