York Notes Companions: Shakespeare and Renaissance DramaDescription |
This Companion brings Renaissance drama to life by considering such classic plays as Hamlet, Othello and Dr Faustus from the perspective of contemporary theatre-goers. Discussions of Shakespeares masterpieces are accompanied by examinations of the work of lesser known playwrights and commentators, while chapters on Madness and Subjectivity, Rhetoric and Performance and Nation-Building provide a variety of key critical perspectives.  |
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Features |
- Analysis of key texts and debates
- Extended commentaries provide further in-depth analysis of individual texts
- Notes contain extra context and explanations of literary terms
- Historical, social and cultural contexts explored in introductory chapters and alongside discussions
- Modern critical theory and perspectives in practice
- Timelines and annotated further reading
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Table of Contents |
Part One: Introduction Part Two: A Cultural Overview Part Three: Texts, Writers and Contexts - Shakespeares comedies of eros: A Midsummer Nights Dream and As You Like It
Extended commentary: Twelfth Night - Chronicles of virtue Shakespeares history plays: Richard III and Henry IV Part 1
Extended commentary: Henry V - Tyranny and terror Tragedy on the English Stage: Dr Faustus, Othello and Macbeth
Extended commentary: Hamlet - Shakespearean tragicomedy: Philaster andAlls Well that Ends Well Extended commentary: The Tempest
- Comedies of Humour, Comedies of Pain: Every Man in his Humour and The Fawn
Extended commentary: Volpone - Jacobean Revenge drama: Revengers Tragedy and Women Beware Women
Extended commentary: The Duchess of Malfi Part Four: Critical theories and Debates Madness and Subjectivity Rhetoric and Performance Women at the Edge Nation-building Part Five: Resources Timeline Further reading Index |

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Back Cover |
The York Notes Companion to Shakespeare and Renaissance Drama brings widely studied plays such as Hamlet, Othello and Dr Faustus to life for students, by considering them from the perspective of contemporary theatre-goers. Placing Shakespeares masterpieces in the social and historical contexts of the period and examining them alongside the work of his lesser known contemporaries, the Companion provides detailed commentaries on a range of plays, and guides students through key literary theories and debates. Connecting texts with their scholarly and historical contexts, this is essential reading for any student of Renaissance drama. Each York Notes Companion provides: - Analysis of key texts and debates
- Extended commentaries for further in-depth analysis of individual texts
- Exploration of historical, social and cultural contexts
- Annotations clarifying literary terms and events in history
- Modern theoretical perspectives in practice
- Timelines and annotated further reading
Hugh Mackay has a PhD in early Jacobean drama from the University of Southampton, where he has taught on a range of undergraduate courses. |

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Author |
Dr Hugh Mackay completed his Phd on early Jacobean drama in 2003 at the University of Southampton, under the supervision of Professor Kathleen McLuskie, Director of the Shakespeare Institute. From 2002 to 2007 he taught various undergraduate courses at Southampton, ranging from Literature and History, Shakespeares Histories and Comedies to Critical History and Marxism and Psychoanalysis. He has a paper on Lusts Dominion and the Readmission of the Jews, published in the Review of English Studies, and has co-organised and presented at several conferences. |

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