James R. Siemon – författare

Richard III is one of the great Shakespearean characters and roles.James R Siemon examines the attraction of this villain to audiences andfocuses on how beguiling, even funny, he can be, especially in theearlier parts of the play. Siemon also places King Richard III inits historical context; as Elizabeth I had no heirs the issue ofsuccession was a very real one for Shakespeare''s audience. Theintroduction is well-illustrated and provides a comprehensive accountof the play and of critical approaches to it.

The edition also provides a clear and authoritativeplaytext, edited to the most rigorous standards of scholarship, withdetailed notes and commentary on the same page.

With a wealth of helpful and incisive commentary the ArdenShakespeare is the finest edition of Shakespeare you can find, giving adeeper understanding and appreciation of his work.

''Tell me worldlings, underneath the sun, If greater falsehood ever has been done''

The Jew of Malta, written around 1590, can present achallenge for modern audiences. Hugely popular in its day, the playswings wildly and rapidly in genre, from pointed satire, to bloodyrevenge tragedy, to melodrmatic intrigue, to dark farce and grotesquecomedy. Although set in the Mediterranean island of Malta, the playevokes contemporary Elizabethan social tensions, especially the highlycharged issue of London''s much-resented community of resident merchantforeigners. Barabas, the enormously wealthy Jew of the play''s title,appears initially victimized by Malta''s Christian Governor, who quotesscripture to support the demand that Jews cede their wealth to payMalta''s tribute to the Turks. When he protests, Barabas is deprived ofhis wealth, his means of livelihood, and his house, which is convertedto a nunnery. In response to this hypocritical extortion, Barabaslaunches a horrific (and sometimes hilarious) course of violence thatgoes well beyond revenge, using murderous tactics that includeeverything from deadly soup to poisoned flowers. The play''s sometimescomplex treatment of anti-Semitism and its relationship toShakespeare''s Merchant of Venice remain matters of continuing scholarly reflection.

This student edition contains a lengthy Introduction with backgroundon the author, date and sources, theme, critical interpretation andstage history, as well as a fully annotated version of the playtext inmodern spelling.

James R. Siemon is Professor of English at Boston University.

''Tell me worldlings, underneath the sun, If greater falsehood ever has been done''

The Jew of Malta, written around 1590, can present achallenge for modern audiences. Hugely popular in its day, the playswings wildly and rapidly in genre, from pointed satire, to bloodyrevenge tragedy, to melodrmatic intrigue, to dark farce and grotesquecomedy. Although set in the Mediterranean island of Malta, the playevokes contemporary Elizabethan social tensions, especially the highlycharged issue of London''s much-resented community of resident merchantforeigners. Barabas, the enormously wealthy Jew of the play''s title,appears initially victimized by Malta''s Christian Governor, who quotesscripture to support the demand that Jews cede their wealth to payMalta''s tribute to the Turks. When he protests, Barabas is deprived ofhis wealth, his means of livelihood, and his house, which is convertedto a nunnery. In response to this hypocritical extortion, Barabaslaunches a horrific (and sometimes hilarious) course of violence thatgoes well beyond revenge, using murderous tactics that includeeverything from deadly soup to poisoned flowers. The play''s sometimescomplex treatment of anti-Semitism and its relationship toShakespeare''s Merchant of Venice remain matters of continuing scholarly reflection.

This student edition contains a lengthy Introduction with backgroundon the author, date and sources, theme, critical interpretation andstage history, as well as a fully annotated version of the playtext inmodern spelling.

James R. Siemon is Professor of English at Boston University.