Clifford Davidson, Western Michigan University, USA

• Contents: Preface; Religious and historical crosscurrents in Renaissance drama: Marlowe, the Papacy, and Doctor Faustus; The History of King Lear and the problem of belief; The anxiety of power and Shakespeare's Macbeth; Antony and Cleopatra: Circe, Venus, and the Whore of Babylon; Sacred violence and the mysteries: Cain in the Mysteries: the iconography of violence; The sacrifice of Isaac in medieval English drama; Nudity, the body, and early English drama; Sacred blood and the late medieval stage; Cultural contexts for early drama: Carnival, Lent, and early English drama; The medieval stage and the antitheatrical prejudice; Idol and image in late medieval art and drama; Saints in play: English theater and saints' lives; Signs of Doomsday in drama and art; Index.

'... presents a very scholarly and relevant view of violence in some of the late-medieval and early Renaissance drama. Davidson's knowledge of the literarure of the period provides an array of textual evidence, and his keen knowledge and use of visual art and iconography broadens the scope of his discussion. History, Religion, and Violence should prove an invaluable reference for students and enthusiasts of early English drama.' Medium Aevum