Drama of the English Renaissance: Volume 2, the Stuart Period

This volume (w/ its companion) covers the other people who were writing plays at the time of Shakespeare. And there are at least two things to be said about that: 1) even if Shakespeare had never been born, this period probably still represents the most vibrant, remarkable body of writing for the stage the English language has ever produced; 2) the fact that Shakespeare was born means that these wonderful plays go mostly unread. (If you've seen "Shakespeare in Love," you get a sense of the vitality of "the scene.") This is Great Stuff! From the lyric power of Marlowe's verse, to the learned wit of Jonson's comedy and the purgative bloodletting of Webster and Tourneur, an entire world of theater is put before you in these volumes, a cosmos beyond the Globe. These authors are not interesting merely as context: there are examples in here of people doing things Shakespeare couldn't do. And even if you come away thinking the Bard was still the best of the lot, you'll have a rich appreciation of just what an accomplishment that is.