Shakespeare and the Play Scripts of Private Prayer

by Ceri Sullivan

Overview

Early modern private prayer is skilled at narrative and drama. In manuals and sermons on how to pray, collections of model prayers, scholarly treatises about biblical petitions, and popular tracts about life crises prompting calls to God, prayer is valued as a powerful agent of change. Model prayers create stories about people in distinct ranks and jobs, with concrete details about real-life situations. These characters may act in play-lets, or appear in the middle of difficulties, or voice a suite of petitions from all sides of a conflict. Thinking of early modern private prayers as dramatic dialogues rather than lyric monologues raises the question of whether play-going and praying were mutually reinforcing practices. Could dramatists deploying prayer on stage rely on having audience members who were already expert at making up roles for themselves in prayer, and who expected their petitions to have the power to intervene in major events? Does prayer's focus on cause and effect structure the historiography of Shakespeare's Henry VI, Richard III, Richard II, Henry V, and Henry VIII?

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780192599278
Publisher:	OUP Oxford
Publication date:	09/04/2020
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	256
File size:	2 MB

About the Author

Ceri Sullivan is a Professor of English Literature at Cardiff University, and the author of five books about the literary features that structure early modern texts about religion, trade, bureaucracy, and rhetoric. She was educated at the University of Oxford, and was formerly a banking systems analyst in the City of London and an NGO worker in sub-Saharan Africa.

Table of Contents

1. Introduction: Creativity in Private Prayers
2. Techniques to Compose Private Prayers
3. Scripting a Role for the Speaker of Private Prayer: 2 and 3 Henry VI
4. Discerning a Response to Private Prayer: Richard III and Henry V
5. The Special Case of Royal Private Prayer: Henry VIII and Richard II
6. Afterword: Staging Private Prayer
Appendix A. Sample contents pages of printed private prayer books
Appendix B. Sample prayers on childbirth
Appendix C. Sample prayers on work

Editorial Reviews

"This engaging study is two books in one: a book on the social and psychological dynamics of private prayer in early modern England; and a book on the role of prayer in Shakespeare's history plays. Each is a significant contribution to the literature of the period as well as to performance studies in general." — William T. FitzGerald, Rutgers University-Camden, USA, BUNYAN STUDIES

"Sullivan presents a clear and engaging study of how Shakespeare engaged with and incorporated aspects of private prayer manuals into his history plays. Shakespeare and the Play Scripts of Private Prayer is a compelling addition to the research on religion, prayer and Shakespeare. The book is easy to follow, with a clearly structured argument that would attract undergraduate students and experienced scholars alike." — Amy Jennings, Early Modern Literary Studies

"What makes a monograph remarkable is its ability to answer unexplored questions and point toward new avenues within its field, and Sullivan's text completes both of these goals ... this study is a fruitful endeavor in its interdisciplinary contribution." — Grace Kimball, Comitatus

"Offers a refreshing methodological approach to work on early modern literature and religion." — Jay Zysk, University of Massachusetts Dartmouth

From the Publisher