Redating Pericles: A Re-examination of Shakespeare’s Pericles as an Elizabethan Play
Abstract
Pericles's apparent inferiority to Shakespeare’s mature works raises many questions for
scholars. Was Shakespeare collaborating with an inferior playwright or playwrights? Did he
allow so many corrupt printed versions of his works after 1604 out of indifference? Re-dating
Pericles from the Jacobean to the Elizabethan era answers these questions and reveals
previously unexamined connections between topical references in Pericles and events and
personalities in the court of Elizabeth I: John Dee, Philip Sidney, Edward de Vere, and many
others. The tournament impresas, alchemical symbolism of the story, and its lunar and
astronomical imagery suggest Pericles was written long before 1608. Finally, Shakespeare’s
focus on father-daughter relationships, and the importance of Marina, the daughter, as the
heroine of the story, point to Pericles as written for a young girl. This thesis uses topical
references, Shakespeare’s anachronisms, Shakespeare’s sources, stylometry and textual
analysis, as well as Henslowe’s diary, the Stationers' Register, and other contemporary
documentary evidence to determine whether there may have been versions of Pericles
circulating before the accepted date of 1608. I also delve into the printing and publication
history of Pericles, as well as some stylometric analysis, to show how and why this probably
early play might have been appropriated by victualler George Wilkins (1576-1618) and
others, and revived to feed a growing demand for Shakespeare’s works.
Table of Contents
Introduction -- Plot summary -- Analysis -- Chronology -- Themes -- Clues in the sources -- Personalities in Pericles -- Natural topical references -- The significance of the tournament and impresas -- Records and contemporary literary references -- Clues in writing style -- Conclusion -- Appendix: Timeline of events
Degree
M.A.