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Published in 1993: The first modern scholarly edition of the
author's play, not published until 1778. Sebastian reclaims his
betrothed from Antonio; the Duchess avenges herself on the Duke for
making her drink from her father; and Abberzanes and Francesca have
an illicite affair. The witches are credible forces of evil.
Published in 1993: The first modern scholarly edition of the
author's play, not published until 1778. Sebastian reclaims his
betrothed from Antonio; the Duchess avenges herself on the Duke for
making her drink from her father; and Abberzanes and Francesca have
an illicite affair. The witches are credible forces of evil.
Drama Classics: The World's Great Plays at a Great Little Price A
delightfully lewd city comedy written in 1613 by the co-author of
The Changeling. Thomas Middleton's A Chaste Maid in Cheapside is an
intricately plotted play about unscrupulous people in search of
wealth, marriage, or sex - and sometimes all three. Unpublished
until 1630 and long-neglected afterwards, it is now considered
among the best and most characteristic Jacobean comedies. This
edition of the play in the Nick Hern Books Drama Classics series is
edited and introduced by Emma French.
"The next good mood I find my father in, I'll get him quite
discarded" With these chillingly offhand words, Beatrice-Joanna,
the spoilt daughter of a powerful nobleman, plots to get rid of the
family servant who has crossed her once too often. The Changeling's
vivid tale of sexual appetite, repulsion, betrayal and lunacy
remains one of the most compelling tragedies of the 17th century.
Exposing the vexed relationship between servants and masters,
setting notions of `change' against the revelation of psychological
'secrets' as ways of explaining human behaviour, and exploring the
idea of love as a `tame madness', the play reveals the terrifying
consequences of ungoverned sexual appetite and betrayal. Featuring
the full and modernized play text, this revised edition includes
incisive commentary notes which explain the nuances of the play's
vibrant, colloquial language and demonstrate its sly delight in the
characters' conscious and unconscious wordplay. Michael Neill's
illuminating introduction provides a firm grounding in the play's
socio-political context, demonstrates how careful close-reading can
expand your enjoyment of the play, explains the play's violent
linkage of comic and tragic plots and gives theatrical life to the
text via a discussion of its stage history, with a particular
emphasis on the most interesting recent productions. The New
Mermaids plays offer: * Modernized versions of the play text edited
to the highest textual standards * Fully annotated student editions
with obscure words explained and critical, contextual and staging
insight provided on each page * Full Introductions analyzing
context, themes, author background and stage history
A hilarious city comedy by the authors of A Mad World, My Masters
and The Shoemaker's Holiday. Sebastian has a problem. He's in love
with a girl but his father won't agree to their marriage. In
desperation he turns to the one person who can help him, the
fearless and feisty 'roaring girl' Moll Cutpurse. In a London
fuelled by greed and desire, the charismatic, cross-dressing
heroine Moll has the world wrapped around her little finger, and
she has a plan. Cutting a joyously independent path through the
underhand scheming and petty vendettas of the London underworld,
Moll proves more than a match for any man. This Prompt Book edition
of The Roaring Girl was published alongside the Royal Shakespeare
Company's revival of the play in 2014, and features the text edited
for the RSC production, and introductions by key members of its
creative team.
Thomas Middleton (1580-1627), a bricklayer's son, rose to become
one of the most eminent playwrights of the Jacobean period. Along
with Ben Johnson he helped shape the dynamic course of drama in
Renaissance England. His range is broad, as his work successfully
covers comedy, tragedy, and history. Praised during his life as
well as today, Middleton remains relevant and influential. The
Changeling (1630) was composed with the aid of Middleton's friend
William Rowley, also an established playwright. The drama tells of
the destructive powers of vice and lust. Beatrice-Joanna is a young
woman betrothed to Alonzo de Piracquo, yet Beatrice-Joanna is truly
in love with another-the nobleman Alsemero. Beatrice-Joanna uses
manipulative and violent means to rid herself of her suitor
Alsemero. The ensuing drama results in a catastrophic tragedy,
leaving only a few to contemplate justice and passion. The
characters, style, and action of The Changeling effortlessly come
together, making it one of the greatest tragedies of its time.
