The Renaissance or Early Modern period saw a creative explosion of such force that, four hundred years later, its plays are still some of the most frequently performed and studied of dramatic works. This anthology offers a full introduction to Renaissance theatre in its historical and political contexts, along with newly edited and annotated texts of such plays as: Edward II (Christopher Marlowe), Tis Pity She's a Whore (John Ford), and The Masque of Blackness (Ben Jonson).