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Richard III is one of the finest of Shakespeare's historical dramas. Although it has a huge cast, Richard himself, gleefully wicked, charismatically Machiavellian, always dominates the play: a role to

Bianca is beautiful and demure, with a plethora of would-be suitors, but marriage is forbidden until her older sister Katherina finds a suitable match. The hitch? Fiery Katherina has sworn to deny the

Richard II is one of Shakespeare's finest works: lucid, eloquent, and boldly structured. It can be seen as a tragedy, or a historical play, or a political drama, or as one part of a vast dramatic cycl

′If music be the food of love, play on;Give me excess of it, that, surfeiting,The appetite may sicken, and so die.′A comedic romance of mistaken identity, Twelfth Night begins with a shipwreck, splitt

′All the world′s a stage,And all the men and women merely players.′Featuring Rosalind, one of Shakespeare′s most likeable and strong female protagonists, As You Like It is a comedic play centred aroun

′Thou and I are too wise to woo peaceably.′One of Shakespeare′s most witty and enjoyable comedies, Much Ado About Nothing is a play that explores courtship, romance and marriage through a number of re

′We are such stuffAs dreams are made on; and our little lifeIs rounded with a sleep.′Magical and dreamlike in its tone, Shakespeare′s The Tempest begins with a storm of epic proportions and a shipwrec

First staged in 1599, Shakespeare's history of Henry V's remarkable victory over the French at Agincourt and the subsequent peace between the two nations is also a study of war and kingship. From his

Dark and violent, Macbeth is also the most theatrically spectacular of Shakespeare's tragedies. Promised a golden future as ruler of Scotland by three sinister witches, Macbeth murders the king to ens

Controversial and sexually charged, The Taming of the Shrew is possibly Shakespeare's first play, and certainly among the most performed. Is it an examination of brute male domination or a passionate

′The quality of mercy is not strain′d,It droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven′Bassiano, a noble Venetian, hopes to woo the beautiful heiress Portia. However, he requires financial assistance from h

Edited, introduced and annotated by Cedric Watts, Research Professor of English Literature, University of Sussex. In Henry IV, Part 1, the King is in a doubly ironic position. His rebellion against Ri

′The better part of valour is discretion.′King Henry IV′s son, Prince Harry is quick-witted yet idle and irresponsible and lives a roguish existence keeping dubious company. However, when the kingdom

′Blow, winds, and crack your cheeks! rage! blow!′Dramatic and tragic in mood, King Lear explores a king′s demise into madness and insanity when he is betrayed by two of his manipulative and scheming d

′Though this be madness, yet there is method in′t.′Considered one of Shakespeare′s most rich and enduring plays, the depiction of its hero Hamlet as he vows to avenge the murder of his father by his brother Claudius is both powerful and complex. As Hamlet tries to find out the truth of the situation, his troubled relationship with his mother comes to the fore, as do the paradoxes in his personality. A play of carefully crafted conflict and tragedy, Shakespeare′s intricate dialogue continues to fascinate audiences to this day.

Edited, introduced and annotated by Cedric Watts, Research Professor of English Literature, University of Sussex. The Wordsworth Classics' Shakespeare Series presents a newly-edited sequence of Willia

Edited, introduced and annotated by Cedric Watts, Professor of English Literature, University of Sussex. The Wordsworth Classics' Shakespeare Series presents a newly-edited sequence of William Shakesp

Edited, introduced and annotated by Cedric Watts, Research Professor of English, University of Sussex. The Wordsworth Classics' Shakespeare Series presents a newly-edited sequence of William Shakespea

Edited, introduced and annotated by Cedric Watts, Research Professor of English, University of Sussex. In the hope of saving her brother's life, should a woman submit to rape? Should the law be respec

Edited, introduced and annotated by Cedric Watts, Research Professor of English, University of Sussex. The Winter's Tale, one of Shakespeare's later romantic comedies, offers a striking and challengin

Edited, introduced and annotated by Cedric Watts, Research Professor of English, University of Sussex. The Wordsworth Classics' Shakespeare Series presents a newly-edited sequence of William Shakespea

Edited, introduced and annotated by Cedric Watts, Research Professor of English Literature, University of Sussex. The Wordsworth Classics' Shakespeare's Series presents a newly-edited sequence of Will

Edited, introduced and annotated by Cedric Watts, Research Professor of English, University of Sussex. Antony and Cleopatra is one of Shakespeare's greatest tragedies: a spectacular, widely-ranging dr

