is one of the most controversial plays ever staged in the English theatre. In this illuminating Handbook, Martin White: - Offers an in-depth, moment-by-moment analysis of the play, looking at how it might be performed on stage - Provides vital contextual material on John Ford's social and literary influences - Reconstructs the play's performances in Ford's own time and examines later stage, television and film productions - Guides the reader through the often heated critical and theatrical responses to the dramatic work