This book is the first full-length study of apes and monkeys on the early modern stage. It broadens the scope of existing scholarship by situating the apes glimpsed in Shakespeare’s plays in the wider context of the many uncelebrated uses by other playwrights, c. 1603-1659. The book investigates the theatrical appearances of real monkeys, actors dressed up as apes, and characters mistaken for them, arguing that the ape trope is so insistent in early modern drama that it becomes a structural metaphor. It addresses both plays and masques across the period, arguing that the ways of seeing in these different kinds of theatre make apes mean differently in their generic contexts. Grounded in historicist readings, this book also draws significantly on the field of ritual studies and the new intersectional discipline of animal performance studies.
Teresa Grant
animal performance studies early modern drama metatheatre monkeys and apes on stage Shakespeare political theatre ritual masque
"Grant is at the top of her game, combin[ing] a deep and impressive familiarity with the early English theater in its less canonical forms and also a powerful talent for close reading." (Bruce Boehrer, Bertram H. Davis Professor Emeritus, Department of English, Florida State University, USA)
"Grant's knowledge of lesser-known early modern plays is deeply impressive, as is her understanding of the cultural complexities of the period's engagement with apes and monkeys". (Karen Edwards, Professor of English and Creative Writing, University of Exeter, UK)
"…raises new and often unexpected issues at every turn. Altogether, a great book: full of surprises and fresh perceptions. I enjoyed it immensely!"(Anthony W. Johnson, J. O. E. Donner Professor of English Language and Literature, Åbo Akademi University, Finland)