Disguised Ruler in Shakespeare and his Contemporaries
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A01=Kevin A. Quarmby
Antonio's Revenge
Author_Kevin A. Quarmby
bacon
Bartholomew Fair
basilikon
Basilikon Doron
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Category=DSB
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Disguised Ruler Drama
doron
drama
early modern drama
Edward IV
Emperor's Son
English Renaissance theatre
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eq_biography-true-stories
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eq_isMigrated=2
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eq_non-fiction
eq_poetry
evolution of disguised ruler trope
Fair Em
fido
friar
Friar Bacon
Guarini's Il Pastor Fido
Guarini's Play
Gunpowder Plot Conspirators
Il Pastor Fido
incognito monarchy motif
Jack Drum's Entertainment
James's Personality
john
King's Revels
Law Tricks
pastor
Pastor Fido
political surveillance
Queen Henrietta's Men
Queen's Revels
queens
revels
Richard III
Robin Hood
Sir John Oldcastle
theatrical rivalry
Tudor historical context
Tudor Motif
Whig Historiography
Young Men
Product details
- ISBN 9781138277045
- Weight: 520g
- Dimensions: 156 x 234mm
- Publication Date: 16 Nov 2016
- Publisher: Taylor & Francis Ltd
- Publication City/Country: GB
- Product Form: Paperback
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In the early seventeenth century, the London stage often portrayed a ruler covertly spying on his subjects. Traditionally deemed 'Jacobean disguised ruler plays', these works include Shakespeare's Measure for Measure, Marston's The Malcontent and The Fawn, Middleton's The Phoenix, and Sharpham's The Fleer. Commonly dated to the arrival of James I, these plays are typically viewed as synchronic commentaries on the Jacobean regime. Kevin A. Quarmby demonstrates that the disguised ruler motif actually evolved in the 1580s. It emerged from medieval folklore and balladry, Tudor Chronicle history and European tragicomedy. Familiar on the Elizabethan stage, these incognito rulers initially offered light-hearted, romantic entertainment, only to suffer a sinister transformation as England awaited its ageing queen's demise. The disguised royal had become a dangerously voyeuristic political entity by the time James assumed the throne. Traditional critical perspectives also disregard contemporary theatrical competition. Market demands shaped the repertories. Rivalry among playing companies guaranteed the motif's ongoing vitality. The disguised ruler's presence in a play reassured audiences; it also facilitated a subversive exploration of contemporary social and political issues. Gradually, the disguised ruler's dramatic currency faded, but the figure remained vibrant as an object of parody until the playhouses closed in the 1640s.
Kevin A. Quarmby is Assistant Professor of English at The College of St. Scholastica, Duluth, Minnesota. His prior professional acting career informs his Shakespeare research.
