A Midsummer Night's Dream

The second edition of Shakespeare's most popular comedy with an updated introduction and reading list.

William Shakespeare (Author), R. A. Foakes (Edited by)

9780521825405, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 28 April 2003

168 pages, 14 b/w illus.
23.6 x 15.8 x 1.7 cm, 0.396 kg

'… a fine example of judicious editorial writing. Foakes guides the reader securely and fluently through the critical and scholarly disputes that have accumulated around the play. He manages to be informative without being patronizing, and detached with out failing to offer opinions.' The Times Higher Education Supplement

The New Cambridge Shakespeare appeals to students worldwide for its up-to-date scholarship and emphasis on performance. The series features line-by-line commentaries and textual notes on the plays and poems. Introductions are regularly refreshed with accounts of new critical, stage and screen interpretations. This second edition of A Midsummer Night's Dream retains R. A. Foakes' text and has been extensively updated by him. In the Introduction to what is widely acknowledged as Shakespeare's most popular comedy, Foakes describes the two main traditions in the play's stage history, one emphasising charm and innocence, the other stressing darker suggestions of violence and sexuality. He shows that both are necessary to a full understanding of the play. For this edition the editor has added a new account of important theatrical productions and scholarly criticism on the play that have appeared in recent years. The reading list has also been revised and updated.

Introduction, with new section on recent stage and critical interpretations
Note on the text
List of characters
The play
Textual analysis
Appendix: A further note on sources
Reading list.

Subject Areas: Shakespeare studies & criticism [DSGS], Shakespeare plays [DDS]