The Shakespeare Conference: SHK 30.357 Sunday, 4 August 2019
From: John Cox <
Date: August 3, 2019 at 2:02:22 PM EDT
Subject: David Bevington (1931 -2019)
I am sorry to report the death on August 2nd of David Bevington, prolific author and editor and teacher of many on this list. He suffered a heart attack in June and was able to continue working until shortly before his death. He is most widely known for his edition of Shakespeare’s complete works, for which he wrote humane and accessible introductions and notes. In his first critical study, From Mankind to Marlowe, he described a direct relationship between the structure of early Tudor plays and the make-up of itinerant acting troupes. He wrote at length on Tudor drama and politics and on the language of gesture in Tudor plays. He was unfailingly kind and encouraging of younger scholars and actively interested in dramatic production, as well as criticism. A memorial service for him will be held at the University of Chicago sometime this fall.