KING JOHN (OXFORD WORLD S CLASSICS)

Edited by the eminent A.R. Braunmuller, this thorough edition of King John--the first scholarly edition in almost fifteen years--makes a significant contribution to the study of Shakespeare''s works. Braunmuller offers a wide-ranging critical introduction, which focuses on the play''s political relevance in Elizabethan England, its relationship to legal issues of the day, its treatment of women and families, and its overall aesthetic importance in Shakespeare''s early career. He also provides a richly detailed stage history, full annotations that are especially sensitive to the play''s language and staging, and an ample bibliographical study of the Folio (1623) text. The most comprehensive and up-to-date edition of King John currently available, this book is an invaluable resource for Shakespearean scholars, students, and theatergoers alike. History play in five acts by William Shakespeare, produced in 1596-97 and published in the First Folio of 1623 from an authorial fair copy. The title character provides the central focus of the play, which ends with his death. The playwright surrounds him with such characters as the son of Sir Robert Faulconbridge, known as the Bastard, who supports the king and yet mocks all political and moral pretensions. Shakespeare depicts King John on a rapidly changing course, surrounded by many contrasting characters, so that the king''s unsteady mind seems no more than one small element in an almost comic jumble of events. -- The Merriam-Webster Encyclopedia of Literature `The Oxford Shakespeare is an admirably scholarly edition, immaculately presented, offering close attention to possibilities of staging as well as meaning.'' Dr D. Sedge, Exeter University `This edition offers the most substantial and one of the most penetrating discussions of the play to date. A remarkable scholarly achievement.'' Dr Rene J.A. Weis, Department of English, University College, London `a most impressive and illuminating edition'' R. N. Alexander, Queen Mary Westfield, London `The major strength of Professor Braunmuller''s edition is its introduction. He offers a sane review of such difficult questions as the date of the play, and such controversial ones as its relation to ''The Troublesome Reign''. The evidence is marshalled in