William Shakespeare
1) King Lear
Author
Series
Formats
Description
Presents the original text of Shakespeare's play side by side with a modern version, discusses the author and the theatre of his time, and provides quizzes and other study activities. Here is a modern version of one of his most brilliantly realized tragedies, this powerful tale of the agin King Lear, his too-rash decisions, and his betrayal at the hands of his own family becomes a powerful, unforgettable tale for today's reader. Modern English...
2) Hamlet
Author
Series
Description
"One of the most frequently read and performed of all stage works, Shakespeare's Hamlet is unsurpassed in its complexity and richness. Now the most extensively annotated version of Hamlet to date makes the play completely accessible to readers in the twenty-first century. It has been carefully assembled with students, teachers, and the general reader in mind." "Eminent linguist and translator Burton Raffel offers generous help with vocabulary and...
3) Macbeth
Author
Formats
Description
Contains the text of Shakespeare's play in which Macbeth kills Duncan, the King of Scotland, in order to seize the throne for himself; and includes margin notes, background information, and activities.
Author
Description
Classic Books Library presents this new beautiful edition of William Shakespeare's poem, "A Lover's Complaint", featuring a specially commissioned new biography of William Shakespeare. The poem tells the story of a young women lamenting her love for a man who once charmed and abandoned her. As she weeps at the edge of a river, an old man approaches, compelling her to recount her tale of sorrow. It was published as a conclusion to the original edition...
Author
Series
Description
Villainy and Treachery-- Richard III tells of the story of how Richard steals the kingdom from his young nephew after the death of his brother Edward. There is much murder and treachery until Richmond leads a revolt against Richard. Now is the winter of our discontent Made glorious summer by this sun of York; And all the clouds that lour'd upon our house In the deep bosom of the ocean buried.
9) Richard II
Author
Series
Pub. Date
c.1999
Description
Classic Books Library presents this new beautiful edition of William Shakespeare's play, "Richard II". This edition features a specially commissioned new biography of William Shakespeare. The play is the first in Shakespeare's tetralogy chronicling the successive reigns of Richard II, Henry IV and Henry V, and covers the battle for power between King Richard and Henry Bolingbroke (who would eventually be Henry IV). Embezzlement, exile and an uprising...
Author
Formats
Description
Believed to have been written in 1603, Shakespeare's Othello is a tragedy that puts the playwright's prodigious creative gifts on full display. Based loosely on a Renaissance-era Italian tale, Othello follows the stormy relationship of the Moorish general Othello and his lovely wife Desdemona. Addressing timeless themes of love and betrayal, as well as surprisingly contemporary concepts such as race-based stereotypes, Othello
...11) Venus and Adonis
Author
Description
Classic Books Library presents this new beautiful edition of William Shakespeare's narrative poem, "Venus and Adonis". Featuring a specially commissioned new biography of William Shakespeare, it is a must for Shakespeare enthusiasts and newcomers alike. The poem intertwines comedy with tragedy to tell the tale of Venus's obsession with the handsome Adonis, whose affections even the goddess of love cannot hold. It explores the pain of unrequited love...
Author
Description
Classic Books Library presents this new beautiful edition of William Shakespeare's narrative poem, "The Rape of Lucrece". This edition features a specially commissioned new biography of William Shakespeare. Set in Rome, the poem tells a tragic tale of lust, conquest, violence and politics. Collatine expresses his love for his wife Lucrece, to a fellow soldier, Tarquin. Hearing of her 'chastity', Tarquin is overcome with his desire to alter this and...
13) Othello
Author
Formats
Description
Unique features include an extensive overview of Shakespeare's life, world, and theater by the general editor of Signet Classic Shakespeare series, plus a special introduction to the play by the editor Sylvan Barnet, Tufts University. This book contains information on the source from which Shakespeare derived "Othello"--selections from Giraldi Cinthio's "Hecatommithi". Special introduction by Alvin Kernan, Princeton University.
14) King Henry VIII
Author
Description
Loyalty and Heredity-- King Henry VIII covers the period of Henry's reign from shortly after he becomes king to the birth of Elizabeth, who would one day become queen and for whom the play was written. The firing of a cannon during the very first performance of this play caused a fire that burnt the Globe theater to the ground. Heat not a furnace for your foe so hot That it do singe yourself. We may outrun By violent swiftness that which we run at,...
Author
Series
Description
Passions unleashed cause much wooing and confusion in the magical woods of Athens. Whether real or induced by magical potions seems to mak little difference, showing that love is far from rational, though those afflicted might feel otherwise. A Midsummer night's dream is a delightful comedy that offers something for everyone. The intertwined love constellations include Hermia and Lysander, who having decided to elope, steal away into the forest. Demetrius,...
16) Romeo and Juliet
Author
Series
Description
Has any other love story become so enmeshed in our culture as the tragic story of Romeo and Juliet? In fair Verona the families of Montague and Capulet are locked in a long-standing, bitter blood feud when young Romeo Montague slips into a masquerade party at the Capulet's. During the dance he glimpses Juliet, the daughter of the house, and is struck by love at first sight. She returns his passion and they promise each other everlasting love notwithstanding...
17) Coriolanus
Author
Series
Formats
Description
The story takes place in Rome shortly after the expulsion of the Tarquin kings. Ordinary citizens are rioting after stores of grain were withheld. The rioters are particularly angry at Gaius Martius, a brilliant Roman general whom they blame. War breaks out with a neighboring Italian tribe, the Volscians, who are led by Martius' great rival, Tullus Aufidius.
Author
Series
Formats
Description
Planning a school or amateur Shakespeare production? The best way to experience the plays is to perform them, but getting started can be a challenge: The complete plays are too long and complex, while scene selections or simplified language are too limited. "The 30-Minute Shakespeare" is a new series of abridgements that tell the "story" of each play from start to finish while keeping the beauty of Shakespeare's language intact. Specific stage directions...
Author
Formats
Description
An annotated edition of Shakespeare's tragicomedy in which an unjust Viennese deputy offers to lift a death sentence from a young woman's brother in return for sexual favors from her; also includes essays on Shakespeare's theatrical world and his texts, and a scholarly introduction.
20) King John
Author
Formats
Description
First published in the "First Folio" in 1623 and likely written in the 1590s, "King John" is one of William Shakespeare's best historical plays. It centers on the events of King John's reign of England during the late twelfth and early thirteenth centuries. King John, son of Henry I of England and Eleanor of Aquitaine, inherits the throne after the death of his older brother, King Richard I. John's claim to the throne is challenged by the King of...