The Arden Shakespeare is a long-running series of scholarly editions of the works of William Shakespeare. It presents fully edited modern-spelling editions of the plays and poems, with lengthy introductions and full commentaries. There have been three distinct series of The Arden Shakespeare over the past century, with the third series commencing in 1995 and concluding in January 2020.[1] The fourth series is scheduled to commence publication in 2026.[2]
Arden was the maiden name of Shakespeare's mother, Mary, but the primary reference of the enterprise's title is to the Forest of Arden, in which Shakespeare's As You Like It is set.[3]
First Series
editThe first series was published by Methuen. Its first publication was Edward Dowden's edition of Hamlet, published in 1899.[4] Over the next 25 years, the entire canon of Shakespeare was edited and published. The original editor of The Arden Shakespeare was William James Craig (1899–1906), succeeded by R. H. Case (1909–1944).[5] The text of The Arden Shakespeare, First series, was based on the 1864 "Globe" or Cambridge edition of Shakespeare's Complete Works, edited by William George Clark and John Glover,[6] as revised in 1891–93.[7]
The list of the first series is as follows:[8]
Second Series
editThe second series began in 1946, with a new group of editors freshly re-editing the plays, and was completed in the 1980s, though the Sonnets never appeared. It was published by Methuen in both hardback and paperback. Later issues of the paperbacks featured cover art by the Brotherhood of Ruralists. The second series was edited by Una Ellis-Fermor (1946–58); Harold F. Brooks (1952–82), Harold Jenkins (1958–82) and Brian Morris (1975–82).[9] Unlike the first series, where each volume was based on the same textual source (The Globe Shakespeare), the individual editors of each volume of the second series were responsible for editing the text of the play in that edition.[10]
Third Series
editThe third series of The Arden Shakespeare began to be edited during the 1980s, with publication starting in the 1995 and concluding in 2020. The general editors for this series were Richard Proudfoot; Ann Thompson of King's College London; David Scott Kastan of Yale University; and H. R. Woudhuysen of the University of Oxford.
The first editions in this series were published by Routledge, before moving to Thomson. They then moved to Cengage Learning. In December 2008, the series returned to Methuen, becoming part of Methuen Drama, its original publisher. From February 2013, the titles appeared under the Bloomsbury imprint.[11]
The editions in the third series were published very much in line with the traditions established by The Arden Shakespeare; however, editions in this series tended to be thicker than those of the first and second series, with more explanatory notes and much longer introductions. One unusual aspect of this series was its edition of Hamlet, which presents the play in two separate volumes. The first, released in 2006, contained an edited text of the Second Quarto (1604–05), with passages found only in the First Folio included in an appendix,[12] while the supplementary second volume, released a year later, contained both the text of the First Quarto (sometimes called the "bad" quarto) of 1603, and of the First Folio of 1623.[13] Other plays with "bad" quartos have them reproduced via photographs of each leaf of a surviving copy rather that deal with each textual anomaly on an individual basis.
Editions
editDue to the long period of time over which the series was published, several editions of the third series were re-issued in revised editions, from 2010 to 2018. Eight editions were reissued in revised form. Some contained minor revisions in later printings, such as Henry V,[14] but are not so noted on the title page. Editions that were revised are marked with the year of revised publication in the 'Year' column.
Title | Year | Editor | Notes |
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King Henry V | 1995 (r. 1997[15]) |
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Contains a complete photo facsimile of Q. |
Antony and Cleopatra | 1995 |
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Titus Andronicus | 1995 (r. 2018) |
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Othello | 1996 (r. 2016) |
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Ayanna Thompson contributed a new introduction to the 2016 revised edition[a]. |
The Two Noble Kinsmen | 1996 (r. 2015) |
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The play is attributed to Shakespeare and John Fletcher on the title page. |
King Lear | 1997 |
|
Contrary to the editors' decision to publish the three versions of Hamlet as three separate texts, Foakes' edition of King Lear is based upon a conflation of the quarto and folio texts of the tragedy, disregarding the practice established by the Oxford Shakespeare of treating them as two separate texts. |
Shakespeare's Sonnets | 1997 (r. 2010) |
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Contains every poetic work included in the original Shakespeare's Sonnets quarto of 1609—that is, 154 sonnets, plus the narrative poem A Lover's Complaint (a work the authorship of which is often disputed). |
Troilus and Cressida | 1998 (r. 2015) |
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Love's Labour's Lost | 1998 |
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Julius Caesar | 1998 |
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King Henry VI Part 2 | 1999 |
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The Merry Wives of Windsor | 1999 |
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Contains a complete photo facsimile of Q. |
The Tempest | 1999 (r. 2011) |
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King Henry VI Part 1 | 2000 |
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King Henry VIII | 2000 |
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The play is attributed to Shakespeare and John Fletcher on the title page. |
King Henry VI Part 3 | 2001 |
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King Richard II | 2002 |
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King Henry IV Part 1 | 2002 |
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The Two Gentlemen of Verona | 2004 |
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Pericles, Prince of Tyre | 2004 |
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The play is attributed to Shakespeare and George Wilkins on the title page. |
Much Ado About Nothing | 2005 (r. 2016) |
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Hamlet | 2006 (r. 2016) |
