Best Selling Books by william shakespeare

Much Ado About Nothing is one of Shakespeare''s great festive comedies. The men are back from the war, and everyone is ready for romance. The dashing young Claudio falls for Hero, the daughter of Leonato, governor of Messina, and his friend Don Pedro helps him secure her affection. These youthful lovers are contrasted with the more experienced Benedick and Beatrice, who have to be tricked into falling in love. Don Pedro''s bastard brother, Don John, provides the intrigue, and the dimwitted constable Dogberry provides the laughs. Life of William Shakespeare is a biography of William Shakespeare by the eminent critic Sidney Lee. This book was one of the first major biographies of the Bard of Avon. It was published in 1898, based on the article contributed to the Dictionary of National Biography. William Shakespeare (1564 – 1616) was an English poet and playwright, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world''s pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England''s national poet and the "Bard of Avon". His extant works, including some collaborations, consist of about 38 plays, 154 sonnets, two long narrative poems, and a few other verses, the authorship of some of which is uncertain. Sir Sidney Lee (1859 – 1926) was an English biographer and critic. He was a lifelong scholar and enthusiast of Shakespeare. His article on Shakespeare in the fifty-first volume of the Dictionary of National Biography formed the basis of his Life of William Shakespeare. This full-length life is often credited as the first modern biography of the poet.

The classic one-volume Shakespeare, including all the plays and poems, now completely revised and updated. The distinguished Pelican Shakespeare series has sold five million copies. Now Penguin is proud to offer this fully revised new hardcover edition of The Complete Pelican Shakespeare. Since the series debuted more than forty years ago, developments in scholarship have revolutionized our understanding of William Shakespeare, his time, and his works. With new editors who have incorporated the most up-to-date research and debate, this revised edition of The Complete Pelican Shakespeare will be the premier choice for students, professors, and general readers for decades to come. The general editors of the series-world-renowned Shakespeareans Stephen Orgel of Stanford University and A. R. Braunmuller of UCLA - devoted seven years to preparing introductions and notes with a team of eminent scholars to the forty volumes of Shakespeare''s plays and poems. Now, the new series is complete and available in one lavish and complete edition. * *Authoritative and meticulously researched texts *Illuminating new introductions and notes by distinguished authors *Essays on Shakespeare''s life, the theatrical world of his time, and the selection of texts *A handsome new design inside and out * Deluxe packaging, including a full-linen case, ribbon marker, Smyth-sewn binding, printed endpapers, acid-free paper, and illustrations throughout *Photos and drawings reflecting Shakespeare''s theatrical legacy *Line numbers marking every tenth line and footnote references *Both glossorial and explanatory notes appearing conveniently at the foot of the page

The story of Hamlet in production, from Burbage at the Globe to Branagh on film.

''And kiss me, Kate. We will be married o?Sunday?Petruchio, seeking his fortune in Padua, seeks to marry the strong-willed Katherine, while Lucentio and Bianca steal a marriage from under a father''s nose. The Taming of the Shrew offers a Shakespearean take on feminism and a humorous but, surprisingly modern, look at the age-old battle between the sexes.With its hilarious Induction, laughably believable characters, and skillfully intertwined plots and subplots, the play provides an excellent introduction to the range of Shakespeare''s comedic talents.To make The Taming of the Shrew more accessible for the modern reader, our Prestwick House Literary Touchstone Edition includes a glossary of the more difficult words, as well as convenient sidebar notes to enlighten the reader on aspects that may be confusing or overlooked. In doing this, it is our intention that the reader may more fully enjoy the beauty of the verse, the wisdom of the insights, and the impact of thedrama.

"Midsummer Night''s Dream" is Shakespeare''s classic tale of two couples who can''t quite pair up to everyone''s satisfaction. Demetrius and Lysander love Hermia. Hermia loves Lysander but has been promised to Demetrius by her father. Hermia''s best friend Helena loves Demetrius, but in his obsession for Hermia Demetrius barely even notices her smitten friend. When Hermia and Lysander plan to elope all four find themselves in the forest late at night where the fairy Puck and his lord Oberon wreck havoc on the humans with a love potion that causes the victim to fall in love with the first thing they see upon waking. - Some Books of Shakespeare: - Romeo and Juliet (1597) - Hamlet (1599) - Macbeth (1606) - Julius Caesar (1599) - Othello (1603) - The Merchant of Venice (1598) - Much Ado About Nothing (1600) - King Lear (1606) - The Taming of the Shrew (1594) - The Comedy of Errors (1594)

Twelfth Night, Or What You Will is a comedy by William Shakespeare, based on the short story "Of Apolonius and Silla" by Barnabe Rich. It is named after the Twelfth Night holiday of the Christmas season. It was written around 1601 and first published in the First Folio in 1623. The main title is believed to be an afterthought, created after John Marston premiered a play titled What You Will during the course of the writing.

