A grocer and his wife dissatisfied by a play's progress invade the stage and commandeer the play to suit their tastes. They cast their apprentice Rafe in an heroic leading role as the gallant Knight whose banner bears the symbol of the grocer's trade, a pestle. A chaotic play within a play erupts, as each group attempts to carry on despite the unscripted interventions. Meanwhile two young lovers, separated by class and convention, struggle to keep their romance on the rails amidst the disruption. Written in 1607 by Francis Beaumont at...
Riotous comedy from Shakespeare's successor
A grocer and his wife dissatisfied by a play's progress invade the stage and commandeer the play ...
Philaster is a tragicomedy by Beaumont and Fletcher which has much in common with Shakespeare's late plays such as The Winter's Tale. Set in a fictionalized Sicily, it has the complex plot of love, disguise and the threat of death much loved by early modern theatre-goers.
This edition provides an authoritative, modernized text by a leading scholar with detailed on-page commentary notes giving readers a deeper understanding of the play. The comprehensive, illustrated introduction discusses Philaster from a performance perspective as well as its relation to Shakespearean...
Philaster is a tragicomedy by Beaumont and Fletcher which has much in common with Shakespeare's late plays such as The Winter's Tale. Set in...