When Masters Became Tragic Heroes

Research English At Durham

In 1592 the face of theatre changed forever. From the death of Julius Caesar and its wide political ramifications, to the love between Antony and Cleopatra played out on an epic scale, tragic drama had traditionally been associated with the lives of noble characters drawn from a ruling elite. But the anonymous play The Tragedy of Master Arden of Faversham enabled playwrights to conceive of the stage as the setting for more intimate, family dramas. Iman Sheeha, of the University of Warwick, treads the boards of the new domestic tragedies around the turn of the sixteenth century.

This talk was recorded as part of the series Late Summer Lectures in 2017, organised by the Department of English Studies at Durham University.

Visit http://readdurhamenglish.wordpress.com/podcasts to find out more.