Books by William Shakespeare

Cette célèbre tragédie de Shakespeare se déroule au Danemark. Après la mort du roi, sa veuve, la reine Gertrude, épouse Claudius, le frère de son défunt mari. Or la mort du roi n'est pas accidentelle comme on le croit. Son fantôme apparaît à Hamlet, lui révèle le nom de son assassin et demande vengeance contre le crime.

The play follows the King of Navarre and his three companions as they attempt to forswear the company of women for three years of study and fasting, and their subsequent infatuation with the Princess of Aquitaine and her ladies. In an untraditional ending for a comedy, the play closes with the death of the Princess's father, and all weddings are delayed for a year. The play draws on themes of masculine love and desire, reckoning and rationalization, and reality versus fantasy.

A historical play by William Shakespeare describing the life and death of Richard III. The play begins with Richard describing the accession to the throne of his brother, King Edward IV of England, eldest son of the late Richard, Duke of York. Richard plots to have his brother Clarence, who stands before him in the line of succession, conducted to the Tower of London over a prophecy he bribed a soothsayer to finagle the suspicious King with.

Polixenes is visiting the kingdom of Sicilia, and is enjoying catching up with his old friend. However, after nine months, Polixenes yearns to return to his own kingdom to tend to affairs and see his son. Leontes desperately attempts to get Polixenes to stay longer, but is unsuccessful. Leontes then decides to send his wife, Queen Hermione, to try to convince Polixenes. Hermione agrees and with three short speeches is successful. Leontes is puzzled as to how Hermione convinced Polixenes so easily, and Leontes suddenly goes insane and suspects that his pregnant wife has been having an affair with Polixenes and that the child is a bastard.

The Comedy of Errors tells the story of two sets of identical twins that were accidentally separated at birth. Antipholus of Syracuse and his servant, Dromio of Syracuse, arrive in Ephesus, which turns out to be the home of their twin brothers, Antipholus of Ephesus and his servant, Dromio of Ephesus. When the Syracusans encounter the friends and families of their twins, a series of wild mishaps based on mistaken identities lead to wrongful beatings, a near-seduction, the arrest of Antipholus of Ephesus, and false accusations of infidelity, theft, madness, and demonic possession.

A tragedy by William Shakespeare, one of several plays written by Shakespeare based on true events from Roman history. The play opens with the commoners of Rome celebrating Caesar's triumphant return from defeating Pompey's sons at the battle of Munda. Two tribunes, Flavius and Marrullus, discover the commoners celebrating, insult them for their change in loyalty from Pompey to Caesar, and break up the crowd.

The play is set in a duchy in France, but most of the action takes place in a location called the Forest of Arden. Arden, Warwickshire, near Shakespeare's home town, which was the ancestral origin of his mother's family—who incidentally were called Arden. It follows its heroine Rosalind as she flees persecution in her uncle's court, accompanied by her cousin Celia to find safety and, eventually, love, in the Forest of Arden. In the forest, they encounter a variety of memorable characters, notably the melancholy traveller Jaques who speaks many of Shakespeare's most famous speeches.

The comedy begins with an induction in which we follow a drunken tinker being tricked into believing he is a nobleman.  He then watches a play depicting nobleman Petruchio's marriage with an outspoken, intelligent and bad-tempered shrew named Katherine. Petruchio manipulates and tames her until she is obedient to his will. The main subplot features the courting of Katherine’s more conventional sister Bianca by numerous suitors. The content has become the subject of considerable controversy.

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.William Shakespeare, an English poet and playwright, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. His plays have been translated into every major living language and are performed more often than those of any other playwright.

Widely accepted as Shakespeare's earliest tragedy, "Titus Andronicus" is the bloody story of a Roman general engaged in terrible revenge with the Queen of the Goths, Tamora. The play begins with Titus returning to Rome after ten years of fighting. He brings with him the defeated Tamora, Queen of the Goths, and her sons. Titus sacrifices one of Tamora's sons to avenge the sons he lost in the war, which begins a cycle of revenge in which Tamora and her lover, Aaron the Moor, plot and scheme against the remaining children of Titus. This entails especially horrific results for his daughter Lavinia, whose fate is thought to be based on the mythological story of Procne and Philomela from Ovid's "Metamorphoses". The conclusion is full of further violence and death, with few characters remaining to tell the tragic story of Titus and his children. This edition is printed on premium acid-free paper, includes a preface and annotations by Henry N. Hudson, and an introduction by Charles Harold Herford.

The first play in William Shakespeare's tetralogy of plays which also includes "Henry IV, Part 1", "Henry IV, Part 2", and "Henry V", "Richard II" is believed to have been written around 1595. A history play, the drama concerns the last two years of the life of King Richard II of England, spanning the years 1398 to 1400. The drama begins with a dispute between Richard's cousin, Henry Bolingbroke, who would later become King Henry IV, and Thomas de Mowbray, first Duke of Norfolk. Henry has accused Mowbray of murdering his uncle, the Duke of Gloucester. Meanwhile, Henry's father, John of Gaunt, first Duke of Lancaster, believes it is Richard that is responsible for his brother's murder. Unable to resolve the matter by traditional methods it is agreed that the dispute will be settled through trial by battle between Bolingbroke and Mowbray. What ensues is a series of events that will bring about the tragic downfall of Richard. A study in the disastrous consequences of political miscalculation, "Richard II" begins the story of a dramatically Machiavellian period of England's rule. This edition is printed on premium acid-free paper, includes a preface and annotations by Henry N. Hudson, and an introduction by Charles Harold Herford.

