Shakespeare, Court Dramatist centers around the contention that the courts of both Elizabeth I and James I loomed much larger in Shakespeare's creative life than is usually appreciated. Richard Dutton argues that many--perhaps most--of Shakespeare's plays have survived in versions adapted for court presentation, where length was no object (and indeed encouraged) and rhetorical virtuosity was appreciated.

The first half of the study examines the court's patronage of the theater during Shakespeare's lifetime and the crucial role of its Masters of the Revels, who supervised all...

This collection offers detailed readings of all Ben Jonson's major plays - "Volpone", "Epicene", "The Alchemist" and "Bartholomew Fair" - and the poems. It also provides insights into the court masques and the later plays which have been rediscovered in the late-20th century.

With the inaugural edition of the Early Modern Drama Texts series, Richard Dutton and Steven K. Galbraith illuminate the only surviving work of playwright and actor Thomas Drue. First performed by the Palsgrave's Men at the Fortune Theater in 1624, The Duchess of Suffolk dramatizes the exile of Protestant noblewoman Katherine Willoughby (1519-80) during the reign of Catholic Queen Mary I (1516-58). Drawing from popular accounts in works by John Foxe and Thomas Deloney, Drue created a narrative of exaggerated peril, as the Duchess and her companions are chased across the continent. The...