Although one of his lesser known plays, Shakespeare's considerable abilities as a playwright are readily apparent in "Troilus and Cressida." This historical and tragic 'problem play', thought to be inspired by Chaucer, Homer, and some of Shakespeare's history-recording contemporaries, is initially a tale of a man and woman in love during the Trojan War. When Cressida is given to the Greeks in exchange for a prisoner of war, Troilus is determined to...

Classic Books Library presents this new beautiful edition of William Shakespeare's play, "Titus Andronicus" (1594). This edition features a specially commissioned new biography of William Shakespeare. Unlike Shakespeare's other plays based on Roman histories, the story of "Titus Andronicus" is a fictional work. The play dramatises the gruesome events that take place in the battle for a nation between the brutal Roman general Titus and his powerful...

The second play in William Shakespeare's tetralogy of plays which also includes "Richard II", "Henry IV, Part 2", and "Henry V", "Henry IV, Part 1" is believed to have been written no later than 1597. A history play, the drama concerns the unquiet reign of Henry Bolingbroke. Following the usurpation of the throne, Henry IV is plagued with guilt over his role in the imprisonment and death of King Richard II. In order to resolve himself of this internal...

Believed to have been written in 1591, William Shakespeare's "Richard III" is one of the bards first plays, the first installment in a tetralogy of plays which includes "Henry IV, Part I," "Henry IV, Part II," and "Henry V." One of the longest of Shakespeare's plays and consequently rarely performed unabridged, "Richard III" is the story of the Machiavellian rise to power and subsequent short reign of King Richard III of England. The play begins with...

Performed as early as 1611 and published in the "First Folio" in 1623, Shakespeare's "Cymbeline" weaves an elaborate tale of palatial envy and power in Ancient Britain. Cymbeline, King of Britain, commands that his lovely young daughter Imogen marry Cloten, the violent and callous son of the current Queen by her former husband. With her heart already promised to the poor yet heroic Posthumus, Imogen refuses. Disgusted at the prospect of his daughter...

Contains facsimile reproduction of the frontispiece to 'The comedy of errors' in Rowe's edition of Shakespeare (1709)The text is that of Craig's Oxford Shakespeare with alterations.Bibliography: p. [91]-92.Includes index.

Play in five acts by William Shakespeare, produced in 1610-11 and published in the First Folio of 1623. One of Shakespeare's final plays, The Winter's Tale is a romantic comedy with elements of tragedy and is noted for its use of realism. The plot is based on the play Pandosto (1588) by Robert Greene. Leontes, the king of Sicilia, jealously believes that his faithful wife Hermione has committed adultery with his old friend Polixenes, the king of Bohemia....

Contains facsimile reproduction of the title-page of the Elizabethan club copy of the first separate edition of "All's well that ends well," London, 1734.The text is that of Craig's Oxford Shakespeare, with alterations."Suggestions for collateral reading": p. [129]Includes index.

With facsimile of the t-p. of the Elizabethan Club copy of the only early quarto edition.Bibliography: p. [130].Includes index.

One of the greatest plays of all time, the compelling tragedy of the tormented young prince of Denmark continues to capture the imaginations of modern audiences worldwide. Confronted with evidence that his uncle murdered his father, and with his mother's infidelity, Hamlet must find a means of reconciling his longing for oblivion with his duty as avenger. The ghost, Hamlet's feigned madness, Ophelia's death and burial, the play within a play, the...