Shakespeare and the Nobility. The Negotiation of Lineage

278 Pages·2008·4.1 MB·English

by  Catherine Grace Canino

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SHAKESPEARE AND THE NOBILITY
ShakespeareandtheNobilityexamines,forthefirsttime,howShake-
spearewasinfluencedbythedescendantsofthearistocraticcharacters
in his early history plays. The Henry VI trilogy and Richard III are
amongthefirstplaysintheEnglishdramaturgythatreflectthelives
and activities of the ancestors of sixteenth-century aristocrats. In a
time when the upper classes of England were obsessed with family
lineage and reputation, the salient question is how William Shake-
speare, a socially inferior playwright and actor, handled the delicate
matterofportrayingthecomplexandoftenunattractiveancestorsof
themostpowerfulpeopleofhisday.Inanswertothisquestion,this
studyexaminesthelivesofthehistoricalfiguresandtheirdescendants,
andarguesthatShakespeareconsistentlymodifiedhisportrayalofthe
ancestors with their descendants in mind. In addition to providing
an historical glimpse into the romance, intrigue, and politics of the
Renaissancearistocracy,thisbookalsopresentsfreshreadingsofthe
earlyhistories,withnewsidelightsoncharacterstoooftendismissed
asanunsavorylot.
catherine grace canino isanAssociateProfessorattheUni-
versityofSouthCarolina,Upstate.ShehaspublishedarticlesonJohn
Skelton,JohnMilton’sParadiseLost,andEdmundSpenser’sTheFaerie
QueeneandAViewofthePresentStateofIreland.Thisisherfirstbook.

SHAKESPEARE AND THE
NOBILITY: THE
NEGOTIATION OF
LINEAGE
CATHERINE GRACE CANINO
CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY PRESS
Cambridge, New York, Melbourne, Madrid, Cape Town, Singapore, São Paulo
Cambridge University Press
The Edinburgh Building, Cambridge CB2 8RU, UK
Published in the United States of America by Cambridge University Press, New York
www.cambridge.org
Information on this title: www.cambridge.org/9780521872911
© Catherine Grace Canino 2007
This publication is in copyright. Subject to statutory exception and to the
provision of relevant collective licensing agreements, no reproduction of any part
may take place without the written permission of Cambridge University Press.
First published in print format 2007
ISBN-13 978-0-511-47863-5 eBook (EBL)
ISBN-13 978-0-521-87291-1 hardback
Cambridge University Press has no responsibility for the persistence or accuracy
of urls for external or third-party internet websites referred to in this publication,
and does not guarantee that any content on such websites is, or will remain,
accurate or appropriate.
Thisbookisdedicatedtomyownancestrallineage–myparents,
JohnandKayCanino.

Contents
Listofillustrations pageviii
Listofappendices ix
Acknowledgments x
Introduction:thenobilityandgenealogy 1
1 TheStaffords(DukesofBuckingham) 33
2 TheDukesofSuffolk 74
3 TheNevilles(EarlsofWarwick) 102
4 TheTalbots(EarlsofShrewsbury) 128
5 TheCliffords(EarlsofCumberland) 150
6 TheStanleys(EarlsofDerby) 177
7 Thegentry(WilliamLucy,LordSaye) 203
Conclusion 220
Appendices:genealogicalcharts 233
Index 253
vii
Illustrations
1 EdwardStafford,3rdDukeofBuckinghambyJohnFaber,
1714,afterunknownartist,circa1521.CourtesyNational
PortraitGallery,London. page53
2 GeorgeTalbot,6thEarlofShrewsburybyunknownartist,
1580.CourtesyNationalPortraitGallery,London. 137
3 GeorgeClifford,3rdEarlofCumberlandbyCharlesTurner
afterIsaacOliver,circa1590.CourtesyNationalPortrait
Gallery,London. 156
4 HenryStanley,4thEarlofDerby,byIsaacOliver,1590.
CourtesyNationalPortraitGallery,London. 187
5 WilliamFiennes,1stViscountSayeandSelebyRichard
JamesLane,1844.CourtesyNationalPortraitGallery,
London. 216
viii