In the early seventeenth century, the London stage often portrayed a ruler covertly spying on his subjects. Traditionally deemed 'Jacobean disguised ruler plays', these works include Shakespeare's Measure for Measure, Marston's The Malcontent and The Fawn, Middleton's The Phoenix, and Sharpham's The Fleer. Commonly dated to the arrival of James I, these plays are typically viewed as synchronic commentaries on the Jacobean regime. Kevin A. Quarmby demonstrates that the disguised ruler motif actually evolved in the 1580s. It emerged from medieval folklore and balladry, Tudor Chronicle history and European tragicomedy. Familiar on the Elizabethan stage, these incognito rulers initially offered light-hearted, romantic entertainment, only to suffer a sinister transformation as England awaited its ageing queen's demise. The disguised royal had become a dangerously voyeuristic political entity by the time James assumed the throne. Traditional critical perspectives also disregard contemporary theatrical competition. Market demands shaped the repertories. Rivalry among playing companies guaranteed the motif's ongoing vitality. The disguised ruler's presence in a play reassured audiences; it also facilitated a subversive exploration of contemporary social and political issues. Gradually, the disguised ruler's dramatic currency faded, but the figure remained vibrant as an object of parody until the playhouses closed in the 1640s.

About the Author

Kevin A. Quarmby is Assistant Professor of English at The College of St. Scholastica, Duluth, Minnesota. His prior professional acting career informs his Shakespeare research.

Reviews

Shortlisted for the Shakespeare's Globe Book Award 2014 'This excellent book fills a gap in the fields of English literature and history, and destabilizes some idee fixes of the Shakespeare field - for instance, the idea, often promulgated, that the Friar in Measure for Measure is a reflection of James I. Written with Quarmby's typical charm and clarity, this important book is so cogent and accessible that scholars from undergraduates to professors will profit from it.' Tiffany Stern, Professor of Early Modern Drama, University College, Oxford, UK

'Kevin A. Quarmby's The Disguised Ruler in Shakespeare and His Contemporaries offers a convincing rejoinder to a new historicist orthodoxy: that the beginning of James I's reign witnessed the emergence and brief flowering of a distinctly Jacobean subgenre, the disguised ruler play.' Studies in English Literature 1500-1900 '...Quarmby's monograph is an important contribution to theatre performance criticism which will hopefully lead to a reappreciation of the disguised ruler motif among Renaissance scholars.' Shakespeare Jahrbuch

'...a valuable re-examination of familiar assumptions about the disguised ruler motif.' Around the Globe

Book Information
ISBN 9781138277045
Author Kevin A. Quarmby
Format Paperback
Page Count 280
Imprint Routledge
Publisher Taylor & Francis Ltd
Weight(grams) 453g