'Tis Pity She's a Whore (Paperback)

~ John Ford (Author), Talia Felix (Illustrator)

Editorial Reviews

Review

Five-act tragedy by John Ford, performed sometime between 1629 and 1633 and published in 1633. The story concerns the incestuous love of Giovanni and his sister Annabella. When she is found to be pregnant, she agrees to marry her suitor Soranzo; the lovers' secret is discovered, but Soranzo's plan for revenge is outpaced by Giovanni's murder of Annabella and then Soranzo, and Giovanni himself is murdered by Soranzo's hired killers. The play exhibits an eloquent and glowing sympathy for the lovers, despite the unlawful nature of their union. -- The Merriam-Webster Encyclopedia of Literature --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

"The central situation of ''Tis Pity She''s a Whore is an incestuous love between brother and sister, and it is hardly surprising that critics have differed widely in their interpretation of the exact meaning and significance of the play. . . . All the love affairs in the play end in disaster . . . it would even be possible to read the play as a series of warnings against the destructive effects of passion."-N. W. Bawcutt (N. W. Bawcutt ) --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 138 pages
• Publisher: CreateSpace (June 22, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1448611458
• ISBN-13: 978-1448611454
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.1 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,556,336 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars "Tis a pity alright..", April 29, 2001

By	Stacey (Baltimore, MD USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: 'Tis Pity She's a Whore (Regents Renaissance Drama) (Paperback)

This play is an excellent example of incest in the Renaissance. It's also fairly short and very readable. Bergetto is an interesting character and provides much needed comic relief in this play which is ultimately quite tragic. The title is misleading in many ways, but female sexuality is problematic throughout.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars 'Tis Pity So Few People Know About This Play!, April 6, 2004

By	Melissa Niksic (Chicago, IL United States) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)    (VINE VOICE)

This review is from: 'Tis Pity She's a Whore (Revels Student Editions) (Paperback)

This is a highly emotional and well-written work that explores a very taboo subject matter. The play revolves a case of forbidden love, in this case, Giovanni's incestuous love for his sister Annabella. It's pretty easy to figure out after the first few pages that the play will have a tragic ending, but there are several major surprises that happen along the way, and the final scene is unbelievably violent. I'd love the chance to stage a production of "Tis Pity" one of these days...from a directorial standpoint, the script is filled with many interesting possibilities.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent edition of a great play, January 21, 2008

By	Daniel Gunter (Seattle, WA United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: 'Tis Pity She's a Whore (New Mermaids) (Paperback)

Had there been no Shakespeare, John Ford's play "'Tis Pity She's a Whore" would never have been written--but Shakespeare's tremendous example not only provided part of context of this play, but also obscures it. "'Tis Pity" is not as good as Shakespeare's very best works (the great tragedies and romances). Ford struggles to match Shakespeare's second-best works (e.g., the great comedies such as "As You Like It").

But judging Ford in comparison with Shakespeare is unfair. Perhaps a few score of writers really match Shakespeare: Homer, Sappho, Ovid, Virgil, perhaps Dante. I wouldn't give Shakespeare a five-star rating and give, say, Pope, Keats, or Austen a four-star rating. Nor would I give Ford a three-star rating next to Shakespeare's five-star and Keats' and Austen's four-star ratings.

In the bell curve of literature, Shakespeare and Homer (in my opinion) occupy the vanishingly small right side of the curve. Very few writers match Ford's achievement in "'Tis Pity." The play is powerful, cleanly plotted, and brilliantly written. In particular, Ford does a great job in creating sympathy for all of his major characters, and in particular for the incestuous lovers at the heart of the play. The play suffers only by comparison with Shakespeare and perhaps a handful of other great dramatists.

More important, the New Mermaids edition is very useful. The introduction is thoughtful and thorough; the page layout is clear (especially important with drama); and the footnotes are generally useful. The editor, Wiggins, sometimes elucidates matters that are perfectly clear--but I would rather the editor take that approach than leave me in the dark.

In short, serious students of literature will want to read this play, and the New Mermaids edition provides a well-annotated text using modern English spelling.