The Politics of the Stuart Court Masque

This book takes a new look at the courtly masque-- a unique combination of music, dance, speech, and elaborate costume -- in early seventeenth-century England. The essays, written by distinguished scholars from around the world, present an interdisciplinary approach, with experts on dance, music, visual spectacle and politics all addressing the masque from the point of view of their speciality. Together they reveal how rival factions at the courts of James I and of Charles I represent their clash of viewpoints through dancing and spectacle.