Ruled Britannia

A novel set in an Alternate Universe where the Spanish Armada conquered England. Ten years later, Shakespeare is writing plays under the Spanish occupiers, but is simultaneously contracted by both them and the English resistance to write plays to either commemorate the dying King Philip or inspire rebellion against him. In the end he chooses the latter, and his play Boudicca sparks a revolution. Published under the slogan "To be free, or not to be free?"


 * Alternate History: The Spanish Armada succeeded.
 * Gratuitous Iambic Pentameter: Not only in the quoted plays, but as much spoken dialogue is sneakily cribbed quotes from other plays and poems, so people regularly talk to each other in Iambic Pentameter. Shakespeare, Burbage, and Marlowe regularly hang lampshades on this.
 * Historical Domain Character: Shakespeare, his players, Lope De La Vega, Nicholas Skeres, Christopher Marlowe. The majority of the major characters are this.
 * Hurricane of Puns: The needling between Kemp, Burbage, Shakespeare, and Marlowe descends into this rapidly
 * My Country, Right or Wrong: Shakespeare admits that, if given a choice, he probably would chose to follow the Roman Catholic traditions of Spain as opposed to the Protestant teachings of England, but he refuses to let these traditions be forced onto the country at gunpoint. Thusly, he helps launch the rebellion that topples the government of Queen Isabella and frees the imprisoned Queen Elizabeth, even if that means he will need to become a Protestant again, because at least then it would be England's choice in the matter.
 * Occupiers Out of Our Country!: Used frequently in the Timeline191 works. Here it is the English resisting the Spanish.
 * The Quisling: Loaded with 'em.
 * Reassigned to Antarctica: Lieutenant de Vega is constantly threatening his lazy servant with reassignment to Scotland until he gets some better blackmail.
 * Vitriolic Best Buds: Burbage and Kemp
 * Volleying Insults: round and round and round again between Shakespeare, Burbage, and Kemp
 * William Shakespeare: Our protagonist.