Category: Biographies

Shakspeare and His Times [Vol. 2 of 2] Including the Biography of the Poet; criticisms on his genius and writings; a new chronology of his plays; a disquisition on the on the object of his sonnets; and a history of the manners, customs, and amusements, superstitions, poetry, and elegant literature of his age

Drake, Nathan, 1766-1836· 59 chapters· 239,699 words

A Brief View of Dramatic Poetry, from the Birth of Shakspeare to the Period of his Commencement as a Writer for the Stage, about the Year 1590; with Critical Notices of the Dramatic Poets who flourished during that Interval. 227

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Chapters

3. CHAPTER V.

Shakspeare's dedication of his _Venus and Adonis_ to the Earl of Southampton, in 1593; the accomplishments, the liberality, and the virtues of this amiable nobleman, and the sub...

9. CHAPTER IX.

PERIOD OF SHAKSPEARE'S COMMENCEMENT AS A DRAMATIC POET— CHRONOLOGICAL ARRANGEMENT OF HIS GENUINE PLAYS—OBSERVATIONS ON _PERICLES_; ON THE _COMEDY OF ERRORS_; ON _LOVE'S LABOUR'S...

4. CHAPTER VI.

Before we enter on the dramatic career of Shakspeare, a subject which we wish to preserve unbroken, and free from irrelative matter, it will be necessary, in order to prosecute...

17. CHAPTER XI.

OBSERVATIONS ON _KING JOHN_; ON _ALL'S WELL THAT ENDS WELL_; ON _KING HENRY THE FIFTH_; ON _MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING_; ON _AS YOU LIKE IT_; ON _MERRY WIVES OF WINDSOR_; ON _TROILU...

15. CHAPTER X.

OBSERVATIONS ON _ROMEO AND JULIET_; ON _THE TAMING OF THE SHREW_; ON _THE TWO GENTLEMEN OF VERONA_; ON _KING RICHARD THE THIRD_; ON _KING RICHARD THE SECOND_; ON _KING HENRY THE...

6. CHAPTER VII.

Of the diversions of the metropolis and court, some were peculiar, and some were shared in common with the country. "The countrey hath his recreations," observes Burton, "the ci...

19. CHAPTER XII.

OBSERVATIONS ON _JULIUS CÆSAR_; ON _ANTONY AND CLEOPATRA_; ON _CORIOLANUS_; ON _THE WINTER'S TALE_; ON _THE TEMPEST_; DISSERTATION ON THE _GENERAL BELIEF_ OF THE TIMES IN THE _A...

7. CHAPTER VIII.

A BRIEF VIEW OF DRAMATIC POETRY, FROM THE BIRTH OF SHAKSPEARE TO THE PERIOD OF HIS COMMENCEMENT AS A WRITER FOR THE STAGE, ABOUT THE YEAR 1590; WITH CRITICAL NOTICES OF THE DRAM...

23. CHAPTER XIII.

That the master-spirit which Shakspeare exhibited in the eyes of his contemporaries; that the great improvements which he had made on the drama of Peele and Marlowe, and their a...

27. CHAPTER II.

THE DEATH OF SHAKSPEARE—OBSERVATIONS ON HIS WILL—ON THE DISPOSITION AND MORAL CHARACTER OF SHAKSPEARE—ON THE MONUMENT ERECTED TO HIS MEMORY, AND ON THE ENGRAVING OF HIM PREFIXED...

24. CHAPTER XIV.

Various particulars relative to the personal history of Shakspeare, in addition to those which terminated his biography in the country, having been detailed in the chapters that...

10. SCENE V.

_Sim._ So— They're well dispatch'd; now to my daughter's letter: She tells me here, she'll wed the stranger knight; Well, I commend her choice; And will no longer have it be del...

33. scene 5., i. 397.

_Daniel_ (Samuel), critical notice of his "Defence of Ryme," i. 169, 470. And of his poems, 611. Causes of the unpopularity of his poem on the "Civil Wars between the Houses of...

52. scene 3., ii. 107.

_Sack_, a species of wine much used in the time of Shakspeare, ii. 130. Different kinds of, 131. The sack of Falstaff, what, _ibid._ 132. Sack and sugar much used, 132. And freq...

5. act ii. sc. 7.

[103:C] Frequent references to these fashions may be found in our author; vide Reed's Shakspeare, vol. vi. p. 162; vol. ix. p. 242, and vol. x. p. 355. Jonson and Fletcher also...

59. scene 3., ii. 99.

_Witchcraft_ made felony by Henry VIII., ii. 474. Supposed increase of witches in the time of Queen Elizabeth, ii. 474, 475. General prevalence of this infatuation, 475. Increas...

26. CHAPTER I.

Yes, high in reputation as a poet, favoured by the great and accomplished, and beloved by all who knew him, Shakspeare, after a long residence in the capital, to the rational pl...

30. Act v. scene 4., i. 288. ii. 159.

_Barnefielde_ (Richard), a minor poet of the age of Shakspeare, works of, i. 676, 677. Character of his affectionate shepherd, 677. _note_ [677:A]. Verses of, on Shakspeare's Ve...

22. Act iv. sc. 1.

[521:A] "Batman uppon Bartholome, His Booke, _De Proprietatibus Rerum_," &c. folio, 1582, p. 168. col. 4.—He tells us, however, in another place, that "in the region of the sunn...

25. Part II. Chapter 7.

[593:A] Were the repartees, however, of which time has deprived us, no better than those that we have now to communicate, it must be confessed, that the two bards have no great...

58. scene 4., ii. 93.

_Valentine's Day_, origin of the superstitions concerning, i. 324. Custom of choosing lovers ascribed to Madame Royale, 324, 325. Supposed to be of pagan origin, 325. Modes of a...

50. scene 3., ii. 275.

_Players_ (strolling), state of, in the sixteenth century, i. 248-250. Difference between them and licensed performers, 250. Exhibited at country fairs, 251. Companies of player...

38. scene 2., i. 74.

_Hentzner_'s (Paul), description of the dress of Queen Elizabeth, ii. 89, 90. Of the manner in which her table was served, 122, 123. And of the dress of servants, 138. Character...

43. Act iv. scene 3., i. 371.

_Madmen_, in Shakspeare's plays, remarks on, i. 587. Characteristic madness of Edgar, in the play of Lear, 588. Affecting madness of Ophelia in Hamlet, 589-591. Contrast between...

16. Act v. sc. 1.

[403:B] See an elegant and very satisfactory Dissertation on the "Mythology of the Poems of Ossian," by Professor Richardson of Glasgow, in Graham's "Essay on the Authenticity o...

21. Act v. p. 163.

"_A magnet stone, or Load stone_: of great virtue—which was sold out of the library but for v shill. and for it afterwards (yea piece-meal divided) was more than xx lib. given i...

11. act ii. sc. 1.

————————————— "Faery elves, Whose midnight revels, by a forest side, Or fountain, some belated peasant sees, Or dreams he sees, while over-head the moon Sits arbitress, and near...

8. act ii. sc. 4.—The passage which Pistol has partially quoted will

afford some idea of the wild and turgid extravagances of this poet. Tamburlaine is represented in a chariot drawn by captive monarchs with bits in their mouths; and, holding the...

41. scene 7., ii. 465, 466.

_Library_, hints for the best situation of, i. 437. Notice of Captain Cox's library of romances, 518, 519, 520. And of Dr. Dee's library of magical and other books, ii. 511, 512...

49. Act v. scene 2., i. 384.

_Overbury_ (Sir Thomas), the first writer of "Characters," i. 509. Character of his productions, _ibid._ Especially his poem on the choice of a wife, 510. Imitation of it, _ibid...

34. scene 2., i. 35, 36.

_Harington_ (Sir John), critical notice of his "Apologie of Poetry," i. 466, 467. His "New Discourse of a stale Subject," 515. And of his "Metamorphosis," 516. Remarks on his po...

48. Act v. scene 2., i. 580.

_Omens_, prevalence of, in Shakspeare's time, i. 349-351. Warnings of danger or death, 349-354. Dreams, 354. Demoniacal voices, 355. Corpse-candles, and tomb-fires, 358. Fiery a...

40. scene 5., ii. 492.

_Kenelworth Castle_, visit of Queen Elizabeth to, i. 37. Account of her magnificent reception there, 38, 39. ii. 195-197. Quaint description of the castle and grounds, i. 40-42,...

1. PART II. _continued_.

A Brief View of Dramatic Poetry, from the Birth of Shakspeare to the Period of his Commencement as a Writer for the Stage, about the Year 1590; with Critical Notices of the Dram...

32. Act ii. scene 1., i. 554.

_Country squires_, rank of, in Shakspeare's age, i. 68. Description of their mansion houses, 72, 73. And halls, 74, 77-79. Distinctions observed at their tables, 74, 75. Their d...

