Shakespeare by Stages

Arthur Kinney introduces students to Shakespeare's plays in the context of Elizabethan and Jacobean theatre. He focuses on the material conditions of playing and of playgoing in order to show how they both inspired and restricted Shakespeare's art. A core of 22 plays is considered in total. In this engaging text, Arthur F. Kinney introduces students to Shakespeare's plays in the context of Elizabethan and Jacobean theater. He focuses on the material conditions of playing and of playgoing in order to show how they both inspired and restricted Shakespeare's art. Subjects treated range from the venues where Shakespeare's plays were first performed and the practicalities of the acting profession to the composition of audiences and the cultural and regulatory contexts in which companies of players operated. Each topic is discussed in relation to a diverse selection of Shakespeare's plays as well as contemporary documents, so that the plays and the theatrical world in which they were produced constantly illuminate one another. A core of 22 plays is considered in total. In this engaging text, Arthur Kinney introduces students to Shakespeare’s plays in the context of Elizabethan and Jacobean theater. Introduces students to Shakespeare's plays in the context of Elizabethan and Jacobean theater. Focuses on the material conditions of playing and of playgoing. Covers venues, audiences, actors, society, government and regulation. Each topic is considered in relation to a selection of Shakespeare's plays. Shows students how the plays and the context in which they were produced illuminate one another.