′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
′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
′Stars, hide your fires!Let not light see my black and deep desires.′One of Shakespeare′s darkest and most violent tragedies, Macbeth′s struggle between his own ambition and his loyalty to the King is
Power, corruption and betrayal are at the heart of Shakespeare′s most well-known historical and political drama. As Julius Caesar moves closer to securing power for himself and is perceived by some as
′Did my heart love till now? Forswear it, sight!For I ne′er saw true beauty till this night.′Arguably the greatest love story ever told, Shakespeare′s Romeo and Juliet continues to touch modern audien
′Once more unto the breach, dear friends, once more...′Henry V is the final and most celebrated play of Shakespeare′s ′history plays′. Prince Harry reigns over England after the death of his father Ki
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
′My Oberon! what visions have I seen!Methought I was enamoured of an ass.′When four young lovers flee from Athens and become lost in an enchanted wood, they stumble into a fairy world where King Obero
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
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, 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
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
This inexpensive Dover edition brings together 5 of Shakespeare's most popular comedies, all filled with humor, joy, and, above all, happy endings. From the magic and mischief of A Midsummer Night's D
"A first-rate entree to the Bard," hailed Publishers Weekly in praise of Bruce Coville?s adaptation of A Midsummer Night?s Dream (Dial). Now the author follows with Macbeth, expertly weaving his own d
Including an updated bibliography, suggested references, and stage and film history, a revised and repackaged edition of the popular Shakespearian play set in ancient Rome features a new overview of S
There is no sun this morning. It is not here. It is sad for Juliet and her Romeo.Romeo loves Juliet and Juliet loves Romeo. But their families are enemies and they cannot marry. Penguin Readers is a s
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
William Shakespeare (1564–1616) was born in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, to a middle-class glover and a landowner’s daughter. He married Anne Hathaway in 1582 and moved to London to
A moving tragedy of political intrigue and family strife, William Shakespeare's King Lear is edited by George Hunter, with an introduction by Kiernan Ryan in Penguin Shakespeare. 'How sharper than a s
A peerless general is offered the consulship of Rome after his triumph over the city of Corioles. Too proud to respect the will of the people, however, he soon finds himself despised by the mob, and s
Bassanio, a noble but impoverished Venetian, asks his friend the merchant Antonio for a loan to impress an heiress. Antonio agrees, but is forced to borrow the sum from a cynical Jewish moneylender, S
Considered one of Shakespeare′s most haunting tragic-comedies, The Winter′s Tale is an in-depth analysis of the psychology of family and friendship, jealousy and love, art and nature, all illustrated
′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
