Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet, and Civic Life

This volume introduces ‘civic Shakespeare’ as a category entailing the relation between the individual and the community on issues of authority, liberty, and cultural production. It investigates civic Shakespeare via Romeo and Juliet to interrogate the possibilities of theatre and the civic. The play’s focus on civil strife, political challenge, and a new conception of the individual makes ideal for examining how early modern civic topics were received and reconfigured on stage, and how R&J has triggered new interpretations and civic performances over time. This book clarifies the role of theatre within civic space and questions the relation between citizens as spectators and the community.