Description:
A ground-breaking edition of an early modern play exploring of the clash of empire, religion and the battle for wealth and power.
Brief description:
John Fletcher (1579-1625) was an English dramatist who collaborated with Francis Beaumont on at least six plays. They began working together in about 1607 and had their first success in 1609 with Philaster; or Love Lies Bleeding.
After Beaumont's retirement in 1613, Fletcher became chief playwright for the King's Men; in addition to writing his own plays, he apparently collaborated with Shakespeare on three works: Two Noble Kinsmen, Henry VIII, and a lost play, The History of Cardenio. He also collaborated with Nathan Field, William Rowley and Philip Massinger, who succeeded him to the post of the King's Men's playwright in 1625. His own plays include the pastoral The Faithful Shepherdess (1608), the tragedy Bonduca (1613), and the comedies Wit Without Money (1614), The Wild Goose Chase (1621), and The Chances (1625), which was revived at the Chichester Festival Theatre in 1962. His work remained enormously popular until the end of the 17th century.Review Quotes:
"Clare McManus has produced a fine edition of this important play, which has emerged from neglect in recent years. The text has been authoritatively established; the notes are always helpful; and the introduction, in line with this series, is serious, useful and a pleasure to read." --Andrew Hadfield, University of Sussex, Around the Globe
"Clare McManus's edition is to a large extent organised around what she sees as the play's 'striking topicality in the post-9/11 moment' ... [and] McManus works hard to ground the play's native characters in Islamic culture." --London Review of Books "I gladly recommend McManus' edition of his work [...] I am pleased to see a new, scholarly, well-annotated edition of this old work." --Kenneth Tucker, Murray State University, The Shakespeare Newsletter