A View from the Vault: Shakespeare at Blackfriars
by Arline Wilson, Special Collections Librarian
Step into the candle-lit world of early 17th-century London with The Two Noble Kinsmen (1634), a rare first edition held in the University of Delaware’s Special Collections. Credited to William Shakespeare and John Fletcher, this late Jacobean drama was performed “at the Blackfriers by the King’s Maiesties servants, with great applause,” as the title page proudly proclaims. The Blackfriars Theatre—once a Dominican monastery—was transformed into an exclusive indoor playhouse for Shakespeare’s own company, the King’s Men. Unlike the open-air Globe, Blackfriars offered winter performances, intricate music and intimate staging for a discerning audience.
The play itself adapts Chaucer’s Knight’s Tale, following two cousins—Palamon and Arcite—whose sworn brotherhood collapses when both fall in love with the same woman, Emilia. Blending courtly romance, tragic rivalry and moments of dark comedy, The Two Noble Kinsmen explores loyalty, desire and the thin line between love and violence. Widely considered Shakespeare’s final dramatic work, it reveals a mature playwright experimenting with collaboration and with the indoor theater’s subtle acoustics and effects.
This slim quarto preserves not only a gripping story of honor and passion, but also a vivid glimpse of London’s vibrant performance culture—where a dissolved monastery became a royal stage and the written word keeps the applause alive four centuries later. Come see this remarkable volume and experience a tangible connection to Shakespeare’s world.
“A View from the Vault” showcases some of the unique, notable or rare items that are a part of the Special Collections and Museums holdings at the University of Delaware. Each month, we highlight a different work and share interesting facts or intriguing histories about it. If you are interested in seeing any of the materials featured in person or want to learn more about any work showcased in the series, please contact Special Collections and Museums at AskSpec or AskMuseums.