Twelfth Night (Shakespeare, Signet Classic) - Softcover

Shakespeare, William

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0451520041 ISBN 13: 9780451520043

Publisher: Signet Classics, 1965

Synopsis

Twelfth Night, Or What You Will is a comedy by William Shakespeare, based on the short story "Of Apolonius and Silla" by Barnabe Rich. It is named after the Twelfth Night holiday of the Christmas season. It was written around 1601 and first published in the First Folio in 1623. The main title is believed to be an afterthought, created after John Marston premiered a play titled What You Will during the course of the writing.

About this title

From the Back Cover

Twelfth Night has seldom been off the stage since Shakespeare's day. It has been performed for its romantic high comedy and its boisterous low comedy; with an emphasis on farce or on autumnal melancholy; as straightforward celebration of heterosexual love and marriage or as exploration of the complexity of gender. David Carnegie and Mark Houlahan's introduction to the play provides a lively discussion of the play's performance history, and encourages readers to think about stagecraft and the play as a performance text, while the historical appendices provide materials that illuminate different thematic elements of the play. Extended notes interleaved throughout the play present relevant illustrations and expand on mythological, historical, and religious references in the play. The accompanying online text will offer additional commentary on staging alternatives and more extensive visual materials.

About the Author

David Carnegie is Emeritus Professor of Theatre at Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand. Mark Houlahan is Senior Lecturer in English at the University of Waikato, New Zealand.

Edition details

• Publisher: Signet Classics
• Publication date: 1965
• ISBN 10: 0451520041
• ISBN 13: 9780451520043
• Binding: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English