The Cambridge Companion to Shakespeare and Contemporary Dramatists

This Companion is devoted to the life and works of Shakespeare and contemporary playwrights in early modern London.

While Shakespeare's popularity has continued to grow, so has the attention paid to the work of his contemporaries. This Companion introduces the distinctive drama of playwrights from Shakespeare's time, including Kyd, Marlowe, Middleton, Jonson and Webster. The book also covers Shakespeare as a collaborator and the difficult question of co-authorship.While Shakespeare's popularity has continued to grow, so has the attention paid to the work of his contemporaries. The contributors to this Companion introduce the distinctive drama of these playwrights, from the court comedies of John Lyly to the works of Richard Brome in the Caroline era. With chapters on a wide range of familiar and lesser-known dramatists, including Thomas Kyd, Christopher Marlowe, Ben Jonson, John Webster, Thomas Middleton and John Ford, this book devotes particular attention to their personal and professional relationships, occupational rivalries and collaborations. Overturning the popular misconception that Shakespeare wrote in isolation, it offers a new perspective on the most impressive body of drama in the history of the English stage.