Books by William Shakespeare

The fight for the British throne between the Houses of York and Lancaster continues.Richard, Duke of York, in his quest for the crown, cajoles Henry to disinherit his son Edward, which enrages his mother, Queen Margaret. While the deal keeps Henry on the throne the conflict escalates between both sides. As civil war erupts, the Yorkists and the Lancasters face off in what became known as the War of the Roses.Meanwhile Queen Margaret raises her own troops in France to fight for her son's birthright."e;Henry VI, Part 3"e; is the third of four history plays (the others being "e;Henry VI, Part 1,"e; "e;Henry VI, Part 2"e; and "e;Richard III"e;) known collectively as the "e;first tetralogy."e; -

L'anziano re di Britannia, Lear, decide di abdicare al trono e dividere il proprio regno tra le sue tre figlie, in proporzione, pero, all'amore che le figlie gli avrebbero dimostrato.-

Macbeth torna vittorioso dal campo di battaglia e tre streghe gli profetizzano un glorioso destino, ivi compresa la Corona di Scozia. La sete di potere, condivisa e stimolata anche dalla moglie Lady Macbeth, lo spinge al delitto e infine all'amaro disinganno, per cui l'esistenza non e che "e;una favola raccontata da un idiota, piena di rumore e furore, che non significa nulla"e;.-

Il re di Danimarca e morto; il figlio ed erede al trono, il principe Amleto, vede apparire sugli spalti del castello di Elsinore il suo spettro che gli rivela di essere stato avvelenato dal proprio fratello Claudio, che ne ha poi sposato la vedova, la regina Gertrude ed ha usurpato il trono.-

In deze wraaktragedie gebiedt de geest van de koning van Denemarken zijn zoon, de Deense prins Hamlet, om wraak te nemen op zijn broer Claudius. Claudius heeft zijn eigen broer, de koning van Denemarken en de vader van Hamlet, vermoord en zijn plaats op de troon ingenomen.-

De roemrijke Romeinse generaal Coriolanus besluit de politiek in te gaan. Zijn temperament maakt hem echter ongeschikt voor politiek leiderschap, zodat hij al snel wordt afgezet. Op zoek naar eerherstel gaat hij allianties aan waaraan hij uiteindelijk ten onder gaat.-

In het Italiaanse Verona strijden twee adellijke families met elkaar: Montague en Capulet. Romeo komt op een feest van vader Capulet terecht terwijl hij daar als een Montague niet hoort. Net voordat hij herkend wordt ziet hij de dertienjarige Julia, de dochter van Capulet, op wie hij meteen verliefd wordt en die liefde is wederzijds. Om ruzie te voorkomen duldt Capulet Romeo's aanwezigheid. Na het feest gaat Romeo de tuin van Capulet in, waar hij Julia bij het raam ziet staan. Daar verklaren ze elkaar de liefde, maar kunnen ze op de goedkeuring van hun families rekenen?-

De zwarte legerofficier Othello trouwt in het geheim met Desdemona, dochter van een senator in Venetie, waardoor hij als legeraanvoerder op Cyprus wordt aangesteld. Cassio benoemt hij tot luitenant, zodat de jaloerse Iago zich gepasseerd voelt en zowel Cassio als Othello ten valt wilt brengen. Door Iago's geraffineerde insinuaties gaat Othello geloven dat zijn vrouw hem bedriegt met Cassio. Othello ontslaat Cassio dan, maar daar blijft het niet bij...-

Bruiloften en dates zijn goed materiaal. Dat weet Hollywood en dat wist Shakespeare ook, toen hij de komedie 'Een Midzomernachtsdroom' schreef. Het verhaal speelt zich af in Athene, waar Hertog Theseus zijn bruiloftsplannen doorneemt met de amazonekoningin Hippolyta. Alsof ze hun handen niet al vol hebben aan hun eigen bruiloft komt Egeus binnen met de kwestie van zijn dochter Hermia, die hij wilt laten trouwen met de adelaar Demetrius. Maar Hermia wil alleen met haar geliefde Lysander trouwen. Theseus besluit dat Hermia mag kiezen: trouwen met Demetrius, intreden in het klooster, of de doodstraf. Hermia besluit met Lysander het bos in te vluchten waar de wet van Athene niet geldt. Maar in dat diepe stille bos zijn er ook relatieproblemen: hier is het de plaaggeest Puk die vertelt dat er problemen zijn tussen elfenkoning Oberon en elfenkoningin Titania. Oberon is jaloers en maakt ruzie met Titania. Hij wil wraak nemen met een magisch sap, dat in de verkeerde handen eindigt. Dit brengt een kettingreactie van amoureuze verwikkelingen met zich mee voor zowel de mensen als voor de elfen en alsof dat nog niet genoeg was, krijgen we ook nog het bruiloftsvermaak te zien van zes bouwvakkers die een theaterstuk moeten opvoeren voor Theseus en Hippolyta's bruiloft. De komedie is opgebouwd uit vele lagen en is een klassieker geworden, omdat het stuk niet alleen de eeuwig hinderlijke liefde op een geestige manier behandeld, maar ook speelt met de relatie tussen werkelijkheid en illusie. Het stuk is ontelbare keren verfilmd, o.a. in 1935 door Max Reinhardt en William Dieterle, in 1968 door Peter Hall en in 1982 door Woody Allen.-

Shakespeare's sonnets are amongst the most admired, complex and beautiful poems ever written. This gorgeous new collection includes sonnets from Romeo and Juliet, Henry V and Love's Labour's Lost, to create a comprehensive collection from the greatest writer of the English poetic form.

