Refashioning Italian Theatrical and Dramatic Conventions: Prologues, Epilogues and Inductions in Early Modern English Drama

Authors

  • Fernando Cioni University of Florence

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.15845/emco.v4i1.1508

Abstract

Elizabethan drama used a variety of introductory scenes which can be defined as inductions, provided that we distinguish their dramatic and theatrical functions. In the theatre, the induction is a dramatic device, metatheatrical and metadramatic, which emphasizes the nature of the play. Richard Hosley argues that it is “a short dramatic action introducing a full-length play, normally performed by two or more actors and creating a fictional situation different from that of the play itself.” This article contains a survey of such inductions in the English theatre with parallels in the Italian tradition. The article also contains as an appendix a detailed overview of inductions and dumbshows in English plays.

 

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Published

2018-03-22

How to Cite

Cioni, F. “Refashioning Italian Theatrical and Dramatic Conventions: Prologues, Epilogues and Inductions in Early Modern English Drama”. Early Modern Culture Online, vol. 4, no. 1, Mar. 2018, doi:10.15845/emco.v4i1.1508.

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Articles