Discourses of Service in Shakespeare's England

Evett, D.

One way and another, nearly all of Shakespeare's countrymen and women (including the playwright himself) spent at least parts of their lives as servants of someone else. But until now that fact has gone largely unregarded. This book remedies the oversight, by showing how the ideals and practices of early modern service affect dozens of characters in almost all the plays, in ways that enrich our understanding of familiar figures like Iago and Falstaff and enhance the significance of lesser-known people and events across the canon. And it introduces an important concept, volitional primacy, into contemporary critical discourse.

Details

Published by: Palgrave Macmillan

Publication Date: 2005-05-11

Format: Hardcover

ISBN-13: 9781403968159

DOI: 10.1057/9781403978882

Dimensions: 216cm x140cm

Pages: 286