Romeo and Juliet is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare early in his career about two young star-crossed lovers whose deaths ultimately reconcile their feuding families. It was among Shakespeare's most popular plays during his lifetime and along with Hamlet, is one of his most frequently performed plays. Today, the title characters are regarded as archetypal young lovers. Romeo and Juliet belongs to a tradition of tragic romances stretching back to antiquity. The plot is based on an Italian tale translated into verse as The Tragical History of Romeus and Juliet by Arthur Brooke in 1562 and retold in prose in Palace of Pleasure by William Painter in 1567. Shakespeare borrowed heavily from both but expanded the plot by developing a number of supporting characters, particularly Mercutio and Paris. Believed to have been written between 1591 and 1595, the play was first published in a quarto version in 1597.

Much Ado About Nothing is a comedy by William Shakespeare thought to have been written in 1598 and 1599. The play was included in the First Folio, published in 1623. The play is set in Messina and revolves around two romantic pairings that emerge when a group of soldiers arrive in the town. The first, between Claudio and Hero, is nearly altered by the accusations of the villain, Don John. The second romance, between Claudio''s friend Benedick and Hero''s cousin Beatrice, takes center stage as the play goes on, with both characters'' wit and banter providing much of the humor.

A Midsummer Night''s Dream is a comedy written by William Shakespeare c. 1595 or 1596. The play is set in Athens, and consists of several subplots that revolve around the marriage of Theseus and Hippolyta. One subplot involves a conflict among four Athenian lovers. Another follows a group of six amateur actors rehearsing the play which they are to perform before the wedding. Both groups find themselves in a forest inhabited by fairies who manipulate the humans and are engaged in their own domestic intrigue. The play is one of Shakespeare''s most popular and is widely performed.

The Merchant of Venice is a 16th-century play written by William Shakespeare in which a merchant in Venice named Antonio defaults on a large loan provided by a Jewish moneylender, Shylock. It is believed to have been written between 1596 and 1599. Although classified as a comedy in the First Folio and sharing certain aspects with Shakespeare''s other romantic comedies, the play is most remembered for its dramatic scenes, and it is best known for Shylock and his famous "Hath not a Jew eyes?" speech on humanity. Also notable is Portia''s speech about "the quality of mercy".

Shakespeare''s sonnets are poems written by William Shakespeare on a variety of themes. When discussing or referring to Shakespeare''s sonnets, it is almost always a reference to the 154 sonnets that were first published all together in a quarto in 1609. However, there are six additional sonnets that Shakespeare wrote and included in the plays Romeo and Juliet, Henry V and Love''s Labour''s Lost. There is also a partial sonnet found in the play Edward III.

The plays of Shakespeare have been recently added to our Arcturus Classics series, featuring striking contemporary cover designs.

One of most Shakespeare''s most enduringly popular and most often staged works.

The plays of Shakespeare have been recently added to our Arcturus Classics series, featuring striking contemporary cover designs.

Designed for "teaching the conflicts," this critical edition of Shakespeare's "The Tempest" reprints the authoritative Bevington text of the play along with 21 selections representing major critical and cultural controversies surrounding the work. The distinctive editorial material helps readers grapple not only with the play's critical issues but also with cultural debates about literature itself. The second edition includes four new readings, revised headnotes that more helpfully contextualize the critical essays, a portfolio of visual representations of Caliban, and an appendix on writing about critical controversies and "The Tempest."

The ships carrying the King of Naples and his entourage are caught up in a violent storm. Plunged into the turbulent sea, they arrive separately on the same nearby island. Not only do they believe that the others have perished, they are also unaware that the storm was intentional.

"Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?" Strofen er ligeså udødelig som Romeo og Julies kærlighed. Man ved ikke præcis hvornår den er skrevet, men siden den oprindelige udgivelse i 1609 har Shakespeares sonetter været kendt og elsket verden over. Denne genudgivelse af Johannes Valdemar Østerbergs oversættelse fra 1944 rummer alle 154 sonetter, der på smukkeste vis skildrer evigtgyldige temaer som kærlighed og utroskab, jalousi, skønhed og forgængelighed.Den engelske skuespilforfatter William Shakespeare (1564-1616) er bredt anerkendt som verdens største dramatiker. Hans skuespil er oversat til alle moderne sprog og bliver opført mere end nogen anden skuespilforfatters stykker. Udover virket som forfatter arbejdede Shakespeare som skuespiller, og han er endvidere en af Englands allerstørste digtere nogensinde. Han står bag 39 skuespil, 154 sonetter og flere andre digte.