The Works of John Marston, Volume 1 is a collection of John Marston’s plays, showcasing his talents as a playwright during the Elizabethan and Jacobean eras. The first volume includes several of Marston’s most well-known works, including The Malcontent, Antonio and Mellida, and The Insatiate Countess. Marston's writing is characterized by its complex characterizations, sharp wit, and satirical approach to contemporary society and politics.In The Malcontent, Marston presents a dark comedy r...

The Works of John Marston, Volume 2 continues to showcase the breadth and complexity of Marston’s dramatic output during the late 16th and early 17th centuries. This volume includes additional plays and poetry, such as What You Will, The Fawn, and The Dutch Courtesan, highlighting Marston’s unique style of dark comedy, social satire, and intricate character development.In What You Will, Marston explores themes of mistaken identity and the tension between appearance and reality, typical of ...

The Elizabethan and Jacobean era are known for many things, but they would be incomplete without the works of John Marston; English playwright, poet and brilliant satirist.Known for his vigorous, obscure, and controversial works, Marston began his literary career in 1598 with an erotic poem titled, "The Metamorphosis of Pigmalions Image and Certaine Satyres." Marston's works were often so controversial or "problematic" that "The Scourge," one of his satires, was burnt by the Archbi...

This innovative collaborative work—the first to focus on Buddhist tourism—explores how Buddhists, government organizations, business corporations, and individuals in Asia participate in re-imaginings of Buddhism through tourism. Contributors from religious studies, anthropology, and art history examine sacred places and religious monuments as they have been shaped and reshaped by socioeconomic and cultural trends in the region.Following an introduction that offers the first theoret...

A student edition of Marston's classic playThe Malcontent is a tragicomedy deriving from the tradition of the revenge play. The verbal ingenuity of Malevole, the "malcontent", and the extravagance of the drama, push the relentlessness of intrigue to its logical conclusion, exposing the basically comic aspect of the genre. The conventional function of the climactic masque is inverted, leading to the essential resolution of the comedy.This edition comes with full commentary an...

This collaborative masterpiece of hilarious city comedy was performedby the Children of the Revels at the Blackfriars playhouse in 1605. Thestory is of an allegorical simplicity that lends itself to satire ofcivic mores and traditions as well as to parody of the sentimental,idealising London comedy presented at the amphitheatres in the suburbs:Goldsmith Touchstone, an upright London citizen, has one modest and oneambitious daughter, one righteous a...

"This Malevole is one of the most prodigious affections that ever conversed with nature: a man, or rather a monster, more discontent than Lucifer."The Malcontent is a striking example of the new satiric tone and moral seriousness in English comedy of the early 1600s. The play's vision of a fallen humanity driven by lust and ambition is created partly by its depiction of Machiavellian intrigue in the court of Genoa, and partly by the disaffected Malevole, the malcontent of ...

The Dutch Courtesan is a riotous tragicomedy that explores the delights and perils afforded by Jacobean London. While Freevill, an educated young Englishman and the play's nominal hero, frolics in the city's streets, taverns and brothels, Franceschina, his cast-off mistress and the Dutch courtesan of the play's title,laments his betrayal and plots revenge. Juxtaposing Franceschina's vulnerable financial position against the unappealing marital prospects available to gentry women, ...

This book introduces contemporary Buddhists from across Asia and from various walks of life. Eschewing traditional hagiographies, the editors have collected sixty-six profiles of individuals who would be excluded from most Buddhist histories and ethnographies. In addition to monks and nuns, readers will encounter artists, psychologists, social workers, part-time priests, healers, and librarians as well as charlatans, hucksters, profiteers, and rabble-rousers—all whose lives reflect changes...

Although it was written shortly before or after Queen Elizabeth's deathin 1603 and performed by the boy company at Blackfriars, this playforeshadows the light ladies and callous gallants of Restorationcomedy. Passion is a scourge, love is humiliation, and friends might aswell be enemies. Freevill discards his concubine Franceschina and, fora joke, sets his straight-laced friend Malheureux on to her, who fallsfor her and promises to carry out her re...

As the Elizabethan era gave way to the reign of James I, England grappled with corruption within the royal court and widespread religious anxiety. Dramatists responded with morally complex plays of dark wit and violent spectacle, exploring the nature of death, the abuse of power and vigilante justice. In Kyd's The Spanish Tragedy a father failed by the Spanish court seeks his own bloody retribution for his son's murder. Shakespeare's 1603 version of Hamlet creates an aven...

Immerse yourself in the intricate world of Marcel Proust's The Captive, a masterful exploration of obsession and desire. Set in the backdrop of early 20th-century Paris, this novel delves deep into the complexities of love and possession.As Proust's narrative unfolds, discover a tale where emotional entanglements and psychological depth intertwine. The story meticulously examines the nuances of captivity—both literal and metaphorical—creating a rich tapestr...