Titus Andronicus

Titus Andronicus was among the most popular plays of the Elizabethan stage. Because of its grotesque and extremely gory contents this horror piece has only reluctantly been attributed to the great Bard. In recent times this much maligned play has again aroused the serious attention of reputed editors and critics after a number of modern adaptations (e.g. by Friedrich Dürrenmatt, Hans Hollmann, Heiner Müller, Botho Strauss), brilliant film versions (Jane Howell, 1985, Julie Taymor, 1999) and some sensational and spectacular stage productions.

Since Titus Andronicus is not a historical figure, there have been many debates about the sources for this freely invented story. This edition will, besides offering numerous scholarly insights, also help to disentangle the source history of this play by providing all the extant early texts in their entirety – Shakespeare’s tragedy, the English chapbook, the ballad, and a very early German adaptation of the play, which had been performed by English actors on the continent and was first printed in 1620, three years before the first Folio edition of Shakespeare’s works.

This bilingual edition is ideally suited for serious readers with a keen interest in the intricacies of Shakespeare’s language and his theatrical genius.

More inforamtion at Stauffenburg-Verlag.