About this book
A Select Collection of Old English Plays, Volume 1 by William Carew Hazlitt presents a spirited revival of early English drama, gathering rare interludes, morality plays, and stage curiosities in a single, chronologically arranged volume. Hazlitt’s careful editorial work—revising Dodsley’s famous anthology and adding fresh notes and newly reprinted pieces—renders texts like Everyman, Calisto and Melibaea, The Pardoner and the Friar, and Mundus and Infans both authoritative and approachable.
This literature and play anthology traces the development of English theatrical forms from medieval moral allegory to the lively interludes that bridged sacred and secular stages. Themes of sin and redemption, social satire, the clash of clerical and lay worlds, and popular performance practices emerge without spoilers, while Hazlitt’s commentary and historical framing illuminate textual variants, performance history, and the cultural currents that shaped early drama.
Ideal for students of early English literature, theatre historians, dramaturges, and listeners curious about the roots of modern drama, this audiobook marries scholarly rigor with vibrant storytelling. Listen to discover the origins of stagecraft and the enduring human concerns that made these old plays resonate across centuries.
