Abstract. The Tempest , by William Shakespeare, was presented before the Jacobean court on the evening of 1 November 1611, in the Whitehall Banqueting House. This thesis, after an analysis of the requirements of Shakespeare's text, attempts to establish the theatrical environment and staging conditions under which The Tempest was performed. At the same time, Shakespeare's purpose in writing a play for masque-like production is explored, and certain passages are explicated in the light of Shakespeare's experience with Renaissance theatre technology. Chapter One introduces the argument that Shakespeare wrote The Tempest as a result of his awareness of the principles of the Jacobean court masque. Chapter Two reviews the English masque tradition, examines the Whitehall Banqueting House as a theatre, and analyzes the new techniques of Renaissance scenic design adapted by Inigo Jones to the Jacobean court masque. Chapter Three involves a detailed compar¬ ison between The Tempest and several of the masques, in terms of their staging by Jones, in order to establish what sort of costumes, sound effects, and scenery might have been a part of the 1611 production of the play. Chapter Four is a study of the banquet-table scene, the betrothal masque, and the discovery at chess, three special moments in the play's theatrical art which reinforce the argument for a masque-like production. Chapter Five links Prospero to theatre designer • Inigo Jones and magician-scientist John Dee, in order to suggest that Shakespeare rejects the extravagant spectacle of masques as a form of theatre along with the occult powers of his hero. Thus, it is argued, Shakespeare puts theatrical art into ethical perspective. Chapter Six concludes that the theme of The Tempest as presented in the White¬ hall Banqueting House on the evening of 1 November 1611 was the true and unadorned beauty of mankind.

This title, first published in 1988, examines the influence of the Jacobean masque on the plays of Francis Beaumont and John Fletcher. The author examines the ways in which the plays of Beaumont and Fletcher represent not only a great expression of human emotion, but how they are also a fine example of the growth and change of dramatic form. This title will be of interest to students of drama, literature and performance studies.

The playwrights composing for the London stage between 1580 and 1642 repeatedly staged plays-within and other metatheatrical inserts. Such works present fictionalized spectators as well as performers, providing images of the audience-stage interaction within the theatre. They are as much enactments of the interpretive work of a spectator as of acting, and as such they are a potential source of information about early modern conceptions of audiences, spectatorship and perception. This study examines on-stage spectatorship in three plays by Philip Massinger, head playwright for the King's Men from 1625 to 1640. Each play presents a different form of metatheatrical inset, from the plays-within of The Roman Actor (1626), to the masques-within of The City Madam (1632) to the titular miniature portrait of The Picture (1629), moving thematically from spectator interpretations of dramatic performance, the visual spectacle of the masque to staged 'readings' of static visual art. All three forms present a dramatization of the process of examination, and allow an analysis of Massinger's assumptions about interpretation, perception and spectator response.

Theatre Masks Out Side In examines masks from different angles and perspectives, combining the history, design, construction, and use of masks into one beautifully illustrated resource. Each chapter includes key information about an element of mask study: history and uses, theatre traditions, practical principles for directing, performing exercises, design considerations, mask-making techniques, and considering makeup as mask. Artist interviews, theatre company profiles, and hundreds of images provide insight into the variety of mask styles and performance applications. Project suggestions, discussion questions, useful worksheets, creative prompts, and resources for sourcing masks are included to inspire further exploration. Theatre Masks Out Side In is designed with the beginning theatre maker in mind, as well as prop makers, costume designers and technicians, and actors learning to use masks in performance.

Originally published in 1927, this book provides a detailed history of the English court masque from its origins until the reign of Charles II. The text is illustrated with drawings of masque costumes and set designs, and Welsford discusses the influence that masque had on later drama and the significance that the revels had at the time. The book will be of value to anyone with an interest in British theatre history and court masque.