King Henry V: Third Series

Provides the text of the play from different sources to show the variations between earlier versions, with footnotes, a genealogical table, and notes on how the work can be performed with fewer actors.

Distinguished editor T.W. Craik makes an independent and balanced examination of the many textual problems of Henry V, providing many new emendations. He begins his illustrated introduction with a commentary on the date and sources of the play, before taking up the problem of the Quarto and Folio texts; in Craik's view, the Quarto texts are evolving and incomplete versions of the play, with the First Folio best representing what was written by Shakespeare himself and performed to the public. Following his own substantial critical analysis King Henry V, the editor surveys other critical approaches to the play and lays out its performance history. Preceding the play itself is an explanation of Craik's text, with more analysis of the Quarto and Folio versions shedding light on the arduous process of compiling an edition of Shakespeare. Five appendices follow the play: The First Quarto of 1600, a map of France and the south of England, a map of the route of Henry V's army from 13 August to 17 November 1415, a genealogical table, and a doubling chart. The edition also includes a list of abbreviations used for reference.