Shakespeare Adaptations from the Restoration : Five Plays

Between 1660 and 1682, seventeen of Shakespeare's plays were altered for the new Restoration stages and times. "Shakespeare Adaptations from the Restoration: Five Plays" now publishes five of these plays for the first time in a critical edition.

The Introduction begins with an account of the events that led from civil war to the Restoration, the nature of Restoration stages, and the fate of Shakespeare on them, and is designed for those less familiar with these topics.

This is followed by a critical account of the plays, setting each in the context of contemporary political events, and (with the notes) offering suggestions about staging.

With the texts the broad editorial intention has been to present clear and consistent versions in which spelling and punctuation, as well as contemporary printing conventions, have been interfered with as little as possible.

The Endnotes gloss unfamiliar words, phrases, and references, and include a brief account of the plays' source materials, critical history, and stage history.

Barbara A. Murray is a senior lecturer at St. Andrews in Scotland.