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Shakespeare, William

(Encyclopedia)CE5 Shakespeare, William, 1564–1616, English dramatist and poet, b. Stratford-upon-Avon. He is widely considered the greatest playwright who ever lived. For about 150 years after his death ...

Jaggard, William

(Encyclopedia)Jaggard, William, c.1568–1623, London printer and publisher. Although it seems that he had previously pirated some of Shakespeare's works, he was chosen by the editors John Heming and Henry Condell ...

chronicle plays

(Encyclopedia)chronicle plays, dramas based upon 16th-century chronicles in English, particularly those of Edward Hall and Raphael Holinshed. These plays became very popular late in the reign of Elizabeth I, when, ...

Towneley Plays

(Encyclopedia)Towneley Plays, a cycle of 32 plays preserved in a manuscript of c.1460 by the Towneleys, a Lancashire family. Intended for production by the guilds of Wakefield, they are sometimes called the Wakefie...

Wakefield Plays

(Encyclopedia)Wakefield Plays: see Towneley Plays; miracle plays. ...

York Plays

(Encyclopedia)York Plays: see miracle play.

Ireland, William Henry

(Encyclopedia)Ireland, William Henry, 1777–1835, English forger of Shakespearean documents and manuscripts. Besides forging deeds and signatures relating to Shakespeare, Ireland fabricated two plays, Vortigern an...

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