Date of Award
1984
Document Type
Thesis
Publication Status
Version of Record
Submission Date
October 2026
Thesis/Dissertation Advisor [Chair]
Nathan, Norman
Abstract
John Lyly slowly progresses from a complimenting Court dramatist to being more like a conventional one. In his first four plays he uses structure and characterization to flatter Queen Elizabeth. Characters who are ignorant of their rulers' goodness unexpectedly discover it. By thus showing a good monarch, Lyly praises his Queen. In his last four dramas, however, Lyly de-emphasizes royal compliments. Instead, like typical playwrights of his day, he informs his audience as to how the plot will develop (surprise is abandoned); and he is concerned with presenting sinners: characters who are schemers, cozeners, or disobedient to authority. To show what is typical of the age, three plays, Friar Bacon and Friar Bungay, The Spanish Tragedy, and The Rare Triumphs of Love and Fortune, by Lyly's contemporaries will be examined.
Extent
64 p.
Recommended Citation
TUCCI, PAUL D., "CHANGES IN STRUCTURE, CHARACTERIZATION, AND CONTENT IN JOHN LYLY'S PLAYS" (1984). Electronic Theses and Dissertations 1980 - 1989. 299.
https://digitalcommons.fau.edu/etd_general_3/299
Identifier
FADT14214
Comments
Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters|Thesis (M.A.)--Florida Atlantic University, 1984.|FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection|Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters