The Changeling (Mathew Carey Library of English and American Literature) [Paperback]

Thomas Middleton (Author), William Rowley (Author), Matthew W. Black (Editor)

Book Description

Series: Mathew Carey Library of English and American Literature | Publication Date: June 1, 1966

The Changeling is a powerful psychological tragedy of the moral degeneration of a highborn Spanish girl through a crime prompted by obsessive love. Thomas Middleton was probably responsible for the tragic plot, and William Rowley for the comic subplot concerning the antics of a young rake who contrives to have himself committed to an insane asylum for love of the proprietor's handsome wife.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"This edition of The Changeling presents a spaciously printed, modernized text of the play with a very brief introduction and a minimum of commentary and textual annotation."—Notes and Queries

About the Author

Thomas Middleton (1580-1627) was a prolific and successful English Jacobean playwright and poet. William Rowley (c. 1585-1626) was an English actor and dramatist best known for works written in collaboration with other dramatists of the Elizabethan period, especially Middleton.

Product Details

• Paperback: 144 pages
• Publisher: University of Pennsylvania Press (June 1, 1966)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0812275241
• ISBN-13: 978-0812275247
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.4 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.9 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #5,445,371 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Ah, watch the madness unfold; who is The Changeling?, May 3, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Changeling, Second Edition (New Mermaids) (Paperback)

Madness--how many kinds were there? How many people are changelings in their world? Beatrice, focusing only on what she wants--does she really know what she wants? De Flores, who like many just focuses on himself... As Euripides for the Greeks is close to the modern mind, so are Middleton and Rowley for the Renaissance. You will find that you connect to the pivotal characters like those you know, so well are they drawn. The play itself is striking, and keep an eye on the subplot; note how it underscores the madness with its contrast to the main plot.

The New Mermaids is the best edition I've found! I highly recommend this edition of the play, whether new to Renaissance drama or scholar. The footnotes are exceptional--even my professor was astonished and pleased. They make you understand quite clearly that "nunnery" wasn't the only sexual ambiguity of interest! (And why certain characters react to words we find innocuous.)

It is a tragedy of people oblivious to others... A very good example of Renaissance drama, and one that sticks in your mind.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the best tragedies ever, June 24, 2000

By 

Anne M. Marble "Anne" (MD, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Changeling, Second Edition (New Mermaids) (Paperback)

Anyone who thinks centuries-old tragedies aren't relevant to modern times should read "The Changeling." With a few very minor adjustments, the plot and characters in this play could come right out of a modern crime novel, or even a modern true-crime story.

This is one of those plays where you read because you're more interested about what happens to the bad guy (and the bad gal) than what happens to the good guys. (Alsemero who! ) I envy the performers who get to play DeFlores and Beatrice-Joanna.

A lot of scholarly treatises about the play criticized the humorous subplot, claiming that it had no relevance and no connection to the main plot. My response is, "Hell-o! Is anybody home?" OK, that wasn't a scholarly response, but any scholar who can't see the thematic connection (characters who mask their true natures versus characters in disguise) doesn't deserve a scholarly response.

Anne M. Marble All About Romance

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars MORALITY, MISUNDERSTOOD; PSYCHOLOGY, ITS MOST DISTURBED, January 3, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: The Changeling (Paperback)

Firstly, thanks to Joost Daadler for his stunning introduction to the edition I read of 'The Changeling'. The in-depth analysis of the psychological disturbances and functions that exist within the play (such as the ID and the unconscious dropping of the glove, etc.), help expand 'The Changeling' into a lot more than just (though this would be no bad thing!) a morality play where an orthodox Christian message runs predominant. I have never read a play that reduces the human to the bestial in such an intense and forceful manner, not shying away from the painful and somewhat humiliating view that human kind are more or less governed by their instincts; sexual impulse being one such motivating factor that can rid a human of any intellect ot reason that is supposed to constitute 'humanity' in the first place. This ia must read and not just a moral, didactic play either. It is not condemning sexuality but pleading with us that it must be understood. Overall, it is a tragedy that really challenges its reader into thinking hard about whether certain characters (e.g. Beatrice) can be more sympathised with than maybe one thought upon first reading. Read it!