This volume presents a collection of John Ford's dramatic works, including 'Tis Pity She's a Whore' and 'The Broken Heart'. With insightful commentary and analysis from noted scholars, this is an essential resource for anyone interested in the history of English drama. This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work is in the "public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.

Volume IV of the Collected Works of John Ford is the first of two volumes in the series to contain his sole-authored plays. It contains three of his most celebrated plays: 'Tis Pity She's a Whore (1622), The Lovers' Melancholy (1628), and The Broken Heart (1629), as well as the less well-known The Queen (1629). The volume opens with a general introduction to Ford's work as a sole author by Sir Brian Vickers and each play is given a detailed introduction emphasizing Ford's linguistic creativity and his effective use of the indoor private theatres. Authoritative old-spelling texts, freshly edited from the original quartos with full textual collations, are accompanied by a full commentary on all aspects of the plays, from archaic or obsolete words to classical allusions and historical references to people, places, and social customs.