"The Two Noble Kinsmen" (Arden Shakespeare: Third) - Softcover

Shakespeare, William; Fletcher, John

3.38

2,203 ratings by Goodreads

9780174434627: "The Two Noble Kinsmen" (Arden Shakespeare: Third)

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0174434626 ISBN 13: 9780174434627

Publisher: Thomson Learning, 1996

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Largely ignored for centuries because of doubts about its authorship and its subject matter, once considered distasteful, "The Two Noble Kinsmen" is surprisingly relevant to many current interests. Lois Potter supplies new information on sources and contexts, and drawing on extensive experience as a theatre critic, compares a number of late-20th century stagings of the play.

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Review:

Shakespeare's last dramatic work, Two Noble Kinsmen has often been marginalised by editors who believe that Shakespeare was just one of its many writers. This does a disservice to what is a fascinating and haunting play. The two noble kinsmen of the play's title are Palamon and his cousin Arcite, Thebans who have sworn a vow of friendship until death, claiming, "Is there record of any two that loved/Better than we do?" King Theseus of Athens leads an invasion against Thebes, and returns to Athens with the two cousins, who both fall in love with Princess Emilia, Theseus' sister-in-law. Both become rivals for Emilia's hand, incurring the wrath of Theseus. The action moves to the forest, where Palamon and Arcite prepare to duel over Emilia, only to be interrupted by Theseus, who delays the duel for one month, commanding that whoever wins the duel will marry Emilia, whilst the loser will be executed. On the day Arcite defeats Palamon, but is then crushed under his own horse. As he dies he bequeaths Emilia's hand to his cousin. The play ends with their wedding ceremony. Two Noble Kinsmen concludes with a note of resignation, as Theseus says "Let us be thankful/For that which is, and with you leave dispute/That are above our question", but as always, it is dangerous to see this as Shakespeare pronouncing on life itself, or simply another character in one of his plays voicing a particularly elegiac viewpoint on the sad events portrayed. --Jerry Brotton

Review:

"Scholars and general readers will welcome Potter's edition...for its balanced discussion of the nature of the collaboration; for its provocative, sometimes quirky introduction and notes; and for its democratic openness to all forms of contemporary interpretation....This edition is a product of the new scholarly respect for dramatic collaboration...Like all Arden3 editions, Potter's is concerned both with early stagings and with the play's "afterlife" in later productions...In her section on the text Potter follows other recent Arden editors in leading an inexperienced reader through the basic methods editors use to determine the status and history of a printed play...Potter now takes a distinguished place [among] the long line of previous editors."--"Shakespeare Quarterly" "Scholars and general readers will welcome Potter's edition...for its balanced discussion of the nature of the collaboration; for its provocative, sometimes quirky introduction and notes; and for its democratic openness to all forms of contemporary interpretation....This edition is a product of the new scholarly respect for dramatic collaboration...Like all Arden3 editions, Potter's is concerned both with early stagings and with the play's "afterlife" in later productions...In her section on the text Potter follows other recent Arden editors in leading an inexperienced reader through the basic methods editors use to determine the status and history of a printed play...Potter now takes a distinguished place [among] the long line of previous editors."-"Shakespeare Quarterly"

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