English Language and Literature Commons^™

Songs Of Salvation: Shakespeare’S Defense Of Performing Artists Through Secular Ballads In Three Plays, Latisha Dawn Fletcher

English Theses

In many of Shakespeare’s comedies and romances, the “broadside,” or street ballad is the prominent musical form that the characters reference. The broadside transcended class boundaries and, unlike traditional songs, usually consisted of lyrics written by a known writer that were sung to a folk tune. The subject matter of these songs was seldom virtuous, and the inclusion of the somewhat unsavory street songs carries connotations beyond audience identification in Shakespeare’s work when viewed through a theological lens. The government-sanctioned Protestant religion was becoming more staunchly conservative in London, and what theater-goers would often have observed outside the Globe were …