The Illusion of Power: Political Theater in the English Renaissance

Elegant, deeply learned, and intellectually adventurous, its implications extend far beyond the boundaries of the Stuart and Caroline masque. It is an indispensible exploration of political art and aestheticized politics . . . a classic."--Stephen Greenblatt, University of California, Berkeley

"The book remains to-day as informative and suggestive as it was when new; in the clarity and grace of its writing, the breadth and precision of its arguments, the aptness and resonance of its examples, it is unsurpassed as an introduction to the dialectic of theatrical illusion and state authority--of play and power--in the culture of Elizabethan and Stuart England."--Louis Montrose, University of California, San Diego

"First published 15 years ago, this splendid study is now revealed as having been prophetic of much important recent work in Renaissance and later literature. As knowing of art, theatrical and political history as it is sensitive to poetry, Orgel's book is learned, lively, and beautifully clear."--John Hollander, Yale University

Stephen Orgel is Jackson Eli Reynolds Professor of Humanities at Stanford University.