The Two Noble Kinsmen

In addition to the text of "The Two Noble Kinsmen", a play that the editor contends was written by Shakespeare in collaboration with his younger colleague Fletcher, this book includes a discussion of the authorship, its history on the stage and the classical ideals of chivalry and friendship on which the plot turns. The text is based on the Quarto of 1634, which was printed from a prompt copy and contains problems of lineation - for example, whole scenes printed as verse which have been recognized as prose. Apart from attempting to clarify these issues, this edition aims to explicate the stage action, which is only partially revealed by the Quarto stage directions. As a volume in the Oxford Shakespeare series, there is annotation, discussion (with illustrations) of past productions, textual footnoting and an index.