"Friedman argues that The Two Gentlemen of Verona, Much Ado About Nothing, All's Well that Ends Well, and Measure for Measure comprise a dramatic subgenre called the comedy of forgiveness. The comic heroes of these plays (Proteus, Claudio, Bertram, and Angelo) pose problems on the stage due to the glaring discrepancy between what they seem to deserve for their offenses against women and the punishments they actually receive.

Historically, theater productions have refashioned these plays into romantic comedies by reducing the comic hero's blameworthiness and portraying his reunion with his maltreated mistress as the triumph of true love. However, since the advent of feminism, various productions have emphasized the ways in which the comedies of forgiveness strive to further the process of legitimate procreation at all costs, particularly by pardoning the comic hero without regard for the feelings of the women he has wronged.

The book surveys the impact of these recent productions and suggests additional ways in which a feminist approach to performance might produce theatrical versions of these plays more consistent with their generic features."--BOOK JACKET.