Drama and the Succession to the Crown, 1561-1633

The book explores how the contentious issue of royal succession during Elizabeth I's reign and into the 1630s influenced dramatic literature. It highlights how playwrights like Marlowe, Shakespeare, Webster, and Ford utilized the medium of drama, with its themes of disguised identities and complex relationships to reality, to address and navigate the political tensions surrounding succession. Through analysis of various plays, the author reveals how these works reflect societal anxieties and aspirations regarding the future of the monarchy.