"The grocers honour": or, taking the City seriously in 'The knight of the burning pestle'

Hill, T (2017) '"The grocers honour": or, taking the City seriously in 'The knight of the burning pestle'.' Early Theatre, 20 (2). pp. 159-178. ISSN 2293-7609

Preview

Text 10182.pdf - Published Version Repository Terms Apply. Download (3MB) | Preview

Abstract

The Knight of the Burning Pestle famously flopped when first performed c. 1607. Critical debate over its so-called ‘privy mark of irony’ has subsequently oscillated between those who argue that the play did not satirize the London citizenry trenchantly enough, and those who prefer the interpretation that the ‘irony’ was only too apparent, and that this alienated the audience. Few have fully interrogated the play’s complex engagement with the early Jacobean citizen class and the City of London’s livery companies. This paper argues that The Knight’s presentation of citizens takes place in the context both of a theatre much more involved in civic structures, and of a city more imbued with performance, than is usually presumed.

Item Type:	Article
Keywords:	Beaumont; City of London; livery companies; theatre
Divisions:	School of Writing, Publishing and the Humanities
UoA:	English Literature & Language
Identification Number:	https://doi.org/10.12745/et.20.2.3256
Date Deposited:	04 Jan 2018 13:33
Last Modified:	25 Mar 2022 13:39
URI / Page ID:	https://researchspace.bathspa.ac.uk/id/eprint/10568

	Request a change to this item or report an issue
	Update item (repository staff only)