Merry Devil of Edmonton

For centuries, scholars have argued over whether Shakespeare truly wrote this rowdy, affectionate comedy. The debate itself has become part of the play's charm. Set in the village of Edmonton, where the London suburbs give way to fields and alehouses, The Merry Devil of Edmonton spins a tale of thwarted lovers, meddling friends, and a winking supernatural character who may or may not be a devil at all. The prose sparkles with the kind of quick, earthy wit that made Elizabethan comedy sing: insults traded like gifts, schemes unraveling in delightfully unexpected ways, and young lovers always on the verge of either ruin or union. Whatever Shakespeare's hand in its creation, the play possesses a warmth and vitality that keeps it alive across centuries. It is, simply, enormous fun: a picture of English village life rendered with tenderness and humor, where everyone is a bit ridiculous and absolutely everyone is in love.