ABSTRACT
This introduction presents an overview of key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book discusses the emergence of national identity in England around 1600, and in particular the role the new medium of the public theatre played in this process. It analyses the discourses pertinent to a rising national consciousness as they are presented and negotiated in the drama of Shakespeare and his contemporaries, and examines how the performative art of theatre reflects the performative dynamics of the formation of national identity. Applying current political theory as well as methods established by recent performance studies, it sheds new light on the role the public theatre played in the negotiation of English national identity around 1600. The book focuses on the way in which national identity is played out quite literally on the early modern theatre stage, and aims to contribute to the performative approach.
