The Two Noble Kinsmen

By William Shakespeare, John Fletcher

Categories: Drama, Literature & Fiction

Written by Shakespeare with John Fletcher and printed in 1634, this tragicomedy adapts Chaucer's Knight's Tale. The cousins Palamon and Arcite, imprisoned by Duke Theseus of Athens, swear lasting friendship until both glimpse Emilia, sister of Theseus's bride, from their window. Their love turns them into bitter rivals. A subplot follows the jailer's daughter, who frees Palamon and loses her wits for love of him. The first title page named Fletcher and Shakespeare together.

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