The Lady's Trial: By John Ford (Revels Plays)

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John Ford is best known as the author of the controversial Tis Pity Shex2019;s a Whore, but his other plays are also full of interest.xA0;The Ladyx2019;s Trial, his last play, encapsulates the final development of his own unique theatrical aesthetic while lookingxA0;back to the drama of his youth, most notably Othello, whose story is here rewritten.xA0; xA0;In Fordx2019;s version, the supposedly wronged husband, the victorious general Auria, does not simply take the word of his friend, the well-intentioned but overly suspicious Aurelio, that his wife, Spinella, is unfaithful: instead he does what Othello apparently never even thinks of doing, and conducts a rational, public sifting of the apprent evidence, at the end of which Spinella is triumphantly cleared.xA0; In combining this story of public vindication with his distinctive dramatic style of delicate reticence, Ford offers a powerful exploration of both the capabilities and the limitations of language and its role in human relationships.xA0; xA0;This first scholarly edition of this undeservedly neglected play situates it in its dramatic and historical contexts and helps elucidate Fordx2019;s understated, allusive style.