The Malcontent (RSC Classics) [Paperback]

John Marston (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1, 2003 | ISBN-10: 1854596969 | ISBN-13: 978-1854596963

New RSC Classics series highlights rarely performed Tudor and Jacobean plays.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

George K. Hunter is Professor of English and Renaissance Studies at Yale University.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 128 pages
• Publisher: Nick Hern Books (April 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1854596969
• ISBN-13: 978-1854596963
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.9 x 0.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,769,494 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good Reading - Betrayals and Unexpected Twists, January 23, 2005

By 

Michael Wischmeyer (Houston, Texas) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Malcontent (New Mermaid Series) (Paperback)

In 1601 John Marston, William Shakespeare, Ben Jonson, and George Chapman were described as "the best and chiefest of our modern writers". Today, only English majors are likely to be acquainted with John Marston's works. Even his most popular play, The Malcontent (1604), is seldom encountered.

The Malcontent is often categorized as a revenge play, although it is quite unlike Thomas Kyd's The Spanish Tragedy, Shakespeare's Titus Andronicus, or The Revenger's Tragedy (uncertain authorship). Even though deceit, betrayal, disguises, and attempted murders are essential elements of the plot, The Malcontent lacks the brutality that characterizes other Elizabethan and Jacobean revenge plays. Unexpectedly, as the play develops, Malevole, the disguised Duke of Genoa, shows some willingness to forgive others for their past injustices. The recovery and restoration of character becomes more important than revenge.

The Malcontent makes good reading. Cascading betrayals and unexpected twists maintained my interest throughout all five acts. Unlike many contemporaneous plays, the plot is not complicated by extraneous subplots. The action, although sometimes convoluted, is all tightly connected. All in all, I found the The Malcontent to be easier reading than most Elizabethan and Jacobean plays.

Induction: Act I is preceded by an Induction by John Webster, a six page witty discussion among five of the Globe Theatre actors (including Richard Burbage) regarding the author's intentions and recent modifications to the play itself. Apparently, The Malcontent had been previously staged by a rival theatre, the Children of the Queen's Revels at Blackfriars. While of interest to scholars in unraveling the early history of Marston's play, this induction is not germane to the plot itself.

Staging: In the introduction Bernard Harris, the editor of the New Mermaids edition, describes The Malcontent as "a theatrically ambitious and bewilderingly active play, rich in details of staging." Scenes require attendants, pages, lights, ladies, processions, music, dancing, costumes, jewelry, feasts, and even the devising of a masque.

3.0 out of 5 stars The best version I found, July 4, 2011

By 

Westsider (Santa Monica, CA) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: The Malcontent (New Mermaids) (Paperback)

I needed to read this extremely dated play for work, and found this to be a good edition. Better notes than most of the editions. It's not a great play, and its language is arcane even by classical theater standards, but if you want to read it, go ahead and read this version.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Fun Play!, August 4, 2001

By 

AvalonSilver - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Malcontent (New Mermaid Series) (Paperback)

Malevole, the title character of Marston's masterpiece, has good reason to be a malcontent: he is the disguised, deposed rightful ruler of Genoa. The play is a collection of intrigues, questions as to who knows what about whom, and disguises. It is a great joy to read and one of my favorite pieces of Renaissance literature.

The New Mermaid edition is very nice, with a good introduction, but the language has been modernized more than in most editions.