The Two Noble Kinsmen (World's Classics) [Paperback]

William Shakespeare (Author), Eugene M. Waith (Editor), John Fletcher (Contributor)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 3, 1989 | Series: World's Classics

Based on Chaucer's Knight's Tale, The Two Noble Kinsmen was written at the end of Shakespeare's career, as a collaboration with the rising young dramatist John Fletcher. Neglected until recently by directors and teachers, the play deserves to be better known for its moving dramatization of the conflict of love and friendship. This new edition, compiled by distinguished scholar Eugene M. Waith, offers helpful new material on the play's authenticity as a work of Shakespeare, his collaboration with Fletcher, the relevance to the play of the contemporary ideals of chivalry and friendship, and its limited but increasing stage history. Based on the Quarto of 1634, Waith's edition also sets out to clarify the stage directions, address problems of mislineation, and provide useful guides to unfamiliar words, stage business, allusions, and textual problems.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"An exemplary text, superbly edited with a most helpful introduction. The authorship question is excellently treated."--Margaret Loftus Ranald, Queens College, CUNY

"[An] excellent edition...This sturdily bound book is an extremely usable edition of a too little known play. All serious academic libraries will wish to have it."--Choice

Praise for the Oxford Shakespeare: "Every library supporting the study of Shakespeare on any level must have the new Oxford Shakespeare."--Choice

"The Oxford Shakespeare has followed the example of the New Ardens in printing collations and notes at the foot of each page rather than in appendices. Oxford, however, has improved upon the Ardens in the matter of typography and provides the most attractive and easiest to use single-play editions of Shakespeare currently available."--The Shakespeare Bulletin

"Beautifully printed and easy to handle, each volume provides legible and useful footnotes, along with an introduction by an eminent scholar."--New York Times Book Review

"Not simply a better text but a new conception of Shakespeare. This is a major achievement of twentieth-century scholarship."--Times Literary Supplement

"Easy reading...first-class 20th century footnotes...and lots of relevant scholarship for practical stage usage. Congratulations."--Joseph Papp

"The very best texts of Shakespeare's plays."--Biblioth((e'))que d'Humanisme et Renaissance

About the Author

Eugene M. Waith is at Yale University. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA (August 3, 1989)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0192814982
• ISBN-13: 978-0192814982
• Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #6,808,763 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A gem of a play "Written by the memorable Worthies of their time", September 21, 2007

By 

Stephen Pletko "Uncle Stevie" (London, Ontario, Canada) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: The Two Noble Kinsmen (Oxford World's Classics) (Paperback)

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"If this play do not keep

A little dull time from us, we perceive

Our losses fall so thick we must needs leave [that is, give up acting]."

The above is the last sentence found in the prologue of this extraordinary play (written and first performed circa 1613), rarely performed on stage. For centuries it has been the victim of constant speculation about its authorship. It was initially thought that this play was the result of a collaboration between dramatist Francis Beaumont (1584 to 1616) and playwright John Fletcher (1579 to 1625). However, it was much later recognized that it was actually the result of a collaboration between William Shakespeare (1564 to 1616) and Fletcher. (Fletcher also collaborated with Shakespeare on the play "Henry VIII" and the lost play "Cardenio.")

If you were to classify this play using the traditional classification scheme, it's a comedy. However, after reading it, I found that it's actually a "romantic tragicomedy." The plot is primarily based on Geoffrey Chaucer's (1343 to 1400) "The Knight's Tale" (the first tale in Chaucer's "The Canterbury Tales").

Briefly, two kinsmen and warriors, men of deep personal honor, are taken prisoner of war. From their prison window they see walking in a garden a beautiful and an astonishing women whom they both fall in love with. The play traces the tragic consequences of this moment and the destruction of their sacred friendship. Also, the subplot presents the story of the poor jailer's daughter who is driven mad by her infatuation with one of the kinsmen.

This play consists of 23 scenes with a brief prologue and an even briefer epilogue. It is thought that the five scenes of act one and the four scenes of act 5 (excluding scene 2) as well as some lines in other scenes were written by Shakespeare with the rest being written by Fletcher. Crunching the numbers, I found that about 40% of the play is due to Shakespeare and 60% is due to Fletcher. No doubt in the future these percentages will change.

What I found fascinating about this play is that it has strong elements of Shakespearean plays written before it. Especially prominent were elements of both "Hamlet" and "A Midsummer Night's Dream."

As well, you will notice the difference in writing styles between Shakespeare and Fletcher. The reader will see that Shakespeare was a "supreme" writer while Fletcher was a writer "at least major in his time."

The Oxford World's Classics edition of this play (published by Oxford University Press in 2002) has illustrations along with an excellent, helpful introduction. It even has an index!

Finally, after reading this play, I recommend listening to the audio compact disc by Arkangel Shakespeare that was published by The Audio Partners in 2006. It gives an effective and balanced performance. It may be the first unabridged audio recording of this play of its kind!!

In conclusion, the first sentence of this play's epilogue states:

"I would now ask ye how ye like the play?"

I liked it!! I speculate that any potential reader will like it also.

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1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars awful, awful, awful, July 25, 2008

By 

M. B. Miller - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Two Noble Kinsmen (Oxford World's Classics) (Paperback)

Opening scene: two guys are pledging their eternal, lifelong, best friends forever friendship when, without taking a breath, they look out a window, see a beautiful young woman and are immediately ready to fight to the death to possess her! Egads!

I agree that one can "hear" Shakespeare's voice in places in this play and those parts are a relief from the rest. However, this (and Chaucer's The Kinight's Tale) are the silliest, most stultifying, absolutely awfulest pieces of literature I have read. I am a Shakespeare groupie and I have read all the plays, many of them multiple times. It took me a long time to find The Two Noble Kinsmen because it was not part of most of the American Shakespearean collections.

If you are deciding between this play and any other, buy the other! Having said this, I would like to find some of the other maybe plays. They may be awful, but they are instructive.

Even Henry VIII has the excuse of "special effects" -- the costumes.

I'll get off my soapbox now. :)