Renaissance Drama: An Anthology of Plays and Entertainments

A must have for any fan of the theater in general or of Elizabethan and Jacobian drama in particular. I've now used this book for two classes at two different universities, so it seems it's not only my opinion that the book is superb. The selection of plays is nice, the editing excellent, and the introductions to each play masterful. Highly useful. My sole criticism is that Kinney doesn't include "The Revenger's Tragedy," a terrific play from the period. But what a period for theater Kinney presents! If you think Shakespeare is the only dramatist of his time, or even one of three (the others being Jonson and Marlow), get this book and be amazed. Shakespeare still remains the best in my judgement, but he didn't spring from nothing; the topsoil was terrific. With great scholarship and lucid writing, Kinney describes the many fine writers and the magnificently troubled time in which they worked and lived.