Thomas Dekker

'I know the trade: I learned it when I was in Wittenberg'Thus speaks Lacy, the gentleman who disguises himself as a simple shoemaker in order to win his true love, the grocer's daughter Rose. The Shoemaker's Holiday is one of the most engaging citizen comedies of the 17th century. Written and first performed at much the same time as Hamlet, it has an unexpected affinity with Shakespeare's tragedy: both feature a leading character who has spent time in Wittenberg, where he has learned something that has changed him. But whereas Hamlet's Wittenberg philosophy steers him into the realm of the individuated self, Lacy's Wittenberg trade directs him and his fellows into the world of the collectively crafted commodity. In the process, the play offers fascinating insight into the evolution of fashion and the growth of consumer culture in newly capitalist London. This new student edition contains a lengthy new Introduction with background on the author, date and sources, the play's major preoccupations, and stage history. The editor, Jonathan Gil Harris, is Professor of English at George Washington University. he is the author of Foreign Bodies and the Body Politic, Sick Economies, and Untimely Matter in the Time of Shakespeare.

In the village of Edmonton, Elizabeth Sawyer is shunned by her neighbours. A poor and lonely old woman, she is harassed and accused of being a witch. In her abject misery, she wishes that she really were bewitched and so able to have her revenge. Unluckily for Elizabeth and the villagers of Edmonton, someone with the power to grant that wish is listening. First performed in 1621, The Witch of Edmonton was based by its authors Thomas Dekker, John Ford and William Rowley on a real-life case of a woman accused of witchcraft. The play was revived by the Royal Shakespeare Company as part of its 2014 Roaring Girls season, in the Swan Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon, directed by RSC Artistic Director Gregory Doran and with Eileen Atkins as Elizabeth Sawyer. This Prompt Book edition of the play features the text edited for the RSC production, and introductions by key members of its creative team, including Doran.

A hilarious city comedy by the authors of A Mad World, My Masters and The Shoemaker's Holiday. Sebastian has a problem. He's in love with a girl but his father won't agree to their marriage. In desperation he turns to the one person who can help him, the fearless and feisty 'roaring girl' Moll Cutpurse. In a London fuelled by greed and desire, the charismatic, cross-dressing heroine Moll has the world wrapped around her little finger, and she has a plan. Cutting a joyously independent path through the underhand scheming and petty vendettas of the London underworld, Moll proves more than a match for any man. This Prompt Book edition of The Roaring Girl was published alongside the Royal Shakespeare Company's revival of the play in 2014, and features the text edited for the RSC production, and introductions by key members of its creative team.

First published in 1905, this edition of Thomas Dekker's The Seven Deadly Sinnes of London provides the original 1606 text in its totality. Beautifully presented, this book will be of value to anyone with an interest in Dekker's writings and English Renaissance literature in general.

Title: The Virgin Martir, a Tragedie in five acts and in verse and prose.]Publisher: British Library, Historical Print EditionsThe British Library is the national library of the United Kingdom. It is one of the world's largest research libraries holding over 150 million items in all known languages and formats: books, journals, newspapers, sound recordings, patents, maps, stamps, prints and much more. Its collections include around 14 million books, along with substantial additional collections of manuscripts and historical items dating back as far as 300 BC. The POETRY & DRAMA collection includes books from the British Library digitised by Microsoft. The books reflect the complex and changing role of literature in society, ranging from Bardic poetry to Victorian verse. Containing many classic works from important dramatists and poets, this collection has something for every lover of the stage and verse. ++++The below data was compiled from various identification fields in the bibliographic record of this title. This data is provided as an additional tool in helping to insure edition identification: ++++ British Library Massinger, Philip; Dekker, Thomas; 1651. 4 . 644.f.3.