The Cambridge Companion to Shakespeare and Contemporary Dramatists

While Shakespeare’s popularity has continued to grow, so has the attention paid to the work of his contemporaries. The contributors to this Companion (edited by Prof. Ton Hoenselaars) introduce the distinctive drama of these playwrights, from the court comedies of John Lyly to the works of Richard Brome in the Caroline era.

With chapters on a wide range of familiar and lesser-known dramatists, including Thomas Kyd, Christopher Marlowe, Ben Jonson, John Webster, Thomas Middleton and John Ford, this book devotes particular attention to their personal and professional relationships, occupational rivalries and collaborations. Overturning the popular misconception that Shakespeare wrote in isolation, it offers a new perspective on the most impressive body of drama in the history of the English stage.

Prof. Ton Hoenselaars is professor of Early Modern English Literature at Utrecht University. His research concentrates on early modern English literature (with a special focus on Shakespeare) and its international relations. He is President of the European Shakespeare Research Association, and he is the 2012 Sam Wanamaker Fellow at Shakespeare’s Globe in London.