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Contains the Q2 (1604) text. |
Hamlet: The Texts of 1603 and 1623 | 2007 |
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Contains the Q1 (1603) and FF (1623) text. A supplementary volume to the main edition (above) based on Q2 (1604). |
As You Like It | 2006 |
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Shakespeare's Poems | 2007 |
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Contains Shakespeare's two major narrative poems—Venus and Adonis and The Rape of Lucrece—as well as his metaphysical poem The Phoenix and the Turtle, plus several shorter works attributed to Shakespeare. |
Twelfth Night | 2008 |
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Timon of Athens | 2008 |
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The play is attributed to Shakespeare and Thomas Middleton on the title page. |
King Richard III | 2009 |
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The Taming of the Shrew | 2010 |
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Contains a complete photo facsimile of The Taming of a Shrew. |
The Winter's Tale | 2010 |
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The Merchant of Venice | 2011 |
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Romeo and Juliet | 2012 |
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Coriolanus | 2013 |
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Macbeth | 2015 |
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King Henry IV Part 2 | 2016 |
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The Comedy of Errors | 2016 |
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Cymbeline | 2017 |
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A Midsummer Night's Dream | 2017 |
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King John | 2018 |
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All's Well That Ends Well | 2018 |
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Measure for Measure | 2020[16] |
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Apocrypha
editThe third series was also notable for publishing single-volume editions of certain plays that traditionally form part of the so-called Shakespeare Apocrypha, but for which there is considered good evidence of Shakespeare having at least been co-author. Three apocryphal plays were published in this manner.
- Double Falsehood, edited by Brean Hammond (2010)[b]
- Sir Thomas More, edited by John Jowett (2011)[c]
- King Edward III, edited by Richard Proudfoot and Nicola Bennett (2017)[17]
Fourth Series
editIn March 2015, Bloomsbury Academic named Peter Holland of the University of Notre Dame, Zachary Lesser of the University of Pennsylvania, and Tiffany Stern of the University of Birmingham's Shakespeare Institute as general editors of The Arden Shakespeare fourth series.[18] The fourth series is scheduled to commence publication in 2026 with the following volume editors announced:[19]
Title | Year | Editor | Notes |
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A Midsummer Night's Dream | TBC |
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All's Well That Ends Well | TBC |
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Antony and Cleopatra | TBC |
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As You Like It | TBC |
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Coriolanus | TBC |
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Hamlet | TBC |
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Julius Caesar | TBC |
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Henry IV Part 1 | TBC |
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Henry IV Part 2 | TBC |
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Henry V | TBC |
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Henry VI Part 1 | TBC |
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Henry VI Part 2 | TBC |
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Henry VI Part 3 | TBC |
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Henry VIII | TBC |
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King John | TBC |
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King Lear | TBC |
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Love's Labour's Lost | TBC |
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Macbeth | TBC |
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Measure for Measure | TBC |
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Much Ado About Nothing | TBC |
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Othello | TBC |
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Pericles, Prince of Tyre | TBC |
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Poems | TBC |
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Venus and Adonis and The Rape of Lucrece |
Richard II | TBC |
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Romeo and Juliet | TBC |
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Richard III | TBC |
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Shakespeare's Sonnets | TBC |
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Sir Thomas More | TBC |
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The Merchant of Venice | TBC |
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The Merry Wives of Windsor | TBC |
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The Taming of the Shrew | TBC |
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The Tempest | TBC |
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The Two Gentlemen of Verona | TBC |
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The Two Noble Kinsmen | TBC |
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The Winter's Tale | TBC |
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Timon of Athens | TBC |
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Titus Andronicus | TBC |
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Troilus and Cressida | TBC |
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Twelfth Night | TBC |
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Arden Early Modern Drama
editIn 2009, The Arden Shakespeare launched a companion series, entitled "Arden Early Modern Drama". The series follows the formatting and scholarly style of The Arden Shakespeare third series, but shifts the focus onto other English Renaissance playwrights, primarily the Elizabethan, Jacobean, and Caroline periods (although the plays Everyman and Mankind hail from the reign of King Henry VII).
The general editors for this series are Suzanne Gossett of Loyola University Chicago; John Jowett of the Shakespeare Institute, University of Birmingham; and Gordon McMullan of King's College London.
