Synopsis:

Philaster is a tragicomedy by Beaumont and Fletcher which has much in common with Shakespeare’s late plays such as The Winter’s Tale. Set in a fictionalised Sicily, it has the complex plot of love, disguise and the threat of death much loved by early modern theatre-goers.

This edition provides an authoritative, modernised text by a leading scholar with detailed on-page commentary notes giving readers a deeper understanding of the play.

The comprehensive, illustrated introduction discusses Philaster from a performance perspective as well as its relation to Shakespearean drama, and places it in its historical and critical contexts.