Five Plays
by Thomas Middleton
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Thomas Middleton (1580-1627) was one of the most prolific and fascinating playwrights of the Jacobean era, producing nearly fifty theatrical pieces in a quarter of a century. This collection comprises five of his most powerful plays, from the comedies satirizing city life, A Trick to Catch the Old One, and A Chaste Maid in Cheapside, to his later tragedies Women Beware Women and The Changeling, in which Middleton reveals a world dominated by the corrupting power of lust and subject to the show more futility of human pretensions. Also included is The Revenger's Tragedy, originally ascribed to Cyril Tourneur, a Revenge Play infused with sardonic wit and biting irony. show lessTags
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This volume contains A Trick to Catch the Old One, The Revenger's Tragedy, A Chaste Maid in Cheapside, Women Beware Women, and The Changeling. (It doesn't contain A Game at Chess, but other than that, it's like a Best of Middleton.)
This is Jacobean drama at it's finest- sex, violence, romance, and intrigue.
A Trick to Catch the Old One and A Chaste Maid in Cheapside are Middleton's city comedies. They are a window into life in Jacobean London.
The Revenger's Tragedy, Women Beware Women, and The Changeling are tragedies, and some of the scenes are quite disturbing.
This is Jacobean drama at it's finest- sex, violence, romance, and intrigue.
A Trick to Catch the Old One and A Chaste Maid in Cheapside are Middleton's city comedies. They are a window into life in Jacobean London.
The Revenger's Tragedy, Women Beware Women, and The Changeling are tragedies, and some of the scenes are quite disturbing.
Thomas Middleton was one of the most prolific playwrights of the Jacobean era. This collection comprises five of his powerful plays, from the comedies satirizing city life, 'A Trick to Catch the Old One', and 'A Chaste Maid in Cheapside', to his later tragedies 'Women Beware Women' and 'The Changeling'. Also included is 'The Revenger's Tragedy'.
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69+ Works 4,755 Members
Thomas Middleton, 1580-1627 Middleton wrote in a wide variety of genres and styles, and was a thoroughly professional dramatist. His comedies were generally based on London life but seen through the perspective of Roman comedy, especially those of Plautus. Middleton is a masterful constructor of plots. "A Chaste Maid in Cheapside" (1630) is show more typical of Middleton's interests. It is biting and satirical in tone: the crassness of the willing cuckold Allwit is almost frightening. Middleton was very preoccupied with sexual themes, especially in his tragedies, "The Changeling" (1622), written with William Rowley, and "Women Beware Women" (1621). The portraits of women in these plays are remarkable. Both Beatrice-Joanna in "The Changeling" and Bianca in "Women Beware Women" move swiftly from innocence to corruption, and Livia in "Women Beware Women" is noteworthy as a feminine Machiavelli and manipulator. In his psychological realism and his powerful vision of evil, Middleton resembles Shakespeare. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
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- Canonical title
- Five Plays
- Original publication date
- 1605 (A Trick to Catch the Old One) (A Trick to Catch the Old One); 1606 (The Revenger's Tragedy) (The Revenger's Tragedy); 1613 (A Chaste Maid in Cheapside) (A Chaste Maid in Cheapside); 1621 (Women Beware Women) (Women Beware Women); 1622 (The Changeling) (The Changeling)
- Dedication
- For Alexis, Angus, Anna, Tess and Will [editors' dedication]
- First words
- All's gone!
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- 209
- Popularity
- 155,825
- Reviews
- 2
- Rating
- (3.63)
- Languages
- English
- Media
- Paper, Ebook
- ISBNs
- 2
- ASINs
- 1