Romeo and Juliet (1597) is a tragedy by William Shakespeare. Inspired by an Italian tale adapted for an English audience in 1562 by Arthur Brooke and in 1567 by William Painter, Shakespeare wrote Romeo and Juliet sometime between 1591 and 1595. Alongside Hamlet, it is one of Shakespeare’s most performed plays and has served as source material for countless film and television adaptations. “Two households, both alike in dignity, / In fair Verona, where we lay our scene, / From ancient grudge break to new mutiny, / Where civil blood makes civil hands unclean.” For his wit and wordplay alone, William Shakespeare is often considered the greatest writer to ever work in the English language. Where he truly triumphs, however, is in his ability to portray complex human emotions, how these emotions contribute to relationships, and how these relationships interact with politics, culture, and religion. In Romeo and Juliet, a “pair of star-cross’d lovers” risk their lives for one another. Because Romeo is a Montague, he cannot love Juliet, a Capulet, the sworn enemies of his family and their major rival in the city of Verona. As is often the case, their hearts refuse the limits of history, leading them to their tragic, unforgettable end. With a beautifully designed cover and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet is a classic of English literature reimagined for modern readers.

Modern editions of a popular and trusted series.

Macbeth by William Shakespeare is a timeless tragedy that explores the devastating effects of ambition, power, and guilt. The plot of "Macbeth" is full of intrigue, betrayal, and supernatural elements, making it captivating for audiences. Set in Scotland, the play follows the rise and fall of Macbeth, a valiant soldier whose encounter with three witches ignites a fierce desire for power. At the beginning of the play, Macbeth is a loyal thane to King Duncan. However, his ambition is sparked when the witches prophesize that he will become the King of Scotland. Encouraged and manipulated by his wife, Lady Macbeth, he is driven to murder King Duncan in order to seize the throne. This act of regicide marks the beginning of Macbethu0092s descent into tyranny and madness. Once crowned king, Macbeth''s paranoia and guilt spiral out of control. He becomes obsessed with securing his power, leading him to commit further atrocities, including the murder of his friend Banquo, whom he perceives as a threat due to the witchesu0092 prophecy that Banquo''s descendants will inherit the throne. Macbethu0092s ruthless actions isolate him from those around him, and he becomes a tyrannical ruler, feared and despised by his subjects. Lady Macbeth, initially the more ambitious and ruthless of the two, is eventually consumed by guilt and descends into madness. Her famous sleepwalking scene reveals the deep psychological torment she suffers as a result of her role in Duncanu0092s murder. Her decline mirrors Macbethu0092s own unraveling, highlighting the corrupting power of unchecked ambition and guilt. The play reaches its climax as Macbeth faces a rebellion led by Macduff and Malcolm, Duncanu0092s son. The witches'' prophecies, which seemed to guarantee Macbeth''s invincibility, ultimately lead to his downfall as they are revealed to be equivocal. In a final confrontation, Macduff kills Macbeth, and Malcolm is restored to the throne, bringing a sense of moral resolution to the chaos that has ensued. Macbeth is a profound examination of the corrupting influence of ambition, the moral consequences of betrayal and murder, and the psychological effects of guilt and paranoia. Shakespeareu0092s masterful use of language, complex characters, and exploration of dark themes makes Macbeth a powerful and enduring tragedy that continues to captivate and provoke audience centuries after it was written.

For Troilus and Cressida, set during the Trojan War, Shakespeare turned to the Greek poet Homer, whose epic poems the Iliad and the Odyssey treat the war and its aftermath, and to Geoffrey Chaucer, author of The Canterbury Tales and the great romance of the war, Troilus and Criseyde. The authoritative edition of Troilus and Cressida from The Folger Shakespeare Library, the trusted and widely used Shakespeare series for students and general readers, includes: -The exact text of the printed book for easy cross-reference -Hundreds of hypertext links for instant navigation -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 the play’s famous lines and phrases -An introduction to reading Shakespeare’s language -An essay by a leading Shakespeare scholar providing a modern perspective on the play -Fresh images from the Folger Shakespeare Library’s vast holdings of rare books -An annotated guide to further reading Essay by Jonathan Gil Harris The Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington, DC, 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 Folger.edu.

Shakespeare''s romantic comedy takes on a new and vivid life with these brilliant images by one of the 20th century''s leading illustrators. This faithful reprint rivals the limited and first editions of 1908. Includes the complete text of the play, along with 40 full-color and numerous black-and-white illustrations.

(Applause Books). If there has ever 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. Prepared and annotated by Neil Freeman, Head, Graduate Directing Program, University of British Columbia.

