The 1986 Oxford Shakespeare Complete Works was edited by John Jowett, William Montgomery, Gary Taylor, and Stanley Wells. The broader Oxford Shakespeare series is produced under the general editorship of Stanley Wells and Gary Taylor.
Why does the Oxford Shakespeare call Falstaff 'Oldcastle' in Henry IV Part One?
Historical evidence indicated that the character was called Oldcastle in the earliest performances of Henry IV Part One, even though that name never survived into print. The Oxford editors restored Oldcastle to reflect the play as first performed. Individual editors in the series, such as David Bevington in his 1987 Oxford edition, were permitted to keep Falstaff instead.
What is different about the Oxford Shakespeare's treatment of King Lear?
The Oxford Complete Works presents King Lear as two separate texts rather than one, because the differences between the two surviving early versions of the play are so extensive that the editors judged them to be distinct works. Most other editions combine the two sources into a single composite text.
When was the second edition of the Oxford Shakespeare Complete Works published?
A second edition of the Complete Works appeared in 2005. It added Sir Thomas More, edited by John Jowett, and Edward III, edited by William Montgomery, both of which are plays believed to be at least partly written by Shakespeare.
Which plays does the Oxford Shakespeare describe as collaborations with Thomas Middleton?
The Oxford Complete Works identifies Macbeth, Measure for Measure, and Timon of Athens as either collaborations with or revisions by Thomas Middleton. It also attributes Pericles to Shakespeare and George Wilkins, and Henry VIII and The Two Noble Kinsmen to Shakespeare and John Fletcher.
When did Oxford University Press first publish a complete works of Shakespeare?
Oxford University Press first published a complete works of Shakespeare in 1891. That edition, called The Complete Works, was a single-volume modern-spelling text edited by William James Craig, and is not directly related to the later series known as the Oxford Shakespeare.