History Couched in a Play': Performing the Past on the Early Modern Stage

This dissertation treats the contribution of the public playhouse to the development of early modern historiography and historical culture. Though scholars remain divided over the extent to which early modern English historiography involved methodological innovations, there is little doubt that the period witnessed the widespread proliferation--due partly to print technology--of increasingly various forms. As a medium that appealed to an especially broad cross-section of English society, the playhouse had an important role in the production and dissemination of historical knowledge. I argue that the relationship between the playhouse and historical culture was reciprocal: just as the theater contributed to an awareness and understanding of the past, historical matter helped legitimize theater in early modern England. Situating the history play in the context of developments in early modern historiography, this project seeks to expand our understanding of the genre's interests beyond matters of monarchy and state, drawing attention to theatrical representations of local histories, both urban and provincial, and marginalized figures, including women and the commons.