Following Queen Elizabeth I's reign, the new court of King James was beset by political instability and moral corruption. This atmosphere provided fertile ground for the dramatists of the age, who explored the ways in which social decadence and the abuse of power breed resentment, leading inexorably to violent retribution.
In Cyril Tourneur's The Revenger's Tragedy, the debauched son of an Italian Duke attempts to rape the virtuous Gloriana--a veiled reference to Elizabeth I. John Webster's The White Devil depicts a sinister world of intrigue and murderous infidelity, while The...
Following Queen Elizabeth I's reign, the new court of King James was beset by political instability and moral corruption. This atmosphere provided ...
Timon of Athens is a bitterly intriguing study of a fabulously rich man who wastes his wealth on his friends, and, when he is finally impoverished, learns to despise humanity with a hatred that drives him to his grave. The play's plot structure is schematically clear, and the poetry of Timon's rage is arresting in its savage intensity. Yet readers have often detected loose ends, and the tone of writing is uneven. In his introduction, John Jowett explains how these characteristics arise because the play was written as a collaboration between Shakespeare and Thomas Middleton. This...
Timon of Athens is a bitterly intriguing study of a fabulously rich man who wastes his wealth on his friends, and, when he is finally impover...
The Witch (1615/16?), categorised by its author as 'a tragi-comedy', pits the intrigues of a group of Italian aristocrats against themalevolent practices of Hecate and her witches' coven, leaving theaudience with the impression that human malevolence is by far thefiercer and more effective. This edition sets the play into itsdramatic and literary contexts, ranging from Shakespeare's Macbeth andMiddleton's own later tragedies to Reginald Scot's sceptical Discoveryof Witchcraft and King James's virulent Daemonologie. It also arguesthat Middleton wrote it as a topical satire to capitalise on...
The Witch (1615/16?), categorised by its author as 'a tragi-comedy', pits the intrigues of a group of Italian aristocrats against themalevolent pra...
An annotated edition of an important Jacobean comedy, which is currently receiving greater attention from critics and on stage because the leading character is based on a famous personality of the time, Moll Cutpurse. The history of Moll Cutpurse and its subsequent influence on the women's movement and feminist concerns make this book relevant to women's study courses and this is edition incorporates variant readings found in only one copy of the quarto.
An annotated edition of an important Jacobean comedy, which is currently receiving greater attention from critics and on stage because the leading cha...
For many years Middleton's "A Game at Chess" was more notorious than read, considered rather a phenomenon of theatrical history than a pre-eminent piece of dramatic writing. "A Game at Chess" was a nine days' wonder, an exceptional play of King James' reign on account of its unprecedented representation of matters of state usually forbidden on the stage. The King's Men performed the play uninterruptedly between 5th and 14th August, 1624 at their Globe Theatre, attracting large audiences, before the Privy Council closed the theatre by the King's command. More recently, growing interest in the...
For many years Middleton's "A Game at Chess" was more notorious than read, considered rather a phenomenon of theatrical history than a pre-eminent pie...
The Changeling is a powerful psychological tragedy of the moral degeneration of a highborn Spanish girl through a crime prompted by obsessive love. Thomas Middleton was probably responsible for the tragic plot, and William Rowley for the comic subplot concerning the antics of a young rake who contrives to have himself committed to an insane asylum for love of the proprietor's handsome wife.
The Changeling is a powerful psychological tragedy of the moral degeneration of a highborn Spanish girl through a crime prompted by obsessiv...
'Women Beware Women' is a major tragedy of the period, anatomising lust, hypocrisy and moral blindness. It is a play of people corrupted by greed for sex, wealth and position.
'Women Beware Women' is a major tragedy of the period, anatomising lust, hypocrisy and moral blindness. It is a play of people corrupted by greed for ...
Many of the earliest books, particularly those dating back to the 1900s and before, are now extremely scarce and increasingly expensive. We are republishing these classic works in affordable, high quality, modern editions, using the original text and artwork.
Many of the earliest books, particularly those dating back to the 1900s and before, are now extremely scarce and increasingly expensive. We are republ...
