The Two Noble Kinsmen (Oxford Shakespeare) (Hardcover)

by William Shakespeare (Author), Eugene M. Waith (Editor), John Fletcher (Contributor) "LIST OF ROLES Not in Q..." (more)
Key Phrases: third queen, mild oath, The Two Noble Kinsmen, List of Roles, First Queen (more...)

Editorial Reviews

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...the Malone Society continues to espouse hardcore bibliography...immaculate detail of compositorial analysis. The volume provides wonderful grist: now the critical mill can begin to turn. Emma Smith, TLS --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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Praise for The Oxford Shakespeare: "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
"Sets a very high standard in the preciseness and thoroughness of its commentaries."--Times Higher Education Supplement
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"Will certainly have to be reckoned with whenever one is choosing an edition to recommend for study."--English


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Product Details

• Hardcover: 248 pages
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA (September 28, 1989)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0198129394
• ISBN-13: 978-0198129394
• Product Dimensions: 8.7 x 5.9 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #7,371,090 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A very good critical edition of a neglected play, July 12, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: The Two Noble Kinsmen (Arden Shakespeare: Third) (Paperback)

This volume, part of the third series of the Arden Shakespeare, is long overdue, since good critical editions of "Two Noble Kinsmen" have been scarce compared with other Shakespeare plays (perhaps because of its joint authorship with John Fletcher). Lois Potter does a splendid job of giving a well-edited text, with thorough notation of emendations of the First Quarto of 1634, and offering an informative introduction detailing the theatrical and critical fortunes of this work.

12 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The only recording and fortunately a good one from Arkangel, January 14, 2000

By	F. Behrens "Frank Behrens" (Keene, NH USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

This review is from: The Two Noble Kinsmen (Arkangel Complete Shakespeare Series) (Audio Cassette)

The Arkangel Shakespeare series being issued by Penguin Audio is now halfway through the plays and the surprise is that <The Two Noble Kinsmen> was given preference to the remaining more familiar works. Co-authored by Shakespeare and Fletcher, this play remains an odd man out for several reasons. Based fairly closely on the "Knight's Tale" from Chaucer's "Canterbury Tales," it tells of two cousins, who just after swearing eternal friendship in one of Duke Theseus' prisons immediately fall in love with the same woman, Emilia, and become bitter rivals for her affections. One of them, Arcite, is exiled but returns in disguise; the other, Palamon, escapes with the help of the Jailer's Daughter, who goes mad for love of him; and...well, see for yourself. Of the play's 23 scenes, 7 and part of an 8th are attributed to Shakespeare, a 9th doubtfully so, and the rest to John Fletcher, who was probably handed over to Shakespeare to learn the ropes as it were. The Shakespeare parts are easy to spot: they are nearly impossible to understand without a heavily annotated copy of the text open before you! Even more so than in his late plays like "Cymberline" and "Winter's Tale," the syntax is so complex, the thoughts so condensed, that one might (and has) compared his writing with the late Beethoven String Quartets. As one of the scholars quoted in the excellent Signet Classic paperback edition of this play comments, the play is most unShakespearean in that none of the characters change over the course of the play. And I should add the subplot of the Daughter's madness is never integrated into the main plot. One scene, in fact, is devoted entirely to the description of some minor characters and might have been influenced by a similar and much longer sequence in "Seven Against Thebes." In short, do not play this for a casual listen; but be prepared to be challenged. Look especially for echoes of the earlier all-Shakespearean plays. The nuptials of Theseus and Hippolyta recall the opening scenes of "A Midsummer Night's Dream," the main plot that of "Two Gentlemen of Verona," the Daughter's madness of Ophelia, and so on. As for the actual recording, it would be difficult to better it! The voices of the two kinsmen (Johnathan Firth and Nigel Cooke) are easily distinguishable, Theseus (Geoffrey Whitehead) sounds advanced in years and noble, Emila (Helen Schlesinger) mature and alert, Hippolyta (Adjoa Andoh) vocally of African origins as perhaps befits the character, and all the rest as understandable as the text allows and "into" their roles. Thank you, Penguin, for this noble entry in a series that is getting better and better.

10 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars an unsung masterpiece, July 3, 2001

By	King Tycho (Kirkland, WA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Two Noble Kinsmen (3rd Series) (Hardcover)

I will be the first to admit this is not the "best" or the "greatest" play written by the bard, but it is still very worthy of his name, and incredibly beautiful! Kinsmen is a romance in the style of Shakespeare's other late plays, Pericles, Cymbeline, The Winter's Tale, and The Tempest (my favorite). In many ways it reflects his earlier works, namely A Midsummer Night's Dream, Hamlet, and The Tempest. It tells a wonderfully romantic story of two good friends who fall for the same girl (I know, sounds familiar, but trust me, it's a different take on the setup) in Athens. The poetry in it is lovely, the characters very well developed, and the plot is incredible. Many people haven't heard of this play as Shakespeare cowrote it with Fletcher, but belive me, it is still wonderful. Highly recomended.