Shakespeare's Professional Career

Front Cover
Cambridge University Press, Jun 28, 1999 - Drama - 236 pages
Shakespeare's career as actor and playwright reveals the extraordinary accommodation of his genius to the circumstances of his time. This unique account describes Shakespeare at work against a background of theatrical rivalry, opportunism, service to noble patrons, and political intrigue. Peter Thomson recreates Shakespeare's writing career year by year, showing how the plays mirror their times. The story reveals the precarious nature of theatrical survival, the constant threat posed by the withdrawal of noble or royal patronage, the spread of disease, the anxieties of war and the climate of political uncertainty. This account of Elizabethan and Jacobean social and professional life offers a fascinating insight into the world in which Shakespeare produced his plays. There are numerous illustrations gleaned from museums, libraries and great houses to illustrate the theatrical and social context of Elizabethan and Jacobean England. Formerly published within the Cambridge Canto imprint, this paperback restores the format and illustrations of the original hardback.

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Contents

of patrons and provinces
27
Section from Visschers Londinium The Guildhall
43
London 1590
56
A playtext and its context
82
15941603
109
des musées nationaux Paris
146
Of Queen Chamberlains Admiral and King
148
Paul van Somers portrait of James I The Royal
161
16031616
166
The North Berwick witches
178
The Chandos portrait of Shakespeare National Portrait
191
Notes
194
Index of plays
208
Copyright

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