Shakespeare and the Rival Traditions

A synthesis of the facts about Elizabethan theatres and the content of Elizabethan plays as a means of defining Shakespeare's materials and intentions. Although the whole of English Renaissance drama until the date of Shakespeare's last play falls within the scope of this volume, it is not a history in the usual sense. Rather, it focuses on one central three-part problem: How did the Elizabethan theatrical industry organize itself in order to serve its clientele, what was the view of life this clientele brought into the theatres, and how was this view of life reflected or refracted in the plays? The chief novelty of Mr. Harbage's book is his insistence upon the duality of Elizabethan drama - the distinction between the drama of the public theatres, where Shakespeare was played, and the drama of the private theatres, where he was not. The author's primary concern is not with artistic technique but with the substance and sentiment of the drama, contrasting that of the public theatre with that of the private theatre.