Titus Andronicus

Titus Andronicus is still regarded by many as a bad play of dubious authorship. Its adversaries have abhorred the violence of the action and the apparent lapses in the quality of the verse. Since 1945, however, the play has been taken increasingly seriously in both the theatre and the study: the violence and cruelty it depicts were disconcertingly matched by the events of two World Wars. Hughes joins those critics who take the play seriously, arguing for its unity of theme and its grim humour, and demonstrates that it is the work of a brilliant stage craftsman, confident in his mastery of space, movement and verse. The text is based on the first quarto, supplemented by crucial additions and stage directions from the Folio. For this updated edition, a new section is included on recent stage, film and critical interpretations by Sue Hall-Smith. An updated reading list completes the edition.

• Updated edition, containing a new introductory section by Sue Hall-Smith which analyses recent critical and stage interpretations • Contains an updated reading list • Popularity of this play greatly enhanced by Juliet Taymor’s film Titus (2000)

List of illustrations; Preface; List of abbreviations and conventions; Introduction: Date; Sources; Authorship; Early stage history; The Longleat manuscript; From the Restoration to the nineteenth century; Twentieth-century performance and criticism; Recent stage, film and critical interpretations by Sue Hall-Smith; Note on the text; List of characters; The Play; Textual analysis; Appendix 1. Titus Andronicus at the Rose; Appendix 2. Performance by a small company; Reading list.

Review of the first edition: \'The great strength of Hughes\'s edition is its attention to the theatrical aspects of the play … his discussion of the play in performance is illuminating.\' Studies in English Literature