Mock Kings in Medieval Society and Renaissance Drama [Hardcover]

King-led outlaw defiance, riotous lords of misrule, proud midsummer mock kings, and stately Inns-of-Court princes--in diverse ways all were reflections of the dominant social order from the medieval to early Stuart periods and, as this new book makes clear, all influenced the writings of Shakespeare and his contemporaries. Billington considers kingship in the light of contemporary accounts of elected kings in outlaw and rebel groups, and compares them with the phenomenon of festive mock kings. The result is a complex picture of interrelation between festive and more serious opposition to the dominant order, as well as the discovery of a midsummer mock-king play tradition. She then looks at the professional theater of the period, demonstrating that mock-king patterns form the structure of many scripted plays, and highlighting Shakespeare's genius in transforming such inherited structures into complex works of art.

Learned in its depiction of mock rule and evocative in its exploration of a theme in Elizabethan drama. --Speculum

Will serve upper-divisional undergraduates and graduate students well....[The book's] merits...are plentiful and worthwhile. --Choice

Billington's work is well-researched, informative, and provocative....This is a substantial contribution to our knowledge of both the literature and the social customs of the early-modern period in England, and it should have particular value to anyone concerned with the possibilities for interdisciplinary research in this field. --Albion

The `ritual' under discussion is the election of a lord of misrule, the `mock king' figure...Billington's study adds significantly to our knowledge about this practice. --Medieval and Renaissance Drama in England