Overview
Considered by Thomas de Quincey to be 'perhaps the most superb work in
the language', The Two Noble Kinsmen is set in Athens and was co-written
by Shakespeare with John Fletcher. This Penguin Shakespeare edition is
edited by N. W.
Bawcutt with an introduction by Peter Swaab.
Once, he kissed me. I loved my lips the better ten days after.
When
Theseus, Duke of Athens, learns that the ruler of Thebes has killed
three noble kings he swears to take revenge. But after Athens
triumphs over the rival city, Theseus is struck by the bravery of two
Theban cousins and orders his surgeons to attend to them. Soon, the
cousins' lifelong friendship is threatened, as both become overwhelmed
with love for the duke's beautiful sister.
This book contains a
general introduction to Shakespeare's life and Elizabethan theatre, a
separate introduction to the play, a chronology, suggestions for further
reading, an essay discussing performance options on both stage and
screen, and a commentary.