Each generation needs to be introduced to the culture of the past and to reinterpret it in its own ways. This series re-examines the important English dramatists of earlier centuries in the light of new information, new interests and new attitudes. The books are written for students, theatre-goers and general readers who want an up-to-date view of the plays and dramatists, with an emphasis on drama as theatre, in the context of their stage, social and political history.

The emphasis is on plays in performance, with attention given to what is known about acting styles, changing interpretations, the stages and theatres of the time and theatre economics. The books will be relevant to all those studying literature, theatre and cultural history

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Kathleen McLuskie uses the work of both Dekker and Heywood to investigate the relationship between the plays and the cultural moment into which they are produced. As professional playwrights, Dekker and Heywood wrote for most of the Renaissance London theatre venues, from the huge and raucous 'Red Bull' to the club-like intimacy of the playhouse at St Paul's.

They debated and constructed the categories of popular theatre and engaged over a long period with the changing politics of culture, religion and state. Their work, and this book, provide an important insight into the working context of Shakespeare and two of his most important contemporaries.