Shakespeare and the Admiral's Men

Reading across Repertories on the London Stage, 1594–1600

Tom Rutter author

Format:Hardback

Publisher:Cambridge University Press

Published:16th Jan '17

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Shakespeare and the Admiral's Men cover

This book examines the two-way influence between Shakespeare and his company's main competitors in the 1590s, the Admiral's Men.

For most of the 1590s, the Admiral's Men were the main competitors of Shakespeare's company in the London theatres. Not only did they stage old plays by dramatists such as Christopher Marlowe and Thomas Kyd: their playwrights invented the genres of humours comedy (with An Humorous Day's Mirth) and city comedy (with Englishmen for My Money), while other new plays such as A Knack to Know an Honest Man and The Downfall of Robert, Earl of Huntingdon were important influences on Shakespeare. This is the first book to read the Admiral's repertory against Shakespeare's plays of the 1590s, showing both how Shakespeare drew on their innovations and how his plays influenced Admiral's dramatists in turn. Shedding new light on well-known plays and offering detailed analysis of less familiar ones, it offers a fresh perspective on the dramatic culture of the 1590s.

'Tom Rutter's book on the Admiral's Men and their repertoire does an admirable job of detailing the complementary relationships between London stage companies of the time.' Paul Innes, Modern Language Review
'… a carefully deliberated set of studies, undogmatic, alert to fine detail and, therefore, quietly enriching.' John Jowett, Cahiers Élisabéthains
'… offers a valuable contribution both to theatre history and to dramatic criticism …' Tracey Hill, Renaissance Studies
'By suggesting that Shakespeare was continually responding to theatrical development, Tom Rutter provides a layered and nuanced idea of what a Shakespearean 'source' - or equally a Shakespearean influence - might in fact be, and expands the field as a result …' Tiffany Stern, The Times Literary Supplement
'Rutter displays deep knowledge of the plays he discusses and of the scholarship that precedes him. His book, lucid and economical in style, introduces new perspectives on the plays and lays out numerous intertextual connections. The book will have a long shelf life as required reading for students and scholars of Renaissance drama …' Donna B. Hamilton, Early Theatre

ISBN: 9781107077430

Dimensions: 235mm x 158mm x 18mm

Weight: 460g

236 pages