Presented before Queen Elizabeth I on Candlemas Day (February 2nd) 1588,

Endymion

(published 1591) has much in common with Lyly's three earlier comedies,

Campaspe

,

Sapho and Phao

and

Gallathea

, also written for performance at court. As in the previous plays, the concern of the central action is an unattainable love, which initiates the exploration of a number of interrelated debate motifs (e.g. the conflicting claims of love and friendship / chastity and love). The play was designed, like its predecessors, for performance by a company of boys (in this instance the Children of St. Paul's), and exploits the youths' training as choristers and slightness of build through the inclusion of songs and a preponderance of female and juvenile roles. Like the earlier comedies, the play invites…

1018 words

Citation: Scragg, Leah. "Endymion". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 20 September 2002 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=5365, accessed 19 March 2024.]

5365 Endymion 3 Historical context notes are intended to give basic and preliminary information on a topic. In some cases they will be expanded into longer entries as the Literary Encyclopedia evolves.

Save this article

If you need to create a new bookshelf to save this article in, please make sure that you are logged in, then go to your 'Account' here

Leave Feedback

The Literary Encyclopedia is a living community of scholars. We welcome comments which will help us improve.