The Duchess of Malfi and Other Plays The White Devil; The Duchess of Malfi; The Devil's Law-Case; A Cure for a Cuckold

by Webster, John; Weis, René

• ISBN13: 9780192834539
• ISBN10: 0192834533
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 1998-10-22
• Publisher: Oxford University Press

Summary

This volume offers John Webster's two great Jacobean tragedies, The White Devil and The Duchess of Malfi, together with his brilliant tragicomedy, The Devil's Law-Case, and the comedy written with William Rowley, A Cure for a Cuckold. Webster is a radically and creatively experimental dramatist. His tragedies deploy shifting dramatic perspectives which counteract and challenge conventional moral judgements, while the predominantly gentler tone of his comedies and tragicomedies responds inventively to contemporary changes indramatic taste and fashion. All four plays display the provocative intelligence of a profoundly original playwright. Under the General Editorship of 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 detailed annotation, a glossary, and a critical introduction which traces Webster's artisticdevelopment, defends him against charges of over-indulgence in violence, and explores his sophisticated staging and scenic forms.

Author Biography

Rene Weis is Senior Lecturer in English at University College, London.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements	viii	(1)
Introduction	ix	(20)
Note on the Texts	xxix	(5)
Select Bibliography	xxxiv	(6)
A Chronology of John Webster	xl
THE WHITE DEVIL	1	(102)
THE DUCHESS OF MALFI	103	(98)
THE DEVIL'S LAW-CASE	201	(92)
A CURE FOR A CUCKOLD	293	(72)
Explanatory Notes	365	(66)
Glossary	431