ABSTRACT
Complexity theory is of great value in theorising the process of collaboration, because collaboration between co-authors requires complex 'self-organising' processes. These self-organising processes produce the complex phenomenon of the play itself. The concept of self-organisation provides a way of modelling the 'play system' of Shakespeare and Peele's Titus Andronicus. The collaborative function of actor's parts and the collaboration of co-authors are both complex interactions, which are intrinsic to the production of the play; however the use of evaluative language to prioritise one set of interactions over the other seems unnecessary. The play's use of subterranean space is a central point of stigmergic interactions and therefore a key example of self-organisation. To explore the self-organising interaction, this chapter explores two spaces in Titus: Peele's tomb and Shakespeare's pit. The space of the trap is a focal point for both Peele and Shakespeare, and their interactions with this aspect of the environment reveal important self-organising processes.