(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.

This unique collection of Shakespeare''s greatest poetical works includes: The Sonnets Venus And Adonis The Rape Of Lucrece The Passionate Pilgrim The Phoenix And The Turtle A Lover''s Complaint Shakespeare''s sonnets are a collection of 154 sonnets, dealing with themes such as the passage of time, love, beauty and mortality, first published in a 1609 quarto entitled Shakespeares Sonnets. Venus and Adonis is a poem written in 1592–1593 and published in 1609. It recounts Venus'' attempts to woo Adonis, their passionate coupling, and Adonis'' rejection of the goddess, to which she responds with jealousy, with tragic results. The Rape of Lucrece, published in 1594, is a narrative poem focusing on the rape and tragic death of the title character and on the revenge that follows. The Passionate Pilgrim, published in 1599, is an anthology of 20 poems collected and published by William Jaggard that were attributed to "W. Shakespeare" on the title page, only five of which are considered authentically Shakespearean. These are two sonnets, later to be published in the 1609 collection of Shakespeare''s sonnets, and three poems extracted from the play Love''s Labour''s Lost. The Phoenix and the Turtle, first published in 1601, is an allegorical poem about the death of ideal love, widely considered to be one of his most obscure works and has led to many conflicting interpretations. The poem describes a funeral arranged for the deceased Phoenix and Turtledove, the latter a traditional emblem of devoted love. A Lover''s Complaint is a narrative poem published as an appendix to the original edition of Shakespeare''s sonnets. It is given the title "A Lover''s Complaint" in the book, which was published in 1609. William Shakespeare (1564 – 1616) was an English poet and playwright, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world''s pre-eminent dramatist.

Shakespeare''s sonnets are a collection of 154 sonnets, dealing with themes such as the passage of time, love, beauty and mortality, first published in a 1609 quarto entitled Shakespeares Sonnets. Venus and Adonis is a poem written in 1592–1593 and published in 1609. It recounts Venus'' attempts to woo Adonis, their passionate coupling, and Adonis'' rejection of the goddess, to which she responds with jealousy, with tragic results. The Rape of Lucrece, published in 1594, is a narrative poem focusing on the rape and tragic death of the title character and on the revenge that follows. The Passionate Pilgrim, published in 1599, is an anthology of 20 poems collected and published by William Jaggard that were attributed to "W. Shakespeare" on the title page, only five of which are considered authentically Shakespearean. These are two sonnets, later to be published in the 1609 collection of Shakespeare''s sonnets, and three poems extracted from the play Love''s Labour''s Lost. The Phoenix and the Turtle, first published in 1601, is an allegorical poem about the death of ideal love, widely considered to be one of his most obscure works and has led to many conflicting interpretations. The poem describes a funeral arranged for the deceased Phoenix and Turtledove, the latter a traditional emblem of devoted love. A Lover''s Complaint is a narrative poem published as an appendix to the original edition of Shakespeare''s sonnets. It is given the title "A Lover''s Complaint" in the book, which was published in 1609. William Shakespeare (1564 – 1616) was an English poet and playwright, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world''s pre-eminent dramatist.

Shakespeare''s famous tragedy is helpfully annotated and framed within several exciting contexts: contemporary accounts of a spirit world, purgatory, revenge, and suicide, and reports of readers and critics fascinated with the character and dramatic performance of this most famous of Shakespeare''s heroes. Elaborating upon the historical setting and the cultural ideas that helped shape "Hamlet", Constance Jordan summons the issues and anxieties of the early sixteenth century to show why the play, and especially its hero, speaks so powerfully and so vitally to our own time. -- From publisher''s description.

Henry V is a history play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written in approximately 1599. It tells the story of King Henry V of England, focusing on events immediately before and after the Battle of Agincourt (1415) during the Hundred Years'' War. In the First Quarto text, it was entitled The Cronicle History of Henry the fift,:p.6 which became The Life of Henry the Fifth in the First Folio text. The play is the final part of a tetralogy, preceded by Richard II, Henry IV, Part 1 and Henry IV, Part 2. The original audiences would thus have already been familiar with the title character, who was depicted in the Henry IV plays as a wild, undisciplined lad known as "Prince Harry" and by Falstaff as "Hal". In Henry V, the young prince has become a mature man and embarks on a successful conquest of France.

A tragedy, believed to have been written between 1599 and 1601. The play, set in Denmark, recounts how Prince Hamlet exacts revenge on his uncle Claudius, who has murdered Hamlet''s father, the King, and then taken the throne and married Hamlet''s mother. The play vividly charts the course of real and feigned madness-from overwhelming grief to seething rage-and explores themes of treachery, revenge, incest, and moral corruption.

