The Elizabethan Stage, Vol. 1

A detailed historical study traces the development of the English stage under Elizabeth and James, beginning with court spectacle and ceremonial performance. It examines the revels office, pageantry, masks and court plays as formative theatrical institutions, then follows the settlement of players in London, their clash with Puritan and municipal pressures, and the eventual accommodation with monarchical authority. The work surveys individual companies and playhouses, considers actors' quality and economics, and treats surviving plays as documentary evidence for performance practice. Coverage largely ends with the death of Shakespeare rather than the later suppression of the theatres.