Elizabethan Drama

One traitorous play. One treacherous bodice. One stitcher in between. London is bustling in 1598 when Ketren Pryce arrives filled with fashionable dreams. After saving an apprentice actor from disaster, she earns a place as a stitcher in the city's greatest acting company, the Lord Chamberlain's Men. But her idyllic situation unravels when she finds a blackmailer's plot sewn into a crimson bodice, leading to courtly intrigue she must resolve to thwart a lunatic's doom. The Crimson Bodice blends together historical figures and a singular event to present the spirited lives and times of the ...

Following the tremendous success of her first novel, Innocent Traitor, acclaimed historian and New York Times bestselling author Alison Weir turns her masterly storytelling skills to the early life of young Elizabeth Tudor, who would grow up to become England’s most intriguing and powerful...

Sir Philip Sidney was an Elizabethan courtier, statesman, soldier, poet, and patron of scholars and poets. He was famous as the ideal gentleman of his day and a model for subsequent generations until the twentieth century replaced classical education with industrial age expedience. He represents something of what we have lost in modern self-interest. For three centuries, he was considered the most extraordinary man of the English Renaissance. But unfortunately, his legacy has faded from modern prominence. Nevertheless, it is fascinating to peer into the past and discover a singular person ...

In England in the Age of Shakespeare, Jeremy Black takes readers on a tour of life in the streets, homes, farms, churches, and palaces of the Bard’s era. Panning from play to audience and back again, Black shows how Shakespeare's plays would have been experienced and interpreted by those who paid to see them. From the dangers of travel to the indignities of everyday life in teeming London, Black explores the jokes, political and economic references, and small asides that Shakespeare’s audiences would have recognized.

Step inside the Elizabethan playhouse where mysteries abound. Act 1: Who would perform murders on stage? Act 2: Why would someone kidnap a young apprentice actor? Act 3: Would the players rebel against the Queen? In the heart of the 17th-century playhouse district, Sara Watson, the proprietor of Willow Wood Apothecary, is no stranger to blood and mayhem. But when a series of gruesome murders threatens to alert court spies, Sara joins forces not only with Sheriff Hawkins but also with a young apprentice actor, his loyal canine, and a retired fighting bear. The clock is ticking, and this ...

London, winter of 1589. The city is alive with intrigue, and anticipation. The players of Lord Strange’s Men are rehearsing a daring new play, penned by one of their promising young actors, William Shakespeare. But excitement turns to disaster when the authorities shutter the theatre over a trivial offense, plunging Will into uncertainty and despair. Determined to press on, he begins crafting a grisly revenge tragedy—Titus Andronicus—hoping to sell it to another troupe. But before he can do so, his entire collection of playscripts is stolen. His reputation, his career—everything is ...

Dorset, 1682. Catherine Carey was once a vivacious beauty with the world at her feet. One tragic accident was all it took to shatter her dreams, her spirit, her everything. Now, she only wants to hide her scarred face from the world. But if she thinks she’s safe at home, she is wrong. Her scheming brother wants to marry her off to a fortune-hunter, and he won’t take no for an answer. Out on a lonely walk, Catherine is attacked and left for dead. Could this be her brother’s doing?

From “a brilliant new player in the court of royal fiction” (People), comes the mesmerizing story of Lady Penelope Devereux—the daring young beauty in the Tudor court, who inspired Sir Philip Sidney’s famous sonnets even while she plotted against Queen Elizabeth. Penelope Devereux...

From the acclaimed author of The Map Thief comes the true story of a self-taught Shakespeare sleuth's quest to prove his eye-opening theory about the source of the English language's most famous plays. A work of gripping non-fiction, North by Shakespeare presents the twinning narratives of rogue...

Embark on a captivating journey through the works of William Shakespeare with "Shakespeare in Brief." This indispensable companion offers a fresh and accessible approach to exploring the timeless plays that have captured the hearts and minds of audiences for centuries. This edition has been updated with enhanced accuracy and corrected errors. Key Features: 1. Succinct Synopses: Each play is distilled into a clear and concise synopsis, allowing you to grasp the core elements of the story quickly. 2. Character Connections: Uncover the intricate web of relationships between Shakespeare's ...

