Regents Renaissance Drama
2 total works
Christopher Marlowe (1564-1593), a man of extreme passions and a playwright of immense talent, is the most important of Shakespeare's contempories. This edition offers his five major plays, which show the radicalism and vitality of his writing in the few years before his violent death. Tamburlaine Part One and Part Two deal with the rise to world prominence of the great Scythian shepherd-robber; The Jew of Malta is a drama of villainy and revenge; Edward II was to influence Shakespeare's Richard II . Doctor Faustus , perhaps the first drama taken from the medieval legend of a man who sells his soul to the devil, is here in both its A- and its B- text, showing the enormous and fascinating differences between the two. Under the General Editorship of Dr Michael Cordner of the University of York, the texts of the plays have been newly edited and are presented with modernized spelling and punctuation. In addition, there is a scholarly introduction and detailed annotation. This book is intended for students of English Literature, sixteenth- and seventeenth-century drama, from sixth-form to postgraduate level.
"One of the best editions for undergraduates. . . . All the editorial material is kept brief, unobtrusive, relevant, and crisp in style. The introduction is informative, sound, and suggestive rather than dogmatic. . . . [Van Fossen] is especially skillful in summarizing in a graceful and interesting manner the issues that have stirred critics and editors. . . . The whole publication seems almost perfect in design and presentation; it invites one to read the play". -Choice