Story of forbidden love still has power to provoke
‘Tis Pity She’s a Whore was first published in 1633, written by John Ford.
Dealing with incest, it is one of the most morally-challenging plays to emerge from the Jacobean period.
It was omitted from an 1831 collection of Ford’s plays and it has regularly been performed under a different title, including Giovanni and Annabella and The Brother and Sister.
The controversy surrounding the play meant original critics felt uncomfortable praising it. As a result, recognition as a classic only came in the mid 20th-century.