Tudor Shakespeare: Taking the Long View

Abstract

AbstractTudor literature, especially texts written between 1530 and 1580, has been understudied by scholars. But Shakespeare was born and came of age in Tudor England, and his work is influenced by the drama and politics of this period. Reading Tudor drama alongside Shakespearean drama helps us better examine the way that various ideas and dramatic techniques developed across the 16th century. Attention to Tudor drama and its relationship to Shakespeare helps us rethink scholarly periodization and the social, religious, and theatrical changes and continuities of the long 16th century.