Drama of The English Renaissance

Rating:
Summary: Overview of Elizabethan & Jacobean Drama sans Shakespeare
Review: When we think of drama of the English Renaissance, we are most likely to think of Shakespeare--but as editor M.L. Wine notes in his preface to this collection, "Drama is the characteristic mode of expression of the English Renaisaance," and while Shakespeare is the most famous dramatist of that period he was hardly the only one. This text offers nine of that era's most famous plays by some of its most famous authors, many of whom rivaled Shakespeare in artistry if not volume or artistic consistency.

The volume includes 'The Tragical History of the Life and Death of Doctor Faustus' by Christopher Marlowe (c. 1592); 'The Shoemakers' Holiday: A Pleasant Comedy of the Gentle Craft' by Thomas Dekker (1599); 'Volpone; or the Fox' by Ben Johnson (1606); 'The Knight of the Burning Pestle' by Francis Beaumont (possibly co-writing with John Fletcher, 1605); 'The Masque of Blackness' by Ben Johnson (1605); 'Philaster; or, Love Lies a-Bleeding' by Francis Beaumont and John Fletcher (c. 1608); 'The Duchess of Malfi' by John Webster (c. 1613); 'The Changeling' by Thomas Middleton and William Rowley (1622); and 'The Broken Heart' by John Ford (c.1627.) Each text is accompanied by an astute critical essay, a brief description of the author(s) life, and a description of the various sources from which the text has been drawn.

Aside from Wine's concise yet truly informative comments, the great thing about this volume is that it gives a very broad overview of the lightening-charged brilliance of the English drama as it developed during this period. Readers interested in English drama will almost certainly recognize 'Dr. Faustus,' 'Volpone,' and 'The Duchess of Malfi'--but the lesser-known works are no less worthy of reading, with 'The Shoemakers' Holiday' a particular personal favorite. While the size of this volume--which is comparatively slim for an anthology of this type; it will rest easily in any standard bookcase--does not allow for exhaustive annotation, each text includes standard textual notations. It is a superior introduction to the best of Elizabethan and Jacobean drama sans Shakespeare, and has been an integral volume in my own collection of dramatic literature for more than twenty years. Strongly recommended to those interested in English dramatic literature.