Synopses & Reviews
Sir Thomas Stukeley, the notorious English courtier, pirate, adventurer and soldier, died at the Battle of Alcazar in Morocco in 1578, while serving in the army of King Sebastian of Portugal. This volume comprises the first modern-spelling, annotated edition of two plays in which he is a major character: George Peele's The Battle of Alcazar (c.1588), and the anonymous Famous History of the Life and Death of Captain Thomas Stukeley (c.1596). In his extensive introduction and commentary, Charles Edelman discusses the plays' authorship, their many textual problems, and what they reveal about Elizabethan performance practices. He also challenges most of the traditional assumptions about them. This edition shows that both works, long held to be unperformable, are instead fascinating and worthwhile representatives of the most exciting age in the history of the theatre.
Review
"With its detailed introduction and extensive notes, Edelman's editorial work provides an outstanding basis for further study of these previously neglected dramas." --Professor Bruce Boehler, SEL (Studies in English Literature, 1500-1900)
Synopsis
The first modern-spelling, annotated edition of the two plays in which Thomas Stukeley, the notorious courtier, pirate, adventurer and soldier is a major character
About the Author
Charles Edelman teaches Literature and Performance at Edith Cowan University, Australia.
Table of Contents
General editors' preface * Acknowledgements * Abbreviations and references * Introduction * Sir Thomas Stukeley * 'The Battle of the Three Kings' * 'The Battle of Alcazar' * Authorship and date * Text * The plot * The play in performance * The date of the play * Sources * The play * 'Mislike me not for my complexion' * 'The Famous History of the Life and Death of Captain Thomas Stukeley * Authorship * Versification * The play * The African sequence and the order of the final scenes * Conclusion * Notes to the introduction * 'The Battle of Alcazar' * Editions and textual conventions * List of characters * The play * 'The Famous History of the Life and Death of Captain Thomas Stukeley * Editions, textual conventions * List of characters * The play * Appendix I: 'The Battle of Alcazar': Pisano, Jonas and Hercules * Appendix II: 'The Battle of Alcazar': The Irish Bishop * Appendix III: 'Captain Thomas Stukeley': Alternate scene 7