Elizabeth RexWhat makes a man a man and woman a woman? Late at night on the eve of her lover's execution, this is the question Queen Elizabeth descends to the stable lodgings of Shakespeare's players to wrestle with. Her unexpected arrival disturbs Shakespeare and his rag-tag troupe after their evening's performance and provokes the rapler-sharp, haughty indifference of Ned, Shakespeare's genius performer of women's roles. Aging, broken by syphilis, and suffering from lost love, Ned is every bit as caustic and imperious as the Queen, whose despair over Lord Essex's pending death is apparent to everyone but herself. |
Other editions - View all
Common terms and phrases
actor Antony Ash Wednesday barn BEAR bell Benedick bourrelet brazier Brent Carver Captain CECIL Claudio Cleopatra costume Countess courtyard Damn dance dead death Diane D'Aquila dogs bark Elizabeth Rex Falcon cry Friar Friar's Rights gaudy night god-damned rutting edge goes gown Grace hands Harry Wriothesley HENSLOWE Hero Ireland JACK Kate kill kisses lads Lady lantern lap desk lights alter loft looks Lord Chamberlain's Lord Chamberlain's Men Lord Essex Lord Robert Cecil LUDDY Madam Majesty Majesty's Martha Henry Master Edmund Master Lowenscroft Master Pearle Master Shakespeare MATT moves NED's never notebook penance PERCY play prince's chair puts Pygmy Queen removes scarlet tunic Scene scholar's cap servants Shrove Tuesday sits skips skirts smell sort of chair Southampton speak standing sword takes tankard Tardwell TARDY tell There's Timothy Findley Tower upstage voice wears What's wine woman women words