Critical Edition of Thomas Middleton's the Witch

Thomas Middleton's The Witch is a Jacobean tragicomedy likely composed between 1613 and 1616. It is best known for its thematic overlap with the supernatural elements in Shakespeare's Macbeth, leading scholars to debate whether Middleton's play influenced Shakespeare or vice versa. The text remained largely obscure for centuries, existing only in a single manuscript held at the Bodleian Library until it was rediscovered and published in the late 18th century.

This 2019 critical edition from the Taylor & Francis Group provides a modernized scholarly approach to Middleton’s original manuscript. It is designed to aid researchers and students by providing linguistic context, historical annotations, and textual analysis of the play's controversial subject matter. The publication reflects the ongoing academic interest in recovering and properly situating the works of early modern playwrights beyond the standard canon.