Book contents
- Shakespeare and Lost Plays
- Shakespeare and Lost Plays
- Copyright page
- Dedication
- Contents
- Figures and Tables
- Acknowledgements
- A Note on Conventions for the Titles of Lost Plays
- Introduction
- Chapter 1 Charting the Landscape of Loss
- Chapter 2 Early Shakespeare: 1594–1598
- Chapter 3 Shakespeare at the Turn of the Century: 1599–1603
- Chapter 4 Courting Controversy – Shakespeare and the King’s Men
- Chapter 5 Late Shakespeare: 1609–1613
- Chapter 6 Loose Canons
- Conclusion
- Index
Chapter 2 - Early Shakespeare: 1594–1598
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 10 March 2021
- Shakespeare and Lost Plays
- Shakespeare and Lost Plays
- Copyright page
- Dedication
- Contents
- Figures and Tables
- Acknowledgements
- A Note on Conventions for the Titles of Lost Plays
- Introduction
- Chapter 1 Charting the Landscape of Loss
- Chapter 2 Early Shakespeare: 1594–1598
- Chapter 3 Shakespeare at the Turn of the Century: 1599–1603
- Chapter 4 Courting Controversy – Shakespeare and the King’s Men
- Chapter 5 Late Shakespeare: 1609–1613
- Chapter 6 Loose Canons
- Conclusion
- Index
Summary
Two temporary sites of performance for the Chamberlain’s Men (Newington Butts and the Curtain) provide me with the opportunity to reconsider the theatrical context in which Shakespeare was operating in the early part of his career. Attending to lost plays and performance details from this period helps adjust our view of the company’s theatrical activity and enriches our understanding of the company’s formative years. It is the lost plays – ‘Hester and Ahasuerus’ in particular – that give a meaningful shape to the Newington repertory and help make sense of the dramatic offerings at that venue. An equally important ‘formative moment’ for Shakespeare’s company is its eviction from what had become its regular venue – the Theatre – and the period of transition encompassing its tenancy of the Curtain and eventual move to the Globe. I argue that reconsideration of the physical and economic constraints faced by the Chamberlain’s Men in this period, and attention to lost plays in the Chamberlain’s and in the Admiral’s repertories for additional context, stand to significantly revise scholarly opinion on the conditions under which Shakespeare operated prior to his company’s move to the Globe.
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- Shakespeare and Lost PlaysReimagining Drama in Early Modern England, pp. 58 - 88Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2021