Public-domain ebook

The Elizabethan Stage, Vol. 2

Name: The Elizabethan Stage, Vol. 2
Author: E. K. Chambers

by E. K. Chambers

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Language: en7,640 downloads on Project Gutenberg

Subjects

Great Britain -- History -- Elizabeth, 1558-1603 Shakespeare, William, 1564-1616 -- Stage history -- To 1625 English drama -- Early modern and Elizabethan, 1500-1600 -- History and criticism Shakespeare, William, 1564-1616 -- Stage history -- England -- London Theaters -- England -- London -- History -- 16th century Shakespeare, William, 1564-1616 -- Relations with actors Theater -- England -- London -- History -- 16th century Acting -- History -- 16th century

In: Plays/Films/Dramas·History - British·History - Early Modern (c. 1450-1750)

Public-domain ebook sourced from Project Gutenberg #67423.

About this book

The Elizabethan Stage, Vol. 2 is a scholarly reference work that catalogues the theatrical companies operating in London between 1558 and 1616. The opening pages lay out an exhaustive bibliography of earlier studies, then explain the author’s method of organizing the material by the households that patronised each troupe. Chambers notes the difficulties of dating performances from municipal accounts, the fluidity of company memberships, and the shift from boy‑companies to adult troupes after the first permanent theatres appeared in 1576. The text proceeds to a detailed chronicle of each company, highlighting the interplay of patronage, economics, and repertory, and it is peppered with footnotes that cite archival sources ranging from the Chamber accounts to provincial records.

Written in a formal, nineteenth‑century academic voice, the book reads like a meticulous inventory rather than a narrative history. Its dense prose, extensive footnotes, and reliance on primary documents will appeal to historians of early‑modern England, Shakespeare scholars, and theatre researchers who need precise data on company affiliations, performance dates, and the evolution of the London stage. Those interested in the institutional background of Elizabethan drama will find it an indispensable, if demanding, resource.

Opening lines

Chambers—A Project Gutenberg eBook LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS Domus Capitularis S ti Pauli a Meridie Prospectus. By Wenceslaus Hollar. From Sir William Dugdale, History of St. Paul’s Cathedral (1658) Frontispiece Diagrams of the Blackfriars Theatres p. 504 Interior of the Swan Theatre. From the drawing after Johannes de Witt in Arend van Buchell’s commonplace book p. 521 NOTE ON SYMBOLS I have found it convenient, especially in Appendix A, to use the symbol < following a date, to indicate an uncertain date not earlier than that named, and the symbol > followed by a date, to indicate an uncertain date not later than that named. Thus 1903 < > 23 would indicate the composition date of any part of this book. I have sometimes placed the date of a play in italics, where it was desirable to indicate the date of production rather than publication. …

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