Epistolary Courtiership and Dramatic Letters: Thomas Overbury and the Jacobean Playhouse

Epistolary Courtiership and Dramatic Letters re-examines courtiership in the Jacobean period, focusing on the years between 1609 and 1613 and the scandal leading to Overbury's murder. It explores social mobility, homosociality, and the legal power of James VI and I, exposing the mechanisms by which men rose at his court and providing a context for a new reading of contemporary dramatic texts by Shakespeare, Webster, and Chapman.

Format: Hardback
Length: 288 pages
Publication date: 31 May 2024
Publisher: Edinburgh University Press

Through an in-depth examination of the life of the renowned courtier Sir Thomas Overbury, Epistolary Courtiership and Dramatic Letters delves into the concept of courtiership during the Jacobean era. With a specific focus on the years between 1609 and 1613, the book brings together numerous letters related to the scandal surrounding Overbury's murder, offering a comprehensive analysis of epistolarity within the realm of humanist and legal scholarship. By identifying key themes such as social mobility, homosociality, and the legal authority of James VI and I, the book unveils the mechanisms through which men ascended to prominence at the royal court, shedding light on the dynamics that shaped courtiership. Furthermore, it highlights how the evolving performance of courtiership at James's court, the broader awareness reflected in contemporary letters, and the attendant shifts in attitudes, all contribute to a reevaluation of courtiership in theatrical productions. The book contends that the changing nature of courtiership at James's court, the increased awareness of it as depicted in contemporary letters, and the subsequent alterations in attitudes, collectively reshape the portrayal of courtiership in theatrical performances.

Weight: 604g
Dimension: 241 x 163 x 23 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781474483377