This Beyond Text: Algorithmic 3D visualisations of Early Modern plays

<p xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance" class="first" dir="auto" id="d4046137e55">This study explores the use of algorithmic 3D visualisation to analyse the structural composition of Early Modern drama, transforming TEI-encoded texts into interactive three-dimensional models. Inspired by distant reading and computational criticism, this research explores how spatial representations of dramatic form reveal stylistic patterns and hierarchical structures across plays. A dataset of 112 XML plays, including texts from the Text Creation Partnership (TCP) and WordHoard Shakespeare, is processed through a computational pipeline that extracts acts, scenes, and speaker attributions to generate distinct tree-like 3D models. The visualisations uncover differences in scene segmentation, act distribution, and narrative density, making structural distinctions between playwrights spatially perceptible. A case study comparing Shakespeare’s Cymbeline and Jonson’s Sejanus His Fall illustrates how highly branched vs. compact tree structures correspond to differing dramatic traditions. By integrating computational aesthetics with literary analysis, this approach highlights the potential of 3D modelling in the digital humanities. The findings suggest that formal characteristics of drama encode stylistic signatures that extend beyond text and into visual space. This method offers new pathways for distant reading, computational criticism, and structural visualisation, advancing the interdisciplinary intersection of literary studies and digital humanities.