Synopses & Reviews
Among the plays staged at the Globe and published in Shakespeare's lifetime were The London Prodigal by William Shakespeare, A Yorkshire Tragedy written by W. Shakespeare and Thomas Lord Cromwell written by W. S. Could Shakespeare really have written these plays? Why were they excluded from the First Folio of his collected works?
Edited by renowned Shakespeare scholars Jonathan Bate and Eric Rasmussen and published in coordination with the Royal Shakespeare Company, this is the first edition in over 100 years of the fascinatingly varied body of plays that has become known as "The Shakespeare Apocrypha". Among the highlights are the whole text of Sir Thomas More, which includes the only scene from any play to survive in Shakespeare's own handwriting; the history play Edward III, including a superb seduction scene by Shakespeare; and the domestic murder tragedy Arden of Faversham, in which Shakespeare's hand has been detected by recent computer-assisted analysis. This is also the first ever Shakespeare edition to include the 1602 edition of Thomas Kyd's pioneering The Spanish Tragedy, with "additions" that the latest research attributes to Shakespeare. Included is a comprehensive account of the authorship and attribution of each play.
Featuring introductions and background on each play, key fact boxes with information on sources and the distribution of parts, on-page notes explaining difficult or obsolete vocabulary, and interviews with directors and actors who have staged the plays, this work will be an essential addition to the library of any Shakespeare buff.
Review
'The reputation of many of the plays in this volume has been tarnished somewhat by their apparent effrontery in presuming to crowd onto the Shakespeare band wagon. In fact they often work brilliantly on stage. As proved at the RSC, Arden of Faversham is a terrific murder thriller, Edward III and Thomas More, intriguing takes on history, while Mucedorus, one of the most popular plays in Shakespeare's day, has still to be proved in production.
We know very little about how the stable of playwrights at the Rose, or at the Globe, collaborated. Did one writer do the plotting, another the dialogue? We'll probably never know – but this book provides a fascinating insight into some of the plays in which it has been claimed Shakespeare himself may have had a hand.'
Gregory Doran, RSC Artistic Director
'How we answer that most vexing of questions - 'What is Shakespearean?'—tells us as much about ourselves as it does about the author and his age. This outstanding and beautifully conceived edition, which explores ten plays long attributed to Shakespeare but currently excluded from the canon, allows us to revisit that question afresh and richly informed, and will prove invaluable for actors, playgoers, students, and scholars.'
James Shapiro, Professor of English at Columbia University, USA and author of 1599 and Contested Will.
'Meet the 'other' Shakespeare: not Shakespeare the solitary writer, the 'lone genius', but Shakespeare the reviser, rewriter and collaborator. Shakespeare and Others reassesses what was once called the 'apocrypha', and provides, for the first time, fully up-to-date editions of the plays in which Shakespeare may plausibly have had a hand. Consisting of annotated, modern-spelling texts accompanied by interviews with theatrical practitioners, this unique collection will appeal equally to readers and performers. It is a must have book for lovers of Shakespeare on page and stage.'
Tiffany Stern, Professor of English at Oxford University, UK
'A rich collection of early modern plays that are entertaining, exciting and often simply superb.'
Peter Holland, University of Notre Dame, USA
'In evaluating candidates, Bate and Rasmussen tread the ground between Victorian inclusiveness and modernist scrupulousness...helpful tables at the beginning of each play give readers the basis to decide authorship issues for themselves. Summing up: recommended' - CHOICE
Synopsis
The first edition in over 100 years of the body of plays known as "The Shakespeare Apocrypha", a work that Shakespeare is reputed to have had a significant hand in writing
Synopsis
In partnership with the RSC, Jonathan Bate and Eric Rasmussen present William Shakespeare and Others: Collaborative Plays. Bringing together, for the first time in a hundred years, the fascinatingly varied body of plays that became known as 'The Shakespeare Apocrypha', this is the companion to the UK bestseller The RSC Shakespeare: Complete Works.
Synopsis
Developed in partnership with The Royal Shakespeare Company, this is the first edition for over a hundred years of the fascinatingly varied body of plays that has become known as 'The Shakespeare Apocrypha'. As a companion to their award-winning The RSC Shakespeare: Complete Works, renowned scholars Jonathan Bate and Eric Rasmussen, supported by a dynamic team of co-editors, now provide a fascinating insight into ten plays in which Shakespeare may have had a hand. A magisterial essay by Will Sharpe provides a comprehensive account of the Authorship and Attribution of each play.
Combining outstanding textual scholarship with elegant writing and design, this unique collection allows us to revisit the question of what is Shakespearean. It is an indispensable book for students, teachers, performers, scholars and lovers of Shakespeare everywhere.
About the Author
JONATHAN BATE is Professor of Shakespeare and Renaissance Literature, University of Warwick, UK. He has held visiting posts at Harvard, Yale and UCLA and is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature, a Fellow of the British Academy, and Honorary Fellow of St Catherine's College, Cambridge, and a Governor and Board member of the Royal Shakespeare Company. A prominent critic, award-winning biographer and broadcaster, he is the author of several books on Shakespeare, including Soul of the Age. In June 2006 he was awarded a CBE by Her Majesty The Queen for services to higher education.
ERIC RASMUSSEN is Professor of English at the University of Nevada. He is co-editor of the Norton Anthology of English Renaissance Drama and the author of The Shakespeare Thefts. He is the General Textual Editor of the Internet Shakespeare Editions project - one of the most visited Shakespeare websites in the world. Since 1999 he has written the annual review of editions and textual studies for the Shakespeare Survey.
Table of Contents
General Introduction; J.Bate
SHAKESPEARE AND OTHERS: COLLABORATIVE PLAYS
For each play:
Individual introduction by J.Bate
On-page footnote gloss which explains unfamiliar or obsolete words and classical, biblical or contemporary references where WS assumes audience knowledge
'Key Facts' box with: plot summary, major roles, date, linguistic medium, sources, textual notes
Arden of Faversham
Locrine
Edward III
The Spanish Tragedy (with Additions)
Thomas Lord Cromwell
Sir Thomas More
The London Prodigal
A Yorkshire Tragedy
Mucedorus (with Additions)
Double Falsehood; or The Distressed Lovers
Cardenio: The Source
Authorship and Attribution; W. Sharpe
From Script to Stage: Interviews with actors and directors; P. Kirwan