Edited, Introduced and Annotated by Cedric Watts, Research Professor of English Literature, University of Sussex. The Wordsworth Classics' Shakespeare Series, with Henry V and The Merchant of Venice a

Edited, Introduced and Annotated by Cedric Watts, Professor of English Literature, University of Sussex. The Wordsworth Classics' Shakespeare Series, with Romeo and Juliet, Henry V and The Merchant of

After his ships and money are lost at sea, Antonio, a prominent Venetian merchant, cannot repay a loan to Shylock, the Jewish moneylender and long-suffering target of his ridicule. Antonio must rely o

A revised edition of this intriguing and complex play, updated to cover recent critical thinking and stage history.Troilus and Cressida is a tragedy often labelled a "problem" play b

A revised edition of this intriguing and complex play, updated to cover recent critical thinking and stage history.Troilus and Cressida is a tragedy often labelled a "problem" play b

This collection chronicles the fiction and non fiction classics by the greatest writers the world has ever known. The inclusion of both popular as well as overlooked pieces is pivotal to providing a b

Exam board: Edexcel; Cambridge; CXCLevel & Subject: GCSE 9-1; IGCSE; CSEC English BFirst teaching: September 2015; September 2019; First exams: June 2017; June 2021 Exam board: AQA B, Edexcel, OCR

"Not all the water in the rough rude sea/Can wash the balm off from an anointed king," declares the soon-to-be deposed ruler of this historical drama. Confident in his divine right,

The course of true love never did run smooth. Demetrius and Lysander love Hermia. Hermia loves Lysander, but is betrothed to Demetrius?much to her dismay. And no one loves Helena, though her heart b

The New Cambridge Shakespeare appeals to students worldwide for its up-to-date scholarship and emphasis on performance. The series features line-by-line commentaries and textual notes on the plays and poems. Introductions are regularly refreshed with accounts of new critical, stage and screen interpretations. This second edition of Troilus and Cressida, a play that has long been considered difficult but is now popular both on the stage and in criticism, features an expanded and updated introduction and reading list. The first edition has been praised for its careful rethinking of the text, excellent annotation, lively attention to performance and extensive coverage of the play's major concerns. This updated edition retains these characteristics. In addition, Gretchen Minton and Anthony B. Dawson have provided a new account of the critical and theatrical treatment of Troilus and Cressida over the last fifteen years, showing how modern audiences have become attuned to the play's sardonic

The New Cambridge Shakespeare appeals to students worldwide for its up-to-date scholarship and emphasis on performance. The series features line-by-line commentaries and textual notes on the plays and poems. Introductions are regularly refreshed with accounts of new critical, stage and screen interpretations. This second edition of Troilus and Cressida, a play that has long been considered difficult but is now popular both on the stage and in criticism, features an expanded and updated introduction and reading list. The first edition has been praised for its careful rethinking of the text, excellent annotation, lively attention to performance and extensive coverage of the play's major concerns. This updated edition retains these characteristics. In addition, Gretchen Minton and Anthony B. Dawson have provided a new account of the critical and theatrical treatment of Troilus and Cressida over the last fifteen years, showing how modern audiences have become attuned to the play's sardonic

'What is honour? A word. What is in that word 'honour'? What is that 'honour'? Air.' A history play that combines a coming-of-age narrative with a tale of power, rebellion, friendship, and betrayal, Henry IV, Part I has been a perennial favourite from Shakespeare's time to the present. What has ensured its popularity is above all the towering figure of Falstaff, Shakespeare's greatest comic creation. The ebullient, unabashedly pleasure-seeking and brilliantly witty character has proved as irresistible for audiences as he was for his prot?c)g?c), Prince Hal. This introduction discusses their relationship within the framework of the play's historical, cultural, and performative setting. At the same time, it explores the question of why the play has proved so enduringly attractive to audiences today. The New Oxford Shakespeare offers authoritative editions of Shakespeare's works with introductory materials designed to encourage new interpretations of the plays and poems. Using the text fr

A fine exclusive edition of one of literature's most beloved stories. Featuring a laser-cut jacket on a textured hardcover book with foil stamping, all titles in this series will be first editions and

A stunning foiled cover does justice to Shakespeare’s elegant sonnets in this first book of a new series of inspirational writing. The sonnets here are given space to breathe: divided thematically and

Although we know him best as a playwright, Shakespeare was also a poet, living as he did in an age when the writing of verse enhanced an author's literary reputation as well as his social standing