Mastering the revels : the regulation and censorship of early modern drama / Richard Dutton.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Dutton, Richard, 1948- author.

Series:

Oxford Academic.

Oxford scholarship online

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

English drama--Early modern and Elizabethan, 1500-1600--History and criticism.

English drama.

English drama--17th century--History and criticism.

Theater--Censorship--Great Britain--History--16th century.

Theater.

Theater--Censorship--Great Britain--History--17th century.

Drama--Censorship--Great Britain--History--16th century.

Drama.

Drama--Censorship--Great Britain--History--17th century.

Renaissance--England.

Renaissance.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (414 pages)

Edition:

Second edition.

Place of Publication:

Oxford : Oxford University Press, [2022]

Summary:

Mastering the Revels traces the measures taken by the governments of Elizabeth I, James I, and Charles I to regulate the new phenomenon of fixed playhouses and resident playing companies in London, and to censor their plays. It focuses on the Masters of the Revels, whose primary function was to seek out theatrical entertainment for the court but whose role expanded to include oversight of the players and their playhouses. The book proceeds chronologically, tracking each of the Masters in the period-Edmund Tilney (served 1579-1610), Sir George Buc (1610-1622), Sir John Astley (1622-1623) and Sir Henry Herbert (1623-1642). Tilney was the first to receive a Special Commission, giving him wide-ranging powers over the players. When Buc first became involved is examined here in detail, as is the parallel history of the Children of the Queen's Revels who, between 1604 and 1608, staged some of the most scandalous plays of the era. Astley succeeded Buc, but soon sold the office to Herbert, who then served to the closing of the theatres. Manuscripts of plays censored by Tilney, Buc, and Herbert have survived and are examined in detail to assess their concerns. Large parts of Herbert's office-book have also survived, giving detailed insights into his professional life, including interactions with both the court and the players. It reveals the difficulties he faced negotiating recurrent popular pressure for war against Spain, resistance to Archbishop Laud's reforms of the church, and Henrietta Maria's problematic presence as a Catholic queen to Charles I.

Contents:

List of Illustrations

Usual Practices, Abbreviations and Citations

A Brief History of Early Modern Theatrical Censorship and Control

Introduction: Through a Glass, Darkly

Thinking About Censorship

Sejanus: An Object Lesson

The Records of the Masters of the Revels

1. Country and Court: A System of Control Emerges, 1549-1579

Edward VI and Queen Mary

Elizabeth I

An Act for the Punishment of Vagabonds, 1572

Battle Lines Drawn

Masters of the Revels

2. Tilney, Patronage, and Profit, 1579-1589

Edmund Tilney's Special Commission, 1581

Literary Skills of Masters of the Revels

Tilney at Work

John Lyly

Robert Wilson

The Sponsorship of Plays by People of Consequence

3. 1586-1592: Decrees for Orders in Printing; 'Martin Marprelate'; Tilney Reappears; Christopher Marlowe

Decrees for Orders in Printing, 1586

'Martin Marprelate'

Tilney's Limited Authority

Christopher Marlowe

4. 1592-1602: The Theatrical World Reassembles; Tilney's Position Consolidated

1592-1598

Falstaff

The Isle of Dogs

The 'Duopoly' Acknowledged

Tilney's Authority and Income, with Some Licensing Issues

Tilney's Censorship: (a) Richard II

Tilney's Censorship: (b) The Book of Sir Thomas More

Late Elizabethan Jonson

5a. Transition and Transgression: From Tilney to Buc, 1603-1610

Who Controlled What, and When?

Buc and the Children of the Blackfriars

Wider Issues Arising

Other Theatrical Changes

5b. The 'Little Eyases' and the Early Years of James's Reign

Philotas

Gowrie

The Malcontent and The Dutch Courtesan

Eastward Ho!

Sejanus

The Isle of Gulls

The Byron and Scottish Mines Plays

The Winding Up of the Blackfriars Boys

Libel

6. Sir George Buc, 1610-1622, and Topical Readings

The Second Maiden's Tragedy

Sir John Van Olden Barnavelt

Theatrical Control during Buc's Tenure of Office

7. From Astley to Herbert: The Contest for Office, 1622-1623

Astley

Astley to Herbert

8. 1623-1642: Sir Henry Herbert, A Master at Work

Getting His Feet under the Table

Turning Authority into Money

Share Owner and Arbitrator

Censorship and Non-censorship

Closer to Home

Philip, Earl of Pembroke and the Duke of Buckingham: The Uses of Drama

1632-1634

1634-1642

Conclusions: The King and the Subject

Bibliography

Index.

Notes:

Previously issued in print: 1991.

Previosly issued title as "Mastering the revels: the regulation and censorship of English Renaissance drama".

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Description based on Publisher website; title from home page (viewed on May 16, 2022).

Other Format:

Print version: Dutton, Richard Mastering the Revels

ISBN:

0-19-185995-8

0-19-255153-1

0-19-255154-X

OCLC:

1333084828