Comparat i ye study on the manuscr i pt and the printed text of The Court Secret by James Shirley

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The purpose of this study is to explore dramaturgy of Shirley by close analysis of the two texts of The Court Secret : the manuscript and the text in Six New Playes published in 1653. The manuscript has many excisions, alterations and additions, which means there are three different versions. The relationship between the dramatist and publishers is also examined. Through close analysis of the three texts, the same words are used differently in the same scene, which shows that Shirley seemed to rewrite the text again and again. His characteristics lie not in making unforgettable heroes or heroines but in building up human relationships by conversation. The dedications attached to each play in Six New Playes show not only the changing situation before and after the theatre closure but also the close relationship between Shirley and his publisher Humphrey Moseley.