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The Dramatic Works of Sir William D'avenant, Vol. 4: With Prefatory Memoir and Notes
Explore a essential historical view of 17th‑century English theatre and its turning points.
This edition offers more than plays. It opens with an introductory memoir and notes that place Sir William Davenant’s dramatic entertainments in context, including performances at the Cockpit and evolving five‑act formats. You’ll encounter discussions of how these pieces were created, adapted, and staged, along with commentary on related works and contemporary reception.
The volume surveys a range of works from the era, showing how early modern spectators experienced music, perspective, and satire on the English stage. It references how pieces were printed, performed, and sometimes published in contrast to later editions, giving readers a window into the theatrical culture of Cromwell’s England and the Restoration that followed. The included passages offer a sense of the era’s voices, humor, and dramatic innovations, all framed by scholarly notes.
What you’ll experienceAn annotated glimpse into Davenant’s plays and their stagecraft, including early translations and adaptationsHistorical notes that connect dramatic pieces to their public performances and printing historiesContext about contemporaries, venues, and the evolving structure of English dramaFragments of the drama itself, illustrating how music, perspective, and burlesque appeared on stage Ideal for readers of theatre history, 17th‑century drama, and literary scholarship seeking a window into early English entertainment and its reception.
This edition offers more than plays. It opens with an introductory memoir and notes that place Sir William Davenant’s dramatic entertainments in context, including performances at the Cockpit and evolving five‑act formats. You’ll encounter discussions of how these pieces were created, adapted, and staged, along with commentary on related works and contemporary reception.
The volume surveys a range of works from the era, showing how early modern spectators experienced music, perspective, and satire on the English stage. It references how pieces were printed, performed, and sometimes published in contrast to later editions, giving readers a window into the theatrical culture of Cromwell’s England and the Restoration that followed. The included passages offer a sense of the era’s voices, humor, and dramatic innovations, all framed by scholarly notes.
What you’ll experienceAn annotated glimpse into Davenant’s plays and their stagecraft, including early translations and adaptationsHistorical notes that connect dramatic pieces to their public performances and printing historiesContext about contemporaries, venues, and the evolving structure of English dramaFragments of the drama itself, illustrating how music, perspective, and burlesque appeared on stage Ideal for readers of theatre history, 17th‑century drama, and literary scholarship seeking a window into early English entertainment and its reception.
449 pages, Hardcover
Published November 17, 2017
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Books whose authorship is purposefully withheld should be attributed instead to Anonymous.
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October 23, 2021Specifically The Unfortunate Lovers - no idea if it is actually in this specific volume.
Some quite decent dialogue, particularly the verse. Lots of echoes of Shakespeare - well it's set in Verona, two doomed lovers, a gold statue at the end... Oddly there is an implication of a much earlier setting, with a (nasty) character Hildebrand, King of the Lombards. Lots of fairly random killing, but not wholly satisfying. Still, it beats Carlell and Suckling, whose works were also being performed at the time. These three were all courtiers first, writers second at best, and it shows.
Read as part of the REP online readathon of the King's Men repertoire in the dank October of 2021.
Some quite decent dialogue, particularly the verse. Lots of echoes of Shakespeare - well it's set in Verona, two doomed lovers, a gold statue at the end... Oddly there is an implication of a much earlier setting, with a (nasty) character Hildebrand, King of the Lombards. Lots of fairly random killing, but not wholly satisfying. Still, it beats Carlell and Suckling, whose works were also being performed at the time. These three were all courtiers first, writers second at best, and it shows.
Read as part of the REP online readathon of the King's Men repertoire in the dank October of 2021.
Displaying 1 of 1 review