"Here Enter Murder": Producing a Student-Friendly Edition of the Renaissance Domestic Tragedy "A Warning for Fair Women"
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A Warning for Fair Women' is an anonymous domestic tragedy published in 1599, based on the real-life murder of George Sanders in 1573. The play was performed by Shakespeare's theatre troupe, The King's Men (called The Chamberlain's Men at the time of the performance), and was likely staged at the Globe Theatre. The play has remained relatively obscure, with no modern editions currently in print; available versions are not student-friendly. The play features unique elements such as: References to divination and the occult. A glimpse inside the Renaissance domestic sphere. Several on-stage special effects, such as spontaneously bleeding wounds. An on-stage hanging, a relatively rare element in Renaissance drama at the time of publication. The aim of this endeavor was to create an accessible version of “A Warning for Fair Women” in the hopes that it will be a valuable addition to the study of Renaissance drama.