The First Quarto of ‘The Merry Wives of Windsor'
The First Quarto of ‘The Merry Wives of Windsor'
£73.00
GBPThe First Quarto of The Merry Wives of Windsor is the most fascinatingly problematic of all the early Shakespearean texts. Was it an authorial first draft? Or a cut-down version of the better-known Folio text designed for acting? Or a text put together from faulty actors' memories? Or a reported text assembled by notetakers from attendance at the theatre? None of these theories, though advanced and interrogated for the last 250 years, is totally convincing. The Introduction to this edition explores the various attempts to make sense of the short version of the play, demonstrating the ways in which preferences for one theory or another reflect the changes in editorial theory and fashion over the centuries. The modernised text and its commentary enable the reader to enter into this ongoing and endlessly intriguing debate.
- A modernised text of the most neglected of the problematic quartos of Shakespeare plays
- Provides a thorough introduction surveying the history of the text's reception, and the various theories of its origin
- Offers a full collation and textual notes
Reviews & endorsements
'In sum, this is a very competent edition that is to be applauded for its clear presentation of the text and for its lucid explanation of theories about Quarto and Folio variants, and the kinds of cruxes that need to be addressed when staging or editing The Merry Wives of Windsor.' Emma Depledge, Shakespeare Survey
Product details
September 2020Hardback
9781107044098
92 pages
235 × 159 × 10 mm
0.28kg
1 b/w illus.
Available
Table of Contents
- Introduction
- The play.