The Tempest is a play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written in 1610–11, and thought by many critics to be the last play that Shakespeare wrote alone. It is set on a remote island, where Prospero, the rightful Duke of Milan, plots to restore his daughter Miranda to her rightful place using illusion and skilful manipulation. He conjures up a storm, the eponymous tempest, to lure his usurping brother Antonio and the complicit King Alonso of Naples to the island. There, his machinations bring about the revelation of Antonio''s lowly nature, the redemption of the King, and the marriage of Miranda to Alonso''s son, Ferdinand. There is no obvious single source for the plot of The Tempest, but researchers have seen parallels in Erasmus''s Naufragium, Peter Martyr''s De orbe novo, and eyewitness reports by William Strachey and Sylvester Jordain of the real-life shipwreck of the Sea Venture on the islands of Bermuda, and the subsequent conflict between Sir Thomas Gates and Sir George Somers. In addition, one of Gonzalo''s speeches is derived from Montaigne''s essay Of the Canibales, and much of Prospero''s renunciative speech is taken word for word from a speech by Medea in Ovid''s poem Metamorphoses. The masque in Act 4 may have been a later addition, possibly in honour of the wedding of Princess Elizabeth and Frederick V in 1613. The play was first published in the First Folio of 1623. The story draws heavily on the tradition of the romance, and it was influenced by tragicomedy, the courtly masque and perhaps the commedia dell''arte. It differs from Shakespeare''s other plays in its observation of a stricter, more organised neoclassical style. Critics see The Tempest as explicitly concerned with its own nature as a play, frequently drawing links between Prospero''s "art" and theatrical illusion, and early critics saw Prospero as a representation of Shakespeare, and his renunciation of magic as signalling Shakespeare''s farewell to the stage. The play portrays Prospero as a rational, and not an occultist, magician by providing a contrast to him in Sycorax: her magic is frequently described as destructive and terrible, where Prospero''s is said to be wondrous and beautiful. Beginning in about 1950, with the publication of Psychology of Colonization by Octave Mannoni, The Tempest was viewed more and more through the lens of postcolonial theory—exemplified in adaptations like Aimé Césaire''s Une Tempête set in Haiti—and there is even a scholarly journal on post-colonial criticism named after Caliban. The Tempest did not attract a significant amount of attention before the ban on the performance of plays in 1642, and only attained popularity after the Restoration, and then only in adapted versions. In the mid-19th century, theatre productions began to reinstate the original Shakespearean text, and in the 20th century, critics and scholars undertook a significant re-appraisal of the play''s value, to the extent that it is now considered to be one of Shakespeare''s greatest works. It has been adapted numerous times in a variety of styles and formats: in music, at least 46 operas by composers such as Fromental Halévy, Zdeněk Fibich and Thomas Adès; orchestral works by Tchaikovsky, Arthur Sullivan and Arthur Honegger; and songs by such diverse artists as Ralph Vaughan Williams, Michael Nyman and Pete Seeger; in literature, Percy Bysshe Shelley''s poem With a Guitar, To Jane and W. H. Auden''s The Sea and the Mirror; novels by Aimé Césaire and The Diviners by Margaret Laurence; in paintings by William Hogarth, Henry Fuseli, and John Everett Millais; and on screen, ranging through a hand-tinted version of Herbert Beerbohm Tree''s 1905 stage performance, the science fiction film Forbidden Planet in 1956, Peter Greenaway''s 1991 Prospero''s Books featuring John Gielgud as Prospero, to Julie Taymor''s 2010 film version which changed Prospero to Prospera (as played by Helen Mirren), and Des McAnuff''s 2010 Stratford Shakespeare Festival production which starred Christopher Plummer.

Henry VI, Part 3 (often written as 3 Henry VI) is a history play by William Shakespeare believed to have been written in 1591, and set during the lifetime of King Henry VI of England. Whereas 1 Henry VI deals with the loss of England''s French territories and the political machinations leading up to the Wars of the Roses, and 2 Henry VI focuses on the King''s inability to quell the bickering of his nobles, and the inevitability of armed conflict, 3 Henry VI deals primarily with the horrors of that conflict, with the once ordered nation thrown into chaos and barbarism as families break down and moral codes are subverted in the pursuit of revenge and power. Although the Henry VI trilogy may not have been written in chronological order, the three plays are often grouped together with Richard III to form a tetralogy covering the entire Wars of the Roses saga, from the death of Henry V in 1422 to the rise to power of Henry VII in 1485. It was the success of this sequence of plays which firmly established Shakespeare''s reputation as a playwright. Henry VI, Part 3 features the longest soliloquy in all of Shakespeare (3.2.124–195), and has more battle scenes (four on stage, one reported) than any other of Shakespeare''s plays.