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Arden of Faversham

Series: New Mermaids
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Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
Arden of Faversham is a gripping domestic tragedy based on a true story from 1551. It centres on the murder of Thomas Arden, a landlord in Faversham, Kent, who is killed in his own home. The plot reveals the dark motives behind the crime, driven by his wife Alice's desire for social advancement through her affair with the ambitious Mosby. The play explores themes of sexual lust and material greed with psychological depth and balanced characterisation, making it a standout among Elizabethan domestic tragedies.
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Format: Paperback / softback
$2899
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Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

This play will appeal to those interested in Elizabethan drama, crime and psychological thrillers, as well as readers who enjoy historical stories of passion and betrayal.

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This revised edition of Arden of Faversham contains a completely
re-written Introduction that brings the text up to date with the latest
performance history, criticism and research and fresh insight into the
context in which the play was written.

Accessible, easy to use and with a focus on performance, New Mermaidsbring the finest classic drama texts alive for the actor, student andtheatre-goer alikeEdited to the highest bibliographical and textual standards with detailed notes to the textFull Introduction provides a critical account of the play, staging conventions and recent stage history

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

This lamentable and true tragedy, as it is announced on its title page, dramatises a domestic murder of the sort that nowadays scandalises and thrills the readers of tabloid newspapers.

Although the title advertises the great malice and dissimulation of a wicked woman and her unsatiable desire of filthie lust, the unknown playwright with great dramatic skill and psychological insight manages to balance the motivations of all the main characters.

Thomas Arden, one of the rapacious landlords so reviled in mid-Elizabethan social drama, was murdered at his own house in Faversham, Kent, in 1551. His murderers, it turned out, had been hired by his wife Alice, thrall to Mosby, who hoped to rise socially by marrying a rich widow.

As the introduction to this edition shows, sexual and material covetousness is the central theme running through the play, which is commonly rated unquestionably the best of all Elizabethan domestic tragedies.

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Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9780713677652

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 31 August 2007

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: Methuen Drama

Edition: 2nd Revised edition

Contributors:

  • Edited by Martin White
  • Edited by Tom Lockwood
  • Volume editor Martin White
  • Introduction by Tom Lockwood

Audience: General / adult, Tertiary education

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 10.0mm

Width: 130.0mm

Height: 196.0mm

Weight: 156g

Pages: 160

Collections

Arts & Culture Non-Fiction Series: New Mermaids

About the Author

Dr Tom Lockwood, Lecturer in English at the University of Birmingham.His article The Sheridans at Work' was awarded The Review of English Studies Essay Prize and his book Ben Jonson in the Romantic Age is published by Oxford University Press.

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