Twelfth Night: A Guide to the Text and its Theatrical Life Paul Edmondson What does Twelfth Night look like and sound like in theatre? How have people responded to the play over the last four hundred years? What was it like to see Henry Irving, Ellen Terry, Laurence Olivier, Vivien Leigh and Jane Lapotaire perform in the play? Paul Edmondson's engaging account of Shakespeare' subtle and multi-textured comedy offers a fresh presentation of its theatrical and literary life. The handbook provides a moment-by-moment performance commentary, leading the reader through the text and what may happen on stage. It also includes: * an account of the play in Shakespeare's own time * a survey of four major productions, from 1884 to 2005 * a chapter on film versions * newly translated extracts of Gl 'Ingannati * a survey of the major critical approaches over four hundred years * a digest of Shakespeare's original source material * a section of recommended further reading This book is an inspiring and refreshing resource, as well as an excellent introduction to one of Shakespeare's most popular and complex comedies. Paul Edmondson is Head of Education at the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust and an Honorary Fellow of the Shakespeare Institute, University of Birmingham. He is co-author (with Stanley Wells) of Shakespeare's Sonnets and is a trustee of the Rose Theatre.