New Releases by William Shakespeare

Each edition includes: - Freshly edited text based on the best early printed version of the play - Full explanatory notes conveniently placed on pages facing the text of the play - Scene-by-scene plot summaries - A key to famous lines and phrases - An introduction to reading Shakespeare''s language - An essay by an outstanding scholar providing a modern perspective on the play - Illustrations from the Folger Shakespeare Library''s vast holdings of rare books Essay by Barbara A. Mowat The Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington, D.C., is home to the world''s largest collection of Shakespeare''s printed works, and a magnet for Shakespeare scholars from around the globe. In addition to exhibitions open to the public throughout the year, the Folger offers a full calendar of performances and programs. For more information, visit www.folger.edu.

Everything old is new again. Rarely has there been as much excitement surrounding Shakespeare as the attention focused last year on the official opening of the London Globe Theatre by Queen Elizabeth II.

(Applause Books). If there ever has been a groundbreaking edition that likewise returns the reader to the original Shakespeare text, it will be the Applause Folio Texts. If there has ever been an accessible version of the Folio, it is this edition, set for the first time in modern fonts. The Folio is the source of all other editions. The Folio text forces us to re-examine the assumptions and prejudices which have encumbered over four hundred years of scholarship and performance. Notes refer the reader to subsequent editorial interventions, and offer the reader a multiplicity of interpretations. Notes also advise the reader on variations between Folios and Quartos. The heavy mascara of four centuries of Shakespearean glossing has by now glossed over the original countenance of Shakespeare''s work. Never has there been a Folio available in modern reading fonts. While other complete Folio editions continue to trade simply on the facsimile appearance of the Elizabethan "look," none of them is easily and practically utilized in general Shakespeare studies or performances.

King John had a distinguished life on the eighteenth- and nineteenth-century stage, and this edition presents the fullest account of its stage history. The play''s political importance, its rich and varied language, and its skillful design suggest that King John deserves a high place among Shakespeare''s historical tragedies. The textual analysis includes examination of several disputed emendations to the text. In the appendix, Beaurline surveys the arguments about the dating of Shakespeare''s King John and the anonymous Troublesome Reign of King John, presenting new evidence for the possibility that Shakespeare''s play was written first.

The Winter''s Tale is a play by William Shakespeare, originally published in the First Folio of 1623 (though it is thought to have been written well before then). Although it was grouped among the comedies, some modern editors have relabelled the play as one of Shakespeare''s late romances. Its runs the emotional gamut from betrayal and broken hearts to romance and reconciliation. The first half of the play begins with a tyrannical and jealous king, whose suspicions destroys his family. The second half takes place 16 years later, where the play takes a lively and lighthearted turn with comedy, song and dance. This edition contains the full script with a linked table of contents that will take you immediately to the characters lines and entrances and exits in the play allowing for quick navigation and reference.

The Tragedy of Hamlet is a play originally done by Shakespeare and is set in the ancient kingdom of Denmark. The play is basically about the revenge of a prince after his family members including the king, King Hamlet, were murdered by his uncle, Claudius, so that he could inherit the throne as well as the wives of his kinsmen. The play culminates when the young king finally kills Claudius and manages to take back the thrown of his father. The theme of the play is that of revenge, family ties and corruption. It is Shakespeare''s longest play.