

The English Channel
Robert Brustein
Mortal Terror is set in 1605, the year of the Gunpowder Plot, a terrorist conspiracy to blow up the houses of Parliament.
Shakespeare, delicately balancing his allegiances to assure his own survival, is commissioned by King James to write a play to justify his right to the throne.
That play is Macbeth .
Mortal Terror is the second piece in a trilogy of plays by Robert Brustein about the life of Shakespeare.
The trilogy begins with The English Channel and concludes with The Last Will .
"Will picks up his quill pen in 'Mortal Terror,' a witty and worldly consideration of the compromises made in the name of art, the abuses of power perpetrated in the name of ideology (in this case, the ostensibly divine right of kings), the violence committed in the name of religion, and the multifarious forces that converge to create that mysterious thing called theater." - boston.com"But even as Brustein thrusts us into the world of England in 1605, complete with quasi-Elizabethan dialogue, he sketches parallels to modern-day America. " - boston.com"Brustein’s own love of language, and his skill in using it, furnish ample reason to see 'Mortal Terror'"
— boston.com
Mortal Terror is a comedy play written by Robert Brustein and published by Samuel French .
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