John Ford's tragedy 'Tis Pity She's A Whore was first performed between 1629 and 1633 and since then its themes of incest, love versus duty and forbidden passion have made it a widely studied and performed, if controversial, play.
This guide offers students an introduction to its critical and performance history, including TV and film adaptations. It includes a keynote chapter outlining major areas of current research on the play and four new critical essays. Finally, a guide to critical, web-based and production-related resources and an annotated bibliography provide a basis for further individual research.

Series Introduction

Timeline of notable events and productions

Introduction, Lisa Hopkins (Sheffield Hallam University, UK)

1. The Critical Backstory, Lisa Hopkins (Sheffield Hallam University, UK)

2. Performance History, Kate Wilkinson (Sheffield Hallam University, UK)

3. The State of the Art - Current Critical Research, Sandra Clark (School of Advanced Study, University of London, UK)
4. New Directions: 'Fatal Attraction: Desire, Anatomy and Death in 'Tis Pity She's a Whore, Catherine Silverstone (Queen Mary, UK)
5. New Directions: Identifying the Real Whore of Parma, Corinne S. Abate (Morristown-Beard School) 
6. New Directions: The Confessional Identities of 'Tis Pity She's a Whore, Gillian Woods (Wadham College, Oxford, UK)
7. New Directions: The Deconstructing 'Tis Pity?: Derrida, Barthes & Ford, Mark Houlahan (University of Waikato, NZ)
8. New Directions: 'Tis Pity She's a Whore and the Space of the Stage, Lisa Hopkins (Sheffield Hallam University, UK)
Resources, Rhonda Lemke Sanford (Fairmont State University, UK)

Notes on Contributors

Index