This illustrated book, also available as a 172 page paperback from Troubador.co.uk at £9.95, introduces the conclusions of recent scholarship and research into theatrical conditions, conventions and concepts in the time of Shakespeare. It is designed as a companion to the study of any Shakespeare play, including those treated in Literature Insights, such as Hamlet, Henry IV parts 1 and 2, King Lear, Richard II, Richard III, The Tempest, Troilus and Cressida. The book begins with a discussion of the origins of early modern English drama and of the theatres that were built for it. Attitudes ...

On a Sunday afternoon in May 1592, Jane Mellor is raped on the village green by the comedian of a group of strolling players. Her husband is traumatised by the attack and Jane is forced to flee the village to escape being tried for witchcraft. She sets out disguised as a boy with her catatonic husband, in pursuit of the comic and intent on revenge. However Jane quickly finds that the dangers from marauding thieves and footpads, the savagery of the law and prisons are being compounded by more sinister activities.

The day Rodney Hawkhurst rides onto her father's grand estate, Lizbeth Gillingham is a wild eighteen-year-old, with tangled red hair, dirt on her apron, and an archer's bow in her hand. A chance encounter leads to a clandestine kiss, leaving the tomboy Lizbeth wondering if the life of a sophisticated lady could be so bad if she was on the arm of Rodney Hawkhurst... But Rodney has not come to see Sir Gillingham about Lizbeth. He has come to borrow money for a daring sea voyage, and to ask for the hand of Phillida, Lizbeth's elegant sister.

These remarkable letters represent a wealth of as-yet-undiscovered knowledge about Shakespeare's relationships, personality, and career as he carved out his place in the chaotic world of 16th-century London. Whether you are a Shakespeare scholar, merely a fan, or even if you have never read any of his works, the stories of the The Lost Letters will enthrall you with their fascinating and true tale.

Step into the world of Renaissance drama where comedy, passion, power, and romance take center stage in London’s playhouses. Get a closeup view of the emerging middle class and their penchant for murder, mayhem, and revenge in this snapshot of Elizabethan theater and its contemporary audience. Ripley illuminates the women featured in works by William Shakespeare and his contemporaries as these playwrights sometimes ridicule, but often admire feminine entrepreneurial spirit and intelligence. Come along and embrace the pastimes produced by Renaissance culture to discover how early modern ...

This book aims to introduce students (including those with little or no prior experience of the field) to the worlds of Shakespeare and his theatre revealed in King Lear. It begins by ‘Approaching Shakespeare’ as utterly a man of the theatre, a professional actor before he was a playwright and a resident dramatist who knew intimately the actors for whom he wrote. It continues by discussing ‘King Lear’ in that light. The middle chapters look in detail at the ‘Actors and Players’ of the drama, and at Shakespeare’s favourite ‘Acts and Devices’ as deployed within it. A final ...

This book, also available in paperback direct from Troubador.co.uk, aims to introduce students (including those with little or no prior experience of the field) to the worlds of Shakespeare and his theatre revealed in ‘Hamlet’. It begins by ‘Approaching Shakespeare’ as utterly a man of the theatre, a professional actor before he was a playwright and a resident dramatist who knew intimately the actors for whom he wrote. It continues by ‘Approaching Hamlet’ in that light, and as a revenge tragedy deliberately overloaded with complications. The middle chapters look in detail at the...

To Each Their Own is a modern-writ comedy in the style of the Theatre of Elizabeth the First, written with a scholar's research and a modern Shakespearean actor's wit. It includes many of the elements we are used to seeing in Shakespeare (sassy servants, pompous Noblemen, love-at-first-sight, shipwrecks, magic, fights, sacrifice, and slapstick) and language that conveys much more than single emotions.