David and Bathsheba: George Peele

David and Bathsheba presents a modernised edition of George Peeles explosive biblical drama about the tangled lives, deadly liaisons, and twisted histories of Ancient Israels royal family. Martins critical edition is the first modern single-volume edition of the play since 1912 and opens up this unduly neglected gem of English Renaissance drama to student and scholar alike. The introduction examines such topics as the plays treatment of its biblical and poetic sources, its engagement with Elizabethan politics, and its forceful representations of religious fanaticism, genocide, and sexual violence. Its commentary notes clarify the texts meaning and staging, guide the reader through the plays dramatisation of the turbulent Davidic period of Ancient Israels history, and place the play in its broader cultural and artistic milieu. Martins edition aims to encourage new contemporary critical study of Peeles powerful and disturbing drama. See more