The Misfortunes of Arthur

The Misfortunes of Arthur, written by Thomas Hughes is one of the earliest printed plays from the English Renaissance and, as such, deserves its place of interest in dramaturgical studies for its historical significance. It offers a detailed literary evocation of Elizabethan anti-imperial thinking and a genuine desire to debate controversial questions. The play takes a sceptical view of Arthur and provides evidence of a political point of view that must have had a significant number of supporters in 1588 when it was performed for Elizabeth I on the eve of the Spanish Armada. It is also not difficult to find themes in The Misfortunes of Arthur which would find expression again in the later Renaissance drama. The fact that the play shares affinities with such diverse plays as Gorboduc and The Spanish Tragedy indicates that it holds a pivotal position in a time of theatrical flux. It provides a single, concise encapsulation of the Arthurian chronicle in a literary form, a drama, that students will find more engaging than chronicles or lengthy romances. This reissue of the 1992 Garland edition is of value to scholars because of the original spelling and source study contained within the work. It also contains helpful historical context in the introduction and a useful diagram of the Elizabethan stage which both students and scholars will find useful.