Originally published in the First Folio of 1623, "Measure for Measure" is William Shakespeare's play which was likely written sometime in 1603 or 1604. The play begins with Vincentio, the Duke of Vienna, who leaves the government in charge of the authoritarian justice, Angelo, when he departs the city on a diplomatic mission. Lord Angelo believes that there is too much debauchery in the city and seeks to more strictly enforce laws against certain sexual activities. The story centers on Claudio who has impregnated his fiancée, Juliet, outside the bonds of marriage. Despite their plans to marry, Lord Angelo wishes to make an example of Claudio by sentencing him to death. Based upon two 16th century works, Italian novelist and poet Cinthio's "The Story of Epitia", and English dramatist George Whetstone's "Promos and Cassandra", "Measure for Measure", which is classified by most scholars as a comedy, is notable for being one of the bard's "problem plays", given its intermittent shifts in tone between darkly dramatic and comedic elements. This edition is printed on premium acid-free paper, includes a preface and annotations by Henry N. Hudson, and an introduction by Charles Harold Herford.

One of the last tragedies written by William Shakespeare, "Coriolanus" is the story of the legendary 5th century BC Roman general Caius Martius, later given the honorary name Coriolanus. Based largely on the biographical accounts of Plutarch and Livy, the play opens amongst riots over grain in which Coriolanus' contempt for the plebeians of Rome is exhibited. The general is drawn away from the riots to battle with the Volscian army. Following the conquest of the Volscian city of Corioli, he finds himself a hero and turns his ambition to politics. In his bid for a position in the Roman Senate, he discovers the power of both his allies and his enemies. Coriolanus quickly learns that his temperament is unsuited for success in the political arena. His militaristic pride, disdain for the concept of popular rule, as well as his unwillingness to slander his opponents, ultimately lead to his exile from Rome. A classic portrayal of the fledgling Roman Empire, "Coriolanus" is ultimately a tale of the tragic consequences of misplaced alliances. This edition is printed on premium acid-free paper, includes a preface and annotations by Henry N. Hudson, and an introduction by Charles Harold Herford.

Nature or Nurture--The Comedy of Errors tells the story of two sets of twins accidently separated and mixed at birth. When the four meet, a series of wild mishaps are set into motion by mistaken identities. This is a fast-paced farcical romp full of slapstick and wordplay: one of the bard's most fun plays.

Merry Mischief--Arriving in Windsor with very little money, John Falstaff decides to raise funds by wooing two wealthy, married women. His servants refuse to help him, and after being sacked they go to the husbands of Falstaff's intended targets. Falstaff send both women, Mistress Ford and Mistress Page, almost identical letters. The two discover Falstaff's intentions and together decide to make sport of him and pretend to be amenable to his advances.

Love and Deception--Hortensio and Gremio are competing suitors for the hand of the beautiful Bianca. However, Bianca's father will not let her wed until after her older sister Katherina has wed. Unfortunately Katherina is known as an ill-tempered shrew and as a result has no prospects. Hortensio and Gremio agree to work together to find someone to marry Katherina so that they will be free to compete for Bianca. But nothing proceeds as expected.

Magic and Intrigue--Prospero, a wizard, is the rightful Duke of Milan, but his brother, in league with the King, had deposed him and set him adrift with his 3-year-old daughter Miranda 12 years earlier. Through his mystical arts Prospero divines that his brother is on a ship passing close by. Prospero raises a tempest and drives his brother's ship toward the island and puts in motion a plan to restore his daughter to her rightful place.

Love and Fealty--Two Gentleman of Verona is one of Shakespeare's earliest plays. Here we can see him working through many of the themes that would make him the best-loved playwright of all time. Love, honor, societal values, and right and wrong are all considered in this memorable play.

Friendship and Trust--Leontes and Polixenes, friends from childhood, are having a protracted visit for the first time in years. After nine months Polixenes longs for his family and home and decided to leave. Leontes beseeches him to stay, but to no avail. Leontes asks his wife, Hermione, to ask Polixenes to stay. Upon being asked by Hermione he relents immediately. This sudden turn of events leads Leontes to question if his best friend and wife are having an affair.

Honor and Dignity--Two Noble Kinsmen is based on Geoffrey Chaucer's the Knight's Tale. Three queens ask Theseus and Hippolyta to avenge the deaths of their husbands at the hands of the tyrant Creon of Thebes. Theseus agrees and wages a war that changes the fate of many those involved. The play ends with a public tournament.

Deception and Pride--Bassanio, a Venetian nobleman, wishes to woo the beautiful and wealthy Portia, but he is short on funds. So he turns to his friend Antonio, a wealthy merchant. Antonio agrees to help, but currently he is cash strapped as all of his ships are at sea. He agrees instead to guarantee a loan for Bassanio. Bassanio turns to Antonio's rival and enemy Shylock for the loan.

Honor and Glory--King Henry V has put aside the indiscretion of youth and taken the throne upon his father's death. Faced with insurrection and a war with France, Henry must become a strong king or perish.