47. Act v. scene 2., i. 226. ii. 329. 346.

_Milton_'s "Comus," illustration of, i. 131. Illustrations of "Paradise Lost," i. 339, 381. Proof that he imitated Shakspeare's Pericles, ii. 279, 280. _note_ [279:C]. Exquisite...

39. scene 2., i. 384.

_John's Eve_ (St.), superstitious observances on, i. 328. Fires lighted then, of Pagan origin, 328, 329. Fern seed supposed to be visible only on that eve, 329. Spirits visible,...

29. Act iv. scene 10., i. 308.

_Archery_, a favourite diversion in the age of Shakspeare, ii. 178. The knights of Prince Arthur's round-table, a society of archers, instituted by Henry VIII., 179. Encouraged...

28. scene 12., ii. 192.

_Amusements_, national, in the age of Shakspeare, enumerated, i. 246, 247. Account of the itinerant stage, 247-252. The Cotswold games, 252-254. Hawking, 255. Hunting, 272. Fowl...

14. act ii. sc. 2.

[354:A] This beautiful and highly fanciful poem could not certainly have been written before 1605; for the Don Quixote of Cervantes, which was first published in Spain during th...

55. Act v. scene 1., ii. 449.

51. scene 3., i. 358.

_Romances_, list of popular ones in the age of Shakspeare, i. 519-522. Origin of the metrical romance, 522, 523. Anglo-Norman romances, 523-531. Oriental romances, 531-538. Ital...

18. canto 7. stanza 6. and note.

[486:B] Among these we find the mighty name of Bacon; this great man attributing, in the Tenth Century of his Natural History, the achievements and the confessions of witches an...

56. Act v. scene 3., i. 355.

_Turberville_ (George), biographical sketch of, i. 655. Notice of his "Booke of Faulconrie," i. 257. _note_. His description of hunting in inclosures, 275, 276. List of his poet...

46. Act v. scene 5., i. 82. ii. 340. 341. 343. 347.

_Middleton_ (Thomas), a minor poet of the age of Shakspeare, i. 693. Wrote several pieces for the stage, in conjunction with other dramatic poets, ii. 565. Estimate of his merit...

31. Act iv. scene 2., i. 556.

42. scene 2., i. 105. 130. 515. 556. ii. 171.

_Lucy_ (Sir Thomas), biographical notice of, i. 402. His deer stolen by Shakspeare, 403. Whom he reprimands and exposes, 404. Is libelled by Shakspeare, 404-407. Prosecutes him,...

53. Act iv. scene 1., i. 271. 581. ii. 118. 138. 143.

_Tarlton_ (Richard), the comedian, repartee of, i. 66. His influence over Queen Elizabeth, 702. _note_ [702:D]. Notice of his poems, 702. Plan of his "Seven Deadlie Sins," a com...

54. Act v. scene 1., ii. 341, 342. 344. 505. 516. 525, 526.

_Theatre_, the first, when erected, ii. 203. List of the principal play-houses during the age of Shakspeare, 206. Licence to him for the Globe Theatre, from James I., 207. Accou...

36. scene 2., i. 308.

_Henry_ VI., Parts I., II., and III.—The First Part of Henry VI., usually ascribed to Shakspeare, spurious, ii. 292. Alterations probably made in it by him, 293. Date of these t...

45. Act v. scene 1., i. 187. 381. ii. 390.

_Meres_ (Francis), critical notice of his "Comparative Discourse of our English Poets, with the Greeke, Latine, and Italian Poets," i. 468. His censure of the popularity of "La...

2. PART III.

The Death of Shakspeare — Observations on his Will — On the Disposition and Moral Character of Shakspeare — On the Monument erected to his Memory, and on the Engraving of him pr...

13. act iii. sc. 2.

12. act iii. sc. 2.

[352:C] Discoverie of Witchcraft, 1584.—Epistle to the Readers, in which he afterwards speaks of "the want of Robin Goodfellowe and the fairies, which were woont to mainteine ch...

35. scene 3., i. 585, 586.

_Henry_ V. Prince of Wales, character of, ii. 380. Probable date of the play of, 425. Analysis of the admirable character of the King, 426-428. Remarks on the minor characters a...

44. Act v. scene 1., i. 222.

37. scene 7., ii. 372. _note_.

57. Act v. scene 1., i. 221.

20. Act v. sc. 1. Reed's Shakspeare, vol. iv. pp. 160, 161.