The Lover's Melancholy The Broken Heart ; 'Tis Pity She's a Whore ; Perkin Warbeck

Ford wrote darkly about sexual and political passion, thwarted ambition, and incest. This selection also shows his ability to portray the poignancy of love as well as to write entertaining comedy and creat concincing roles for women. His Annabella, Hippolita, Pentea, Calantha, and KatherinrGordon rank among the most dramatically powerful female characters on the post-Shakespearean stage. Setting Ford's earliest surviving independently-written play, The Lover's Melancholy, alongside his three best-known works, this edition includes an introduction with sections on each play addressing gender issues, modern relevance, and staging possibilities. Under the General editorship ofMichael Cordner, of the University of York, the texts of the plays have been newly edited and are presented with modernized spelling and punctuation, supplemented by detailed annotation.