- The Duchess of Malfi by John Webster, edited by Leah Marcus (2009)
- Everyman and Mankind, edited by Douglas Bruster and Eric Rasmussen (2009)
- Philaster by Francis Beaumont and John Fletcher, edited by Suzanne Gossett (2009)
- The Renegado by Philip Massinger, edited by Michael Neill (2010)
- 'Tis Pity She's a Whore by John Ford, edited by Sonia Massai (2011)
- The Tragedy of Mariam by Elizabeth Cary, edited by Ramona Wray (2012)
- The Island Princess by John Fletcher, edited by Clare McManus (2013)
- The Spanish Tragedy by Thomas Kyd, edited by Clara Calvo and Jesús Tronch (2013)
- A Jovial Crew by Richard Brome, edited by Tiffany Stern (2014)
- The Witch of Edmonton by Thomas Dekker, John Ford and William Rowley, edited by Lucy Munro (2016).
- A Woman Killed with Kindness by Thomas Heywood, edited by Margaret Kidnie (2017).
- The Dutch Courtesan by John Marston, edited by Karen Britland (2018).
- The Revenger's Tragedy by Thomas Middleton, edited by Gretchen Minton (2018).
- The White Devil by John Webster, edited by Benedict S. Robinson (2018).
- The Jew of Malta by Christopher Marlowe, edited by William H. Sherman and Chloe Preedy (2021).
- Arden of Faversham, edited by Catherine Richardson (2022).
- The Alchemist by Ben Jonson, edited by Tanya Pollard (2023).
Complete Works
editArden Shakespeare has also published a Complete Works of Shakespeare, which reprints editions from the second and third series but without the explanatory notes.
Arden Performance Editions
editIn 2017, The Arden Shakespeare launched a new series of Performance Editions of Shakespeare's major plays, aimed specifically for use by actors and directors in the rehearsal room, and drama students in the classroom. Each edition features facing-page notes, short definitions of words, guidance on metre and punctuation, large font for easy reading, and plenty of blank space to write notes. The series editors are Professor Michael Dobson and Dr Abigail Rokison-Woodall and leading Shakespearean actor, Simon Russell Beale. The series is published in association with the Shakespeare Institute.
Critical literature
editThe Arden Shakespeare has also published a number of series of literary and historical criticism to accompany The Arden Shakespeare Third Series and Arden Early Modern Drama imprints.
Notes
edit- ^ Owing to the 2011 death of E. A. J. Honigmann, the original editor, the revision of this edition was undertaken by Ayanna Thompson. This was the only instance in the series where the revising editor was different to the original editor.
- ^ The edition adopts the belief that the play is the only surviving version of Shakespeare and Fletcher's lost tragicomedy Cardenio, revised by Lewis Theobald for eighteenth century audiences.
- ^ This edition identifies Shakespeare as one reviser of a play originally written by Anthony Munday and Henry Chettle, the other revisers supposedly being Chettle, Thomas Dekker, Thomas Heywood, and the unidentified "Hand C".
References
edit- ^ Arden Shakespeare Twitter account. Retrieved January 23, 2020
- ^ "The Arden Shakespeare Fourth Series". Bloomsbury Publishing. August 2024. Retrieved August 22, 2024.
The Arden Shakespeare Fourth Series succeeds the Third Series of Shakespeare's Plays, Poems and Sonnets, publishing from 2026 onwards in print and in digital editions.
- ^ Juliet Dusinberre, introduction to "As You Like It", Arden Shakespeare, Third Edition
- ^ General Editors' Preference, The Tempest, Arden Shakespeare, 3rd Series, 1999
- ^ Copyright page, "The Tempest", edited by Frank Kermode, Arden 2nd Series, 1954
- ^ General Preface, King Lear, The Arden Shakespeare, copyrighted 1917
- ^ General Editor's Preface by Una Ellis-Fermor, dated 1951, as printed in Macbeth, Arden Shakespeare, 2nd Series
- ^ The works of Shakespeare: London, Methuen [1899–1930]. Arden Shakespeare. Stanford University Library. 1899. Retrieved May 4, 2016.
- ^ Copyright page, "Macbeth", edited by Kenneth Muir, Arden 2nd Series, printed 1994
- ^ GenPref2
- ^ See "Coriolanus", Arden Shakespeare, Third Series (published February 2013)
- ^ Preface, "Hamlet", Arden 3rd Series
- ^ "Hamlet, the Texts of 1603 and 1623", Arden Shakespeare, 3rd Series.
- ^ xxi
- ^ Bloomsbury 11th printing (2017) p. xxi
- ^ Bloomsbury Publishing Website. Retrieved January 23, 2020.
- ^ Bloomsbury Publishing Website. Retrieved April 6, 2017.
- ^ Deliyannides, Andrew. "Peter Holland Named General Editor of The Arden Shakespeare", University of Notre Dame, March 3, 2015.
- ^ "The Arden Shakespeare Fourth Series". Bloomsbury Publishing. August 2024. Retrieved August 22, 2024.
External links
editMedia related to Arden Shakespeare at Wikimedia Commons
Works related to Portal:The Arden Shakespeare at Wikisource