The first of its kind, this book examines the full range of patronage-related
issues applying to the theatre of Shakespeare and his early modern contemporaries.
The collection’s twelve theater historians address such questions as: What
important functions did patronage have for the theater during this period? How, in
turn, did the theater impact and represent patronage? In what ways do patronage,
political power, and playing intersect? How did patrons and theater artists mutually
affect one another’s sense of personal and professional identity? Where do paying
spectators and purchasers of printed drama fit into our discussion of patronage? In
what ways did patronage practices change and develop from the early Tudor period to
the years in which Shakespeare was the English theater’s leading artist? These and
other questions are addressed with both seasoned scholars and general lovers of
Shakespeare and Renaissance drama in mind.
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