Defining the Proper Members of the Renaissance Theatrical Community

To return to the question of cultural analysis, a canonical play such as Epicene is often analyzed as if it reflected early modern culture-but without a sense of where it fits in to popular culture. [...]I would argue that both Shakespeare's and Jonson's plays are deeply indebted to specif...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Renaissance drama 2012-01, Vol.40, p.113-123
Main Author: BLY, MARY
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Alchemy
Alleys
Barry, Lording
Barry, Lording (1580?-1629)
British & Irish literature
Culture
Drama
Dramatists
Early Modern English
English literature
French language
Humor
Jokes
Playwriting
Poetry
Puns
Renaissance drama
Scholars
Shakespeare, William (1564-1616)
Theater
Theater criticism
Word play
Wordplay
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Summary:To return to the question of cultural analysis, a canonical play such as Epicene is often analyzed as if it reflected early modern culture-but without a sense of where it fits in to popular culture. [...]I would argue that both Shakespeare's and Jonson's plays are deeply indebted to specific wordplay that happened to be in vogue the year in which a given play was written. [...]most of them close their fifth act on a cheery note, along the lines of Florimell's smug boast about her husband's "proper" inches. [...]of the play, she refuses to marry him, protesting that she has "not yet prov'd all his knightly parts" (5-2.338); she changes her mind when he produces a poem atomizing Englishwomen's desires (according to Goosecap, they crave both a "fine French page" and an "English mastiff" [5.2.359]).
ISSN:0486-3739
2164-3415
DOI:10.1086/rd.40.41917503