Set in Ancient Rome, "Poetaster" offers one of the first and most subtle statements in English of the Augustan cultural ideal. Jonson contrasts Augustus' wise rule with an English polity dominated (like the stage) by malice, intrigue and envy. This text examines these different strands so skilfully interwoven by Jonson, and argues for a reassessment of "Poetaster" as one of the most ideologically interesting of all early modern plays. The accompanying explanatory notes guide the reader through the personal and political illusions which gave the play its immediate satirical impact.

The best edition of the play in print. Gives a radical re-examination of the manuscript, and relates step by step to the process by which the play acquired its final form. Accounts for every single word and mark found in the manuscript - reproduces rejected or alternative passages at the end of the text. Includes a detailed discussion of the authorship and date of the original text and so-called additions. Particularly important now as the play feeds into the present speculation concerning Shakespeare's Catholic roots.

"The Malcontent" is considered one of the most original and complex plays of the Elizabethan theatre. The aim of this edition is to offer answers to the various questions raised by the play and relate it to the aesthetic cross-currents flowing in the 17th century.