基本説明
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 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.
Full 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.
Contents
Preface; Abbreviations and conventions; Introduction: 1. Textual provenance: a century of 'bad quartos'; Past thinking about Q1 Romeo and Juliet; The early draft / revision theory; Memorial reporters?; Stage abridgement, not memorial reconstruction?; Evidence of memorial agency; Alternatives to the traditional narrative; A version for the provinces?; Theatrical abridgement; Textual provenance: conclusion; 2. Dramatic specificities: Pace and action; Stage directions; The betrothal scene; Characterization; Inconsistent time references; 3. Publication and printing: The First Quarto in 1597; The First Quarto after 1597; Note on the text; List of characters; THE PLAY; Textual notes; Appendix A. Scene division; Appendix B. Casting and doubling; Appendix C. Bel-védere (1600); Appendix D. Q1 in eighteenth-century editions of Romeo and Juliet; Bibliography.
