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''The Fair Maid of the Exchange'' is a Renaissance play attributed to Thomas Heywood. First printed in 1607, the play was subsequently reprinted in 1625 and in 1637. It tells the story of three wealthy brothers – Ferdinand, Anthony, and Frank – who find themselves enamoured of Phyllis, the fair maid, and vie for her affections. Phyllis, however, is determined to win the favour of the Cripple of Fanchurch despite his indifference towards her. The play is set in Elizabethan London. The play is a city comedy, but it may also be categorised as a ''comedy of intrigue'' as it entails comical sub-plots that involve the use "of disguises, mistaken identities, letters of misinformation, and false errands."〔Snyder (1980, 30).〕 This describes most of the action in the play. As the title page from the 1607 publication indicates, the play was first printed for Henry Rockit. It was also printed under two titles in the three editions printed between 1607 and 1637: * ''The Fayre Mayde of the Exchange: with the pleasant humours of the Cripple of Fanchurch. Very delectable and full of mirth.'' (printed in 1607 by Valentine Simmes〔Heywood, Early English Books Online.〕) * ''The Fayre Maide of the Exchange: together with the merry humours, and pleasant passages of the cripple of Fanchurch. Furnished with varietie of delectable mirth.'' (printed in 1625 by John Legat, and in 1637 by 'A.G.' – the initials, perhaps, of Anne Griffin〔Heywood, ed. Davison (1963, vi).〕) == Authorship == Authorship of this play has been – and continues to be – debated. Evidence currently available to prove or disprove authorship is weak at best.〔 One fact in support of Heywood having written the play is that both Edward IV (1599) and If You Know Not Me, You Know Nobody (1605) were originally published anonymously.〔Snyder (1980, 21).〕 A counter argument for Heywood as the author lies in that he was known to add his own prefaces, dedications, and a motto to his plays.〔Snyder (1980, 7).〕 None of these appears in the ''The Fair Maid of the Exchange''. It is also conjecture that he wrote three scenes of the play and left the rest of the composition to a student of Shakespeare or Jonson.〔Heywood, ed. Davison (1963, vii).〕 To validate this theory, however, and to distinguish the sections of the play written by him from those written by a co-author, one must have a firm sense of Heywood's style of writing and preferred subject matter. While it is difficult to define what makes a play strictly Heywoodian, the playwright appears to have had a preoccupation with portraying the home and business lives of the English middle class of his time.〔Snyder (1980, 11).〕 ''The Fair Maid of the Exchange'' is indeed a play that treats these matters. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「The Fayre Mayde of the Exchange」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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