A New Way to Pay Old Debts
Assigned by 1 of the 9 reading lists, catalogue entry only
- Written
- c. 1625, published 1633
- Form
- Comedy
- Language
- English
- Length
- Short · 110 ppunder 120 pages
- Difficulty
- Demanding3 of 5 for a first-year reader
We recommendA New Way to Pay Old DebtsMethuen Drama (New Mermaids), 1964T. W. Craik's annotated student edition; the unglossed text is free in Harvard Classics Volume 47.
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The most performed non-Shakespearean play of its age for two centuries. Sir Giles Overreach, a ruthless extortioner modelled on a real monopolist, has ruined his nephew Wellborn and schemes to marry his daughter Margaret to a lord. Wellborn, with the help of the rich widow Lady Allworth, tricks Overreach into believing he is about to marry her and so restoring his credit; Margaret marries Allworth's stepson instead, and Overreach, his bonds voided, goes mad on stage.
No reading guide yet
The catalogue entry above is complete: the dates, the form, the themes and every program that assigns A New Way to Pay Old Debts are verified against each program's published list.
What is missing is the part that takes real work: the summary, the key passages, and a recommended translation. The edition named below is the one most programs assign, so the buy links are useful already.
