The Dark Lady of the Sonnets
| The Dark Lady of the Sonnets | |
|---|---|
In his preface Shaw identifies the Dark Lady as Mary Fitton | |
| Written by | George Bernard Shaw |
| Date premiered | 24 November 1910 |
| Place premiered | Haymarket theatre, London |
| Original language | English |
| Subject | Shakespeare tries to persuade the queen to create a national theatre |
| Genre | Period piece; comedy |
| Setting | Sixteenth century: Whitehall Palace, London, England |
The Dark Lady of the Sonnets is a 1910 short comedy by George Bernard Shaw in which William Shakespeare, intending to meet the "Dark Lady", accidentally encounters Queen Elizabeth I and attempts to persuade her to create a national theatre. The play was written as part of a campaign to create a "Shakespeare National Theatre" by 1916.