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Tis Pity Shes a Whore – Book

Published: 2010
 

TIRED OF SHAKESPEARE? PICK UP A ‘WHORE.’
Illustrated Jacobean tragedy pounds the snot out of The Bard

Published in 1633, John Ford’s dark and violent tale of incest and murder has intrigued audiences for centuries. It tells the story of beautiful Italian aristocrat Annabella — admired and desired by every gentleman in the region, including her own brother. Her enamoured sibling, Giovanni, must deal with the competition of quality suitors and the strain of keeping his passion a secret even as it drives him to madness.

Written roughly twenty years after Shakespeare’s death, ‘Tis Pity She’s a Whore abides many of the better-loved conventions of English Renaissance theater while being much easier on the dictionary than The Bard’s own works. The language flows quite naturally, often forsaking iambic pentameter, and tends to be free from the obscure metaphors and flowery descriptions associated with other writings of its day.

This edition contains no glossaries or textual notes to interrupt smooth reading — and frankly, who needs such things? Heaven knows the theater-goers of the last four centuries never paused the actors so as to look up vocabulary terms. Instead, occasional items have been modernized where necessary, as in example the transformation of parmesant cheese to the identical and current-day term, “parmesan.”

As an added bonus, each act contains illustrations featuring its characters and events, including pretty Annabella (drawn as a plump but scintillating blonde), the comical death of Bergetto (a wealthy but idiotic gallant), and the brooding and jealous Giovanni, watching from a distance as his beloved weds another.

The play’s famously grisly climax is hinted upon by the book’s front cover. To learn the details, you’ll need to pick up a copy of ‘Tis Pity She’s a Whore.
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‘Tis Pity She’s a Whore by John Ford with illustrations by Talia Felix is available from the following:

Amazon – Tis Pity She’s a Whore by John Ford

Createspace – https://www.createspace.com/3387799

CONTACT:
Talia.Felix@gmail.com