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15 - Alexander in the Age of Shakespeare

The Monarchicke Tragedies of Sir William Alexander

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  13 January 2022

By
Richard Stoneman
Edited by
Richard Stoneman
Richard Stoneman
Affiliation:
University of Exeter
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Summary

Sir William Alexander’s tragedies on classical themes include two relating to Alexander the Great: one is about the latter’s defeat of Darius III and the other follows the fortunes of the successors after Alexander’s death. (It begins with a long speech by Alexander’s ghost). This chapter aims to combat the prevailing critical contempt for these plays by demonstrating the high level of scholarship that went into their composition and the thematic unity to the Alexandraean Tragedie conferred by the series of chorus meditations on Fortune and mutability. Sir William’s educational background and classical reading are explored, as well as his connections with the stage, and his work is compared with earlier Elizabethan plays on classical themes, including the comparable play by Samuel Daniel, Philotas.

Keywords

Senecan dramaFortuneThe Alexandraean TragedieElizabethan educationPrince Henry Stuartcloset dramaSamuel DanielHorace
Type
Chapter
Information
A History of Alexander the Great in World Culture , pp. 334 - 349
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2022

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References

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