Early Modern Playhouse Manuscripts and the Editing of Shakespeare

Early Modern Playhouse Manuscripts and the Editing of Shakespeare argues for editing Shakespeare's plays in a new way, without pretending to distinguish authorial from theatrical versions. Drawing on the work of the influential scholars A. W. Pollard and W. W. Greg, Werstine tackles the difficult issues surrounding 'foul papers' and 'promptbooks' to redefine these fundamental categories of current Shakespeare editing. In an extensive and detailed analysis, this book offers insight into the methods of theatrical personnel and a reconstruction of backstage practices in playhouses of Shakespeare's time. The book also includes a detailed analysis of nineteen manuscripts and three quartos marked up for performance - documents that together provide precious insight into how plays were put into production. Using these surviving manuscripts as a framework, Werstine goes on to explore editorial choices about what to give today's readers as 'Shakespeare'.

• Proposes a new way to edit Shakespeare and will appeal to those interested in reading Shakespeare in his own historical and theatrical contexts
• Reconstructs backstage practices of Shakespearean playhouses and will appeal to those interested in staging Shakespeare according to conventions of his own period
• Analyzes documents associated with early modern playhouses and will appeal to those interested in the history of the stage