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Shakespeare, the King's Playwright: Theater in the Stuart Court, 16031613. By ALVIN KERNAN. New Haven and London: Yale University Press, 1995. Pp. xxvi + 230. Illus. $27.50 cloth, $15.00 paper.
Despite reservations, listed below, I think Shakespeare, the King's Playwright is a valuable book, useful both to students and to all those who want to learn more about the court and culture of the early Stuart era. The book consists of an introduction, ten chapters, two appendixes, a bibliography, and an index; is well illustrated; and covers all sorts of topics connected with literature of the period-drama and Shakespeare in particularalong with social and political history and culture. Alvin Kernan's erudition and knowledge of the Jacobean era is impressive and allows him to create a vivid picture of the times, and for this reason his book has something to offer even to specialists in this area of study, especially in those parts of the book that deal with court culture in general. It is well written, in language that is not blurred with academic jargon, and it will interest even an uninitiated reader. The latter, in fact, seems to be the implied addressee of the book, but I think it may,...