This New Mermaids anthology brings together the four most popular
and widely studied of Thomas Middleton's plays - "Women Beware
Women"; "The Changeling"; "The Roaring Girl" and "A Chaste Maid in
Cheapside" - with a new introduction by William Carroll, examining
the plays in the context of early modern theatre, culture and
politics, as well as their language, characters and themes. On-page
commentary notes guide students to a better understanding and
combine to make this an indispensable student edition ideal for
study and classroom use from A Level upwards.
This volume contains Thomas Middletons four greatest plays, "A
Chaste Maid in Cheapside," "Women Beware Women," "The Changeling,"
and "A Game at Chess." "A Chaste Maid in Cheapside" is the most
complex and effective of the city comedies. "Women Beware Women"
and "The Changeling" (with William Rowley) are two of the most
powerful Jacobean tragedies aside from Shakespeare, studies in
lust, power, violence, and self-delusive psychology. "A Game at
Chess" was the single most popular play of the whole Shakespearean
era, a satirical expose of Jesuit plotting and Anglo-Spanish
politics which played to packed houses at the Globe until King
James and his ministers banned it. With the most up-to-date
introduction available, this volume offers all the play texts newly
edited with richly informative annotation.
About the Series: For over 100 years Oxford World's Classics has
made available the broadest spectrum of literature from around the
globe. Each affordable volume reflects Oxford's commitment to
scholarship, providing the most accurate text plus a wealth of
other valuable features, including expert introductions by leading
authorities, voluminous notes to clarify the text, up-to-date
bibliographies for further study, and much more.
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The Changeling (Paperback)
Thomas Middleton, William Rowley; Edited by Matthew W. Black
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R628
Discovery Miles 6 280
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Ships in 10 - 15 working days
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"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 (1580-1627) was
probably responsible for the tragic plot, and William Rowley (c.
1585-1626) 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.
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Five Plays (Paperback)
Thomas Middleton; Edited by Bryan Loughrey, Neil Taylor
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R436
R355
Discovery Miles 3 550
Save R81 (19%)
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Ships in 9 - 15 working days
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This collection of plays shows Middleton experimenting with the classical genres of tragedy and comedy as he develops his own individual dramatic voice. In his early comedies, characterized by an almost Terentian delight in ingenious plotting, love and marriage are merely counters in an elaborate game. But the game is governed by greed, as is the whole world of The Revenger's Tragedy, a Senecan revenge play imbued with biting, almost comical, irony. In his later plays Women Beware Women and The Changeling, Middleton gives the conventionally comic subjects of love and sex profoundly tragic treatment, revealing a world dominated by the corrupting power of lust but subject to the futility of human pretensions.
As the Elizabethan era gave way to the reign of James I, England
grappled with corruption within the royal court and widespread
religious anxiety. Dramatists responded with morally complex plays
of dark wit and violent spectacle, exploring the nature of death,
the abuse of power and vigilante justice. In Kyd's The Spanish
Tragedy a father failed by the Spanish court seeks his own bloody
retribution for his son's murder. Shakespeare's 1603 version of
Hamlet creates an avenging Prince of unique psychological depth,
while Chettle's The Tragedy of Hoffman is a fascinating reworking
of Hamlet's themes, probably for a rival theatre company. In
Marston's Antonio's Revenge, thwarted love leads inexorably to gory
reprisals and in Middleton's The Revenger's Tragedy, malcontent
Vindice unleashes an escalating orgy of mayhem on a debauched Duke
for his bride's murder, in a ferocious satire reflecting the
mounting disillusionment of the age. Emma Smith's introduction
considers the political and religious climate behind the plays and
the dramatic conventions within them. This edition includes a
chronology, playwrights' biographies and suggestions for further
reading.
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