The Duchess of Malfi

(Paperback)

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Description

The Duchess of Malfi is one of the major tragedies of the early modern period and remains popular in the theatre as well as in the classroom. The story of the Duchess's secret marriage and the cruel revenge of her brothers has fascinated and appalled audiences for centuries.

This new Arden edition offers readers a comprehensive, illustrated introduction to the play's historical, critical and performance history. The text is modernised and edited to the highest scholarly standards, with textual notes and commentary notes on the same page for ease of reference.

This is the lead title in the launch of The Arden Early Modern Drama Series, a series which offers all the depth and quality of thinking long associated with the Arden. The edition will be valued by students, teachers and theatre professionals.

Reviews

'I found it more exciting than I should probably admit to at seeing the Shakespeare-rich layer of annotation underpinning the text on the page of a play - The Duchess of Malfi - that simply hasn't been treated in that way before, especially in terms of introductory matter.' * Shakespeare Bookshop Newsletter (December 2009) *
Fascinating reading' * Times Literary Supplement, June 2010, on the Arden Early Modern Drama series *
'Webster took tragedy to a new level in the psychology of evil, actual horror and callousness.' * Michael Coveney, Independent, 21.10.10 *
'Webster's language has a musical poetry second only to Shakespeare's' * John Peter, Sunday Times, 31.10.10 *

Author Bio

Leah Marcus is the Edwin Mims Professor of English at Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee.