Book contents
- Leicester’s Men and their Plays
- Leicester’s Men and their Plays
- Copyright page
- Dedication
- Contents
- Figures
- Preface
- Acknowledgements
- Introduction
- Chapter 1 Starting Points
- Chapter 2 The First Decade (1558–1567)
- Chapter 3 The Second Decade (1567–1577)
- Chapter 4 The Third Decade (1578–1588)
- Afterword
- Book part
- Bibliography
- Index
Chapter 2 - The First Decade (1558–1567)
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 08 November 2023
- Leicester’s Men and their Plays
- Leicester’s Men and their Plays
- Copyright page
- Dedication
- Contents
- Figures
- Preface
- Acknowledgements
- Introduction
- Chapter 1 Starting Points
- Chapter 2 The First Decade (1558–1567)
- Chapter 3 The Second Decade (1567–1577)
- Chapter 4 The Third Decade (1578–1588)
- Afterword
- Book part
- Bibliography
- Index
Summary
Chapter 2 shows the company’s first tour was planned according to protocols from Mary’s reign, and relied on age-old trade routes to find their way to two locations that served Dudley’s interests. Later, as Dudley’s interests shifted and as plague, extreme weather, and floods hit their routes, the company adopted the circuits we now associate with later companies. The players’ London origins also shaped their early approach to commercial playing, performing in inns and hiring livery company halls, but hostile city authorities compelled them to look beyond London’s walls, prompting the construction of the Red Lion. Drawing on new archaeological evidence, I argue the Red Lion was designed to reflect the Great Hall at Whitehall, to give public audiences a taste of the spaces the players enjoyed at court. The plays the company adopted in the 1560s promoted Dudley’s Protestant ethos and presented characters based on the very artisans and labourers who made up their audiences and in whose midst the players lived in London.
Keywords
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- Information
- Leicester's Men and their PlaysAn Early Elizabethan Playing Company and its Legacy, pp. 64 - 113Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2023