JOHN FORD

Menys innocent que les peces de Shakespeare, i al mateix temps molt més actual, aquesta tragèdia presenta el conflicte de l'amor d'una manera del tot moderna, fins al punto que el traactament que For

John Ford is known to have written numerous plays during the reigns of James I (1603-1625) and Charles I (1625-1649), although only eight have survived. Their somewhat morbid and violent character speaks in part to the growing social tensions in the years before the English Revolution of 1640, which would lead to the execution of Charles nine years later."The Broken Heart" (written between 1625 and 1633) is laid in ancient Greece and its complex narrative revolves around Amyclas, king of Sparta, his daughter Calantha and their royal court. Commentators suggest that the court of Charles I might more appropriately be considered the plays real setting.The action begins as Orgilus prepares to depart Sparta for Athens. Hes leaving his home country because he can no longer stand to see Penthea, the woman to whom he was once betrothed, married to the abusive and jealous Bassanes. Orgilus also believes that once he has left, Bassanes irrational behaviour, inspired by the fear that his wife will cheat on him, might abate, giving Penthea, who married her husband, not for love, but at the command of her ambitious brother Ithocles, a more tolerable existence.Orgilus does not, however, leave Sparta, but merely disguises himself as a student of the philosopher Tecnicus, so that he can keep an eye not only on Penthea, but also his sister Euphrania. She falls in love with Ithocles best friend, Prophilus, even as Ithcoles finds himself passionately fixated on Calantha, the daughter of the ailing Spartan King...

"Tis Pity Shes a Whore" is perhaps the most popular and frequently performed play by John Ford, whom many scholars consider the last major dramatist of the English renaissance. The play was first published in 1633 and is a family drama with a plot line of incest. The plays title has often been changed in new productions, sometimes being referred to as simply "Giovanni and Annabella"."Tis Pity Shes a Whore" tells the tale of an incestuous love between Giovanni and his sister Annabella that ends in disaster and death. Set in Parma, Italy, the story takes place against a background of lust, vengeance, and greed that serves as a critique of contemporary culture and morality. The play exhibits an eloquent and glowing sympathy for the lovers, despite the unlawful nature of their union.