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Title page of the first quarto (1596)

Edward III is an Elizabethan play often attributed to William Shakespeare. It was first printed anonymously in 1596. However, since the eighteenth century, the possibility that all or part of it is the work of Shakespeare has been debated.

In 1596, Edward III was published anonymously (although this was not uncommon in the 1590s). The principal arguments against Shakespeare's authorship include the facts that John Heminges and Henry Condell did not include the play when they compiled the First Folio of Shakespeare's plays in 1623, nor is it mentioned in Francis Meres' Palladis Tamia (1598), a work that lists most of Shakespeare's early plays. Also, many critics view the play as not worthy of Shakespeare's writing ability. Despite this, many critics have seen some passages as having a Shakespearean ring to them. In 1760, noted Shakespearean editor Edward Capell included the play in his Prolusions; or, Select Pieces of Ancient Poetry, Compil'd with great Care from their several Originals, and Offer'd to the Publicke as Specimens of the Integrity that should be Found in the Editions of worthy Authors, and concluded that it had been written by Shakespeare. However, Capell's conclusion was not embraced by scholars.

In recent years, professional Shakespeare scholars have increasingly reviewed the work with a new eye, and have concluded that some passages are as sophisticated as any of Shakespeare's early histories, especially King John and the Henry VI plays. In addition, passages in the play are direct quotes from Shakespeare's sonnets. Stylistic analysis has also produced evidence that at least some scenes were written by Shakespeare^[1]. In the Textual Companion to the Oxford Complete Works of Shakespeare, Gary Taylor states that "of all the non-canonical plays, [Edward III] has the strongest claim to inclusion in the Complete Works"^[2] (the play was included in the second edition of the Oxford Complete Works). The first major publishing house to produce an edition of the play as part of its Shakespeare series was Cambridge University Press. Since then, an edition of the Riverside Shakespeare has included the play, and plans are afoot for the Arden Shakespeare and Oxford Shakespeare series to publish editions.

Some scholars, notably Eric Sams^[3], have argued that the play is entirely by Shakespeare, but today, scholarly opinion is divided, with many researchers asserting that the play is an early collaborative work, of which Shakespeare wrote only a few scenes.

In 1998, Cambridge University Press became the first major publisher to produce an edition of the play under Shakespeare's name, and shortly afterward, the Royal Shakespeare Company performed the play (to mixed reviews). In 2001, the American professional premiere was staged by Pacific Repertory Theatre's Carmel Shakespeare Festival, which received positive reviews for the endeavor. The play is included in the Second Edition of the Complete Oxford Shakespeare (2005), where it is attributed to "William Shakespeare and Others".

The plot of the play consists of two parts. The first is centred on the Countess of Salisbury (the wife of the Earl of Salisbury), who, beset by rampaging Scots, is "rescued" by King Edward III, who vows to get her into his bed. The play makes many gibes at Scotland and the Scots, a view which has led some critics to believe that it is this work which caused George Nicolson, Queen Elizabeth's agent in Edinburgh, to write in 1598 to William Cecil, Lord Burghley, protesting the way Scots were being portrayed on the London stage. At the end of the first part, the Countess vows to take her own life if Edward will not relent in his pursuit, which he does.

In the second part of the play, Edward joins his army in France, fighting a war to claim the French throne. Somewhat like Henry V, the play switches between the French and English camps, where the apparent hopelessness of the English campaign is contrasted with the arrogance of the French. Also like Henry, much of the action is focused on young Edward, the Black Prince, who broods on the morality of war before achieving victory against seemingly insurmountable odds.

1. ^ M.W.A. Smith, 'Edmund Ironside'. Notes and Queries 238 (June, 1993):204-5. Thomas Merriam's article in Literary and Linguistic Computing vol 15 (2) 2000: 157-186 uses stylometry to investigate claims that the play is a reworking by Shakespeare of a draft originally written by Marlowe.
2. ^ Wells, Stanley and Gary Taylor, with John Jowett and William Montgomery, William Shakespeare: A Textual Companion (Oxford University Press, 1987), p. 136
3. ^ Sams, Eric. Shakespeare's Edward III : An Early Play Restored to the Canon (Yale UP, 1996)

• Edward III, available at Project Gutenberg.
• Google Books edition (Donovan's English Historical Plays, vol. 1, London, 1896)

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