Synopses & Reviews
'This is a new approach to the text of The Second Part of King Henry IV, showing how Shakespeareâs choices are superior for practical purposes to suggested emendations.'
Synopsis
The New Cambridge Shakespeare appeals to students worldwide for its up-to-date scholarship and emphasis on performance. The series features line-by-line commentaries and textual notes on the plays and poems. Introductions are regularly refreshed with accounts of new critical, stage and screen interpretations. This second edition retains Giorgio Melchiori's text of Shakespeare's The Second Part of King Henry IV. Melchiori argues that the play forms an unplanned sequel to the First Part, itself a 'remake' of an old, non-Shakespearean play. In the Second Part, Shakespeare deliberately exploits Falstaff's popular appeal and the resulting rich humour adds a comic dimension to the play, rendering it a unique blend of history, morality play and comedy. Among modern editions, Melchiori's is the one most firmly based on the quarto. This second edition includes a new section by Adam Hansen on recent stage, film and critical interpretations.
Synopsis
Giorgio Melchiori offers a fresh approach to the text of The Second Part of King Henry IV, which he sees as an unplanned sequel to the First Part, itself a 'remake' of an old non-Shakespearean play. The Second Part deliberately exploits the popular success of Sir John Falstaff; the resulting rich humour gives a comic dimension to the play which makes it a unique blend of history, morality play and comedy. This updated edition includes a new introductory section by Adam Hansen which describes recent stage, film and critical interpretations.
Synopsis
This is a new approach to the text of The Second Part of King Henry IV, which is seen as an unplanned sequel to The First Part, itself a âremakeâof an old non-Shakespearian play. Professor Melchiori presents an eminently actable text, by showing how Shakespeareâs choices are superior for practical purposes to suggested emendations, and keeping interferences in the original stage directions to a minimum.
Table of Contents
List of illustrations; Preface; Abbreviations and conventions; Introduction; 1. Publication and date; 2. Unconformities; 3. The sources and The Famous Victories; 4. The Henriad as remake; 5. Rewriting the remake; 6. The Morality structure; 7. The comedy of humours; 8. City and country comedy; 9. Language; 10. History; 11. Psychodrama; 12. Time and disease; 13. Part Two on the stage; Note on the text; List of characters; The play; Textual analysis; Appendix 1. Shakespeare's use of Holinshed; Appendix 2. Some historical and literary sources; Appendix 3. The Famous Victories; Appendix 4. Tarlton and the Lord Chief Justice; Reading list.