The Dutch Courtesan is a riotous tragicomedy that explores the delights and perils afforded by Jacobean London. While Freevill, an educated young Englishman and the play's nominal hero, frolics in the city's streets, taverns and brothels, Franceschina, his cast-off mistress and the Dutch courtesan of the play's title,laments his betrayal and plots revenge. Juxtaposing Franceschina's vulnerable financial position against the unappealing marital prospects available to gentry women, the play undermines the language of romance, revealing it to be rooted in the commerce and commodification. Marston's commentary on financial insecurity and the hypocritical repudiation of foreignness makes The Dutch Courtesan truly a document for our time. “The play is well-chosen for the present moment, with its struggling immigrants, social predation, and vibrant street scenes, and Britland does an excellent job of clarifying the puns and jabs often lost on student readers, much of them in polyglot argot.” ― Studies in English Literature 1500-1900 “Attentive to the literary influences behind Marston's play ... Particularly illuminating is Britland's attention to Marston's borrowings from Montaigne.” ― Times Literary Supplement “This is by far the best edition of the play on the market, superbly treated by Karen Britland.” ― Professor Alison Shell, University College London, UK John Marston (c. 1575-1634) was an English playwright who wrote thirteen plays between 1599 and 1609, his two finest being the tragicomedy The Malcontent (1604) and the comedy The Dutch Courtesan (1605). He is noted for his violent imagery and his preoccupation with mankind's failure to uphold Christian virtues. Other plays include the tragedies Antonio's Revenge and Antonio and Mellida (both 1599) and the comedy What You Will (1601). At the turn of the century Marston became involved in the so-called war of the theatres, a prolonged feud with his rival Ben Jonson. Jonson repeatedly satirized him in such plays as Every Man Out of His Humour (1599) and The Poetaster (1601), while Marston replied in Satiromastix (with Thomas Dekker; 1601). Their squabble ended in time for the two to collaborate with George Chapman on the ill-fated Eastward Ho! (1605), which resulted in all three authors being briefly imprisoned. Marston was later imprisoned for offending James I with his tragedy The Insatiate Countess (1610). After his release he took holy orders and wrote no more plays. Karen Britland studied English at Lincoln College Oxford and teaches Literature at Keele Univeristy. Recent publishing work: Assistant Editor on the Cambridge University Press Complete Works of Ben Jonson and is editing James Shirley's The Imposture for the Oxford University Press Complete Works of James Shirley . Karen Britland is Professor of English at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, USA. Suzanne Gossett (Ph.D. Princeton) is Professor Emerita of English at Loyola University Chicago. She is a General Editor of Arden Early Modern Drama and has recently served as president of the Shakespeare Association of America. Gordon McMullan is a professor of English at King's College London, UK. John Jowett is Emeritus Professor at the Shakespeare Institute, University of Birmingham.