Published to critical acclaim, the central argument of this book is that the historical play must be studied as a genre separate from tragedy and comedy.

The Reformation and the impact of the Renaissance were almost simultaneous in England. So the English versions of the Bible appeared at much the same time as the new, worldly forms of verse and drama. It was not long before serious-minded poets and playwrights used the Bible thus made available for new forms of religious verse. There was an important but neglected succession of writers who did this, culminating in Milton. The forms involved include the sonnet, the miniature epic and the popular drama. Miss Campbell treats both dramatic and non-dramatic literature. She shows that both kinds...

Originally published in 1923, this book presents a detailed study of the development of English staging during the Renaissance, and its relationship with the classical revival of stage decoration in Italy. The text attempts to show how from the beginning of the classical revival of drama in Italy, staging was regarded as an accepted part of dramatic production, and how this led to the formulation of definite practices of staging. These practices are then presented as being directly influential upon English theatre, prior to the Reformation by way of Italy and after the Reformation by way of...

First published in 1947 in the USA. This edition reprints the first UK edition of 1964. Published to critical acclaim, the central argument of this book is that the historical play must be studied as a genre separate from tragedy and comedy. Just as there is in Shakespearean tragedies a dominant ethical pattern of passion opposed to reason, so there is in the history plays a dominant political pattern characteristic of the political philosophy of the age. From the 'troublesome reign' of King John to the 'tragical doings' of Richard III, Shakespeare wove the events of English history into...