Love's Sacrifice

Book excerpt: A. T. Moore's thorough commentary on "Love's Sacrifice" is designed to be of use to all kinds of readers, from students of Early Modern drama to specialists in the field. The notes provide full explanations of obscure words and phrases, and offer analyzes of many aspects of staging and interpretation. The text for this edition is based on a fresh study of the quarto of 1633, the only authoritative early text. In his introduction to the play, Moore reappraises the evidence for the play's date of composition. He also looks at the circumstances of the play's genesis, presenting detailed discussions of both the theater where "Love's Sacrifice" was first performed and the acting company for which it was written. Arguing that Ford's adaptation of his source materials is the key to interpreting this remarkably allusive play, Moore provides a wealth of new information about Ford's sources.The introduction also includes a survey of critical responses, an overview of the play, stage history, and a bibliography of relevant secondary material. This new volume in the "Revels Plays" series is the most detailed and comprehensive edition of "Love's Sacrifice" ever published - and the first modern-spelling edition of Ford's tragedy in more than a century. The play's textual history is discussed in an appendix. A second appendix examines possible links between "Love's Sacrifice" and the real-life story of the murdered Italian prince and musician Carlo Gesualdo.