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to add to the confusion. Peele's version, however, was more carefully composed than similar works of the period. He distilled the romantic and fairy-tale, but he was also able to create detachment; the audience became aware of its taste for the pure romance of the fairy-tale. Some critics regard the
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The plot centers around three young men who become lost in the woods, but are given shelter for the night by Clunch, a blacksmith, and his wife Madge (the eponymous 'old wife'). During their stay, one retires to bed with Clunch, while the other two are entertained by their hostess, who tells them a
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fairy-tale, which, to her surprise, comes to life: her characters appearing and telling it for her (the 'play-within-the play'). One strand of the plot involves two brothers who are on an adventure searching for their sister, Delia, who is being held captive by the magician
Sacrapant (compare
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popular at the time. Although only the titles of most of these popular works have survived, they seem to be unrelated composites of popular romantic and fairy-tale motifs of the era. They were full of romantic inventions but devoid of moral content. Peele here presents an amiably ironic and
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140:, has never been challenged. The date of composition is usually thought to lie between 1590 and 1593, but recently Larson has argued for a date between January, 1593, and May, 1594. The play is essentially a medley of motives and incidents drawn from folk tales.
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was entered in the
Stationer's Register, April 16, 1595, and printed by John Danter the same year. The identification of the initials "G.P." on the title page as those of George Peele, which was made by Herbert in
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The play has been criticized as a "confusing jumble of theatrical nonsense" and for being a
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play as intentional satire constructed to highlight generic absurdities. Peele's
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Educational
Theatre Journal, Vol. 22, No. 3 (Oct., 1970), pp. 268-275
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245:"George Peele (English dramatist) -- Britannica Online Encyclopedia"
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Rockey, Laurlilyn. ""The Old Wives Tale" as
Dramatic Satire".
162:. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press. p. 71.
191:"Old Wives' Tale, The - Guide to Old Wives' Tale, The"
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Baskervill, Charles Read, ed. (1934). "George Peele".
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22:The Old Wives' Tale (film)
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138:Typographical Antiquities
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