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“All Hayll, All Hayll, Both Blithe And Glad” : Direct Address In Early English Drama, 1400-1585, Michelle M. Butler '90

Doctoral Dissertations

"Now will I praise those godly men,

our ancestors, each in his own time...

All these were glorious in their time,

each illustrious in his day.

Some of them have left behind a name

and men recount their praiseworthy deeds " (Sirach 44: I. 7-8)

Direct address is widely acknowledged as a fundamental technique in early English, particularly medieval, drama. The observation that early English drama does not have the convention of the ‘fourth wall,’ and frequently speaks directly to and interacts with the audience would not be news to scholars o f this drama; many have mentioned it. A.R. …