Mock Kings in Medieval Society and Renaissance Drama
Editorial Reviews
Book Description
King-led outlaw defiance, riotous lords of misrule, proud midsummer mock kings, and stately Inns-of-Court princes--in diverse ways all were reflections of the dominant social order from the medieval to early Stuart periods and, as this new book makes clear, all influenced the writings of
Shakespeare and his contemporaries. Billington considers kingship in the light of contemporary accounts of elected kings in outlaw and rebel groups, and compares them with the phenomenon of festive mock kings. The result is a complex picture of interrelation between festive and more serious
opposition to the dominant order, as well as the discovery of a midsummer mock-king play tradition. She then looks at the professional theater of the period, demonstrating that mock-king patterns form the structure of many scripted plays, and highlighting Shakespeare's genius in transforming such
inherited structures into complex works of art.
Mock Kings in Medieval Society and Renaissance Drama,Sandra Billington,Oxford University Press, USA,0198119674,17th century,Applied,Early modern and Elizabethan,,Early modern and Elizabethan, 1500-1600,England,English Drama,English, Irish, Scottish, Welsh,Folk drama, English,History and criticism,Literary Criticism,Mathematics,Plays / Drama,Science/Mathematics,Social life and customs,Cultural studies,English,Literary Criticism & Collections / English, Irish, Scottish, Welsh,Literature/English | British Literature | Renaissance,Plays & playwrights: 16th to 18th centuries,Social history,United Kingdom, Great Britain,c 1000 CE to c 1500,c 1500 to c 1600
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