The Two Noble Kinsmen (Arden Shakespeare: Third Series) - Softcover

William Shakespeare

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1904271189 ISBN 13: 9781904271185

Publisher: Arden Shakespeare, 1996

Synopsis

The content of this edition include a list of the illustrations featured within the text and a preface by the editor on her work with the play.  The thorough introduction discusses the tragicomedy as a genre, the writers thought to have collaborated on this play and the question of its authorship, and the significance of collaboration and censorship in the era when the play was written, as well as other notes on historical context.  The editor goes on to address the public, literary, and theatrical contexts within and surrounding the play; the play’s afterlife in theatrical adaptation and academia; and technical notes on editing the drama.  Six appendices follow the text of The Two Noble Kinsmen.  They are: "John Fletcher, 'Upon An Honest Man’s Fortune'"; "The Portrait—Frontispiece of John Fletcher, 1647"; "Francis Beaumont, The Masque of the Inner Temple and Gray’s Inn"; "Beaumont’s 1613 Masque and The Two Noble Kinsmen"; "The Morris"; and "The Music."  Finally, a reference section provides a list of abbreviations and references, a catalog of Shakespeare’s works and works partly by Shakespeare, and citations for the modern productions mentioned in the text, other collated editions of The Two Noble Kinsmen, and other related reading.

The Arden Shakespeare has developed a reputation as the pre-eminent critical edition of Shakespeare for its exceptional scholarship, reflected in the thoroughness of each volume. An introduction comprehensively contextualizes the play, chronicling the history and culture that surrounded and influenced Shakespeare at the time of its writing and performance, and closely surveying critical approaches to the work. Detailed appendices address problems like dating and casting, and analyze the differing Quarto and Folio sources. A full commentary by one or more of the play’s foremost contemporary scholars illuminates the text, glossing unfamiliar terms and drawing from an abundance of research and expertise to explain allusions and significant background information. Highly informative and accessible, Arden offers the fullest experience of Shakespeare available to a reader.

About this title

About the Author

William Shakespeare (1564-1616) was an English dramatist, poet, and actor, generally regarded as the greatest playwright of all time.

From AudioFile

A late tragicomedy by Shakespeare and John Fletcher, this play, based on Chaucer's "The Knight's Tale," concerns the rivalry between two chivalrous knights, Palamon and Arcite, for the love of a woman. The play is a rarely staged, somewhat ceremonial work, so this balanced and effective performance, which may be the first unabridged recording of it, is particularly appreciated. Clive Brill's direction mostly avoids the busy sound effects that characterize the Arkangel series. The subplot of the jailer's daughter (Sarah-Jane Holm) and her hopeless love for Palamon (Jonathan Firth) is handled well and gives personality to a play in which the two main characters are sometimes hard to tell apart. G.H. © AudioFile 2006, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine

About this edition

• Publisher: Arden Shakespeare
• Publication date: 1996
• ISBN 10: 1904271189
• ISBN 13: 9781904271185
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 412
• Editor: Lois Potter