The Life and Death of Jack Straw

The Life and Death of Jack Straw is a late 16th-century play, possibly written by playwright George Peele.

The play takes the story of Jack Straw, a rebel leader in the Peasants' Revolt of 1381. The play was possibly written by George Peele and probably originally designed for production in one of London's guild pageants.[1] The play portrays Jack Straw as a tragic figure, being led into wrongful rebellion by the priest John Ball, drawing clear allegorical links between the instability of late-Elizabethan England and the politics of the 14th century.[2] It is one of the earliest political plays of its type in England.[3]

The play was initially printed in 1593 by John Danter for William Barley,[4] and the rights were subsequently transferred to Thomas Pavier, who printed a new edition in 1604.[5] There is no record of performance from the early modern period contained in either edition.[4][5]

Performances in the modern era are rare. The only recorded performance was mounted by Bad Quarto Productions in November 2016 in New York City.[6] A full cast audio adaptation was produced in 2019 by Beyond Shakespeare, with a stage revival planned for 2020, but, like most of 2020, then postponed.

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References

  1. ^ Ribner 2005, pp. 71–72
  2. ^ Ribner 2005, pp. 71–74
  3. ^ Ribner 2005, p. 74
  4. ^ a b anonymous (1593). The Life and Death of Iacke Straw, A notable Rebell in England Who was kild in Smithfield by the Lord Maior of London. STC (2nd ed.), 23356. London.
  5. ^ a b anonymous (1604). The Life and death of Iacke Straw, A notable Rebell in England Who was killed in Smithfield by the Lord Mayor of London. STC (2nd ed.), 23357. London.
  6. ^ Miller, Howard. ""The Life and Death of Jack Straw"". Talkin Broadway. Talkin Broadway. Retrieved 27 December 2016.

External links

Bibliography

  • Ribner, Irving (2005). The English History Play in the Age of Shakespeare. Abingdon, UK: Routledge. ISBN 9780415353144.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  • anonymous (1593). The Life and Death of Iacke Straw, A notable Rebell in England Who was kild in Smithfield by the Lord Maior of London. STC (2nd ed.), 23356. London.
  • anonymous (1604). The Life and death of Iacke Straw, A notable Rebell in England Who was killed in Smithfield by the Lord Mayor of London. STC (2nd ed.), 23357. London.



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