The Arts
December 2024
Dick of Devonshire
By Thomas Heywood
by Kate Ellis
Dick of Devonshire by Thomas Heywood dramatises England's disastrous 1625 Cadiz expedition through the story of a foot-soldier turned national hero. For the first time, The Revels Plays publishes a scholarly modern-spelling edition of this unduly overlooked play, together with an anthology of its source material. The play, written in 1626, exists in only one contemporary manuscript, now contained in MS Egerton 1994. There is no evidence that the work was printed or performed in its time, and until now, its authorship has remained uncertain. Ellis's critical introduction analyses new data that uncovers the play's authorship, playing company, and playhouse for the first time, as well as exploring the occasion of the play, its textual and theatrical histories, and its stagecraft. Commentary notes guiding the modern reader include explanatory glosses, literary references, and notes on historical context.
