The First Quarto of Romeo and Juliet
By: edited by Lukas Erne
Contributors: Erne, Lukas
Series: The New Cambridge Shakespeare
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Published: 2007
Place of publication: Cambridge, UK; New York
Language: eng
Format: Hardcover
Number of pages: 192
ISBN-13: 9780521821216
Copyright date: 2007
Subjects: Shakespeare, William, -- 1564-1616; Romeo (Fictitious character) -- Drama; Juliet (Fictitious character) -- Drama; Conflict of generations -- Drama; Vendetta -- Drama; Youth -- Drama; Verona (Italy) -- Drama
Genres: Drama
Work titles: Romeo and Juliet
Description: Two different versions of Romeo and Juliet were published during Shakespeare's lifetime: the second quarto of 1599, on which modern editions are usually based, and the first quarto of 1597. The latter version was long denigrated as a 'bad' quarto', but recent scholarship sees in it a crucial witness for the theatrical practices of Shakespeare and his company. The shorter of the two versions by about one quarter, the first quarto has high-paced action, fuller stage directions than the second quarto, and fascinating alternatives to the famous speeches in the longer version. The introduction to this edition provides a full discussion of the origins of the first quarto, before analysing its distinguishing features and presenting a concise history of the 1597 version. The text is provided with a full collation and commentary which alert the reader to crucial differences between the first and the second quartos.

• Includes a detailed introduction with discussion of the first quarto's origins, history and distinctive features • Full edition of the first quarto of Romeo and Juliet • Throws light on the importance of this long-neglected early version of Shakespeare's famous play
Source: http://www.cambridge.org/catalogue/catalogue.asp?isbn=9780521821216
Notes: With introduction and commentary

Includes bibliographical references
Table of contents: title: List of illustrations	page ix; title: Preface	xi; title: List of abbreviations and conventions	xii; title: Introduction	1; title: Textual provenance	5; title: A century of ‘bad quartos’	5; title: Past thinking about Q1 Romeo and Juliet	7; title: The early draft/revision theory	9; title: Memorial reporters?	13; title: Stage abridgement, not memorial reconstruction?	15; title: Evidence of memorial agency	17; title: Alternatives to the traditional narrative	18; title: A version for the provinces?	20; title: Theatrical abridgement	22; title: Textual provenance: conclusion	24; title: Dramatic specificities	25; title: Pace and action	25; title: Stage directions	27; title: The betrothal scene	29; title: Characterisation	30; title: Inconsistent time references	34; title: Publication and printing	35; title: The first quarto in 1597	35; title: The first quarto after 1597	41; title: Note on the text	45; title: List of characters	47; title: THE PLAY	49; title: Appendix A. Scene division	157; title: Appendix B. Casting and doubling	159; title: Appendix C. Bel-vedére (1600)	166; title: Appendix D. Q1 in eighteenth-century editions of Romeo and Juliet	168; title: Reading list