The Coventry Corpus Christi Plays

Edited by Pamela M. King Edited by Clifford Davidson

Book cover: The Coventry Corpus Christi Plays

Extent: 336 pages

Publisher: Medieval Institute Publications

Subjects: Literary Studies, Medieval Studies

Series: Early Drama, Art, and Music Monograph

Language: English

Paperback (Out of print)

(December 2000)

ISBN: 9781580440561

Price: $89.00

Out of stock

Hardback (Published)

(July 2000)

ISBN: 9781580440554

6.14 x 9.21 inches

Price: $19.95

In stock

One of the greatest medieval drama cycles in England was mounted annually at Coventry at Corpus Christi until suppressed in 1579, and is of particular importance because it was almost certainly seen by William Shakespeare when he was a boy in nearby Stratford-upon-Avon. The two extant pageants from this cycle have been re-edited and are presented here for the first time in a modern critical edition. The introduction provides a full survey of knowledge about the Coventry cycle from the local dramatic records and other sources of information. Comprehensive critical and textual notes are included as well as a select bibliography and glossary. Appendices print the earliest fragments of the Weavers’ pageant, texts of royal entries from the Coventry Leet Book, the songs (including the famous Coventry Carol) from the Shearmen and Taylors’ pageant, and an analysis of various versions of the Doctors play.

Illustrations
Preface
The Coventry Corpus Christi Plays
The Pageant of the Company of Shearmen and Taylors in Coventry
The Weavers' Pageant
Appendix I: The Weavers' Pageant Two Fifteenth-Century Fragments
Appendix II: Royal Entries
Appendix III: The Songs for the Shearmen and Taylors' Pageant
Appendix IV: Versions of the Doctors Pageant
Textual Notes
Commentary
Select Bibliography
Glossary

  • Edited by Pamela M. King
  • Edited by Clifford Davidson