Readers might assume that, given the vast differences between early modern English culture and contemporary culture, the subject matter of 'Tis Pity She's a Whore raised no eyebrows during its original performances. Quite to the contrary, however, the play was heavily criticized for its portrayal of incest between a brother and sister, and became one of the most controversial works in English literature. People took issue with the play so intensely that it was omitted entirely from an 1831 collection of Ford's plays, despite being his most well-known work.
The criticism of the play is due in large part to its specific portrayal of incest: rather than outright condemning the relationship between Giovanni and Annabella (which the play does, through the character of the Friar), many argue that the play presents incest as an unstoppable and inevitable force. As such, early critics often read the play not only as a portrayal of incest, but also as an endorsement of it as well, arguing that Giovanni and Annabella are presented as fated lovers in the same way as, say, Romeo and Juliet. Consequently, the title of the play was frequently changed to something more euphemistic, such as Giovanni and Annabella or The Brother and Sister or simply 'Tis Pity. While the play remains controversial for performance, contemporary scholars have taken a more nuanced approach to its interpretation, arguing that there are numerous ambiguities throughout the work that render it worth studying.
