William Shakespeare
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The most admired and celebrated romantic tragedy in history, William Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet" is perhaps his best-known and oft-quoted play.
Chronicling the tragic tale of young love gone wrong, we are introduced to two warring families: the Montagues and the Capulets. When young Romeo of the Montague clan falls in love with Juliet from the house of Capulet, it sets the stage for a star-crossed and ultimately disastrous end as the two...
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One of Shakespeare's most frequently performed plays and regarded as maybe his best comedy, "A Midsummer Night's Dream" is the story of the events surrounding the wedding of Theseus, Duke and Athens, and the Amazonian queen Hippolyta. At the outset of the play we find Hermia, who is in love with Lysander but is betrothed by her father's arrangement to Demetrius. Meanwhile Helena laments her unrequited love of Demetrius. Several parallel and interconnecting...
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Othello-a play full of secret marriage, evil villains, and revenge! It's often credited as one of Shakespeare's greatest tragedies!. But if your like many people, you just don't get it! If you don't understand Shakespeare, then you are not alone.
If you have struggled in the past reading Shakespeare, then we can help you out. Our books and apps have been used and trusted by millions of students worldwide.
Plain and Simple English books, let you...
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The Taming of the Shrew: The 30-Minute Shakespeare offers eight scenes from this broad comedy. Opening with Petruchio and Kate's bawdy war of words, the drama continues with Bianca's courtship by Lucentio and Hortensio, disguised as pedants. The adaptation climaxes with the outlandish marriage scene, and Petruchio's relentless "taming" of Kate. The play ends with Kate's famous speech in praise of women's submission to their husbands, at once hilarious...
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"A master at engaging students in the process of performing a Shakespeare
scene."-Janet Field-Pickering, head of education, Folger Shakespeare Library
The Merchant of Venice: The 30-Minute Shakespeare features eight scenes from this gripping classic: Shylock loans Antonio money, with the forfeit being a pound of Antonio's flesh. Comedic mayhem ensues as two foreign princes attempt to win Portia's hand. The climax is the courtroom scene where Portia,...
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William Shakespeare's hilarious fairy tale (with actual fairies!) of love, magic potions and teenage rebellion, "A Midsummer Night's Dream" might be the most performed play in the history of the English-speaking theatre.
The play begins as Athenian Duke Theseus is preparing to wed Hippolyta, the Queen of the Amazons. As they ready for their nuptials, Theseus is asked to settle a dispute between a prominent local citizen Egeus and his headstrong...
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William Shakespeare's Henry V is the historical English drama of its title character. King Henry V ascends to the throne of England following the death of his father at the beginning of the play. The King soon makes a claim to parts of France based on some distant ancestral ties. When Dauphin, prince of France responds insultingly to Henry's claim, King Henry V orders England to invade France and the two nations soon find themselves at war.
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Responsibility and Honor-- In Henry IV, Part 2, Hal continues his journey of growth becoming a man fit to hold the throne of England. He distances himself from John Falstaff and takes up important responsibilities for his father, the King. For his part Falstaff is looking forward to a time when Hal becomes King and rewards him for his friendship. Rumour is a pipe Blown by surmises, jealousies, conjectures, And of so easy and so plain a stop That the...
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William Shakespeare's epic three-part chronicle of the events known as the Wars of the Roses, "Henry the Sixth Parts I-III" are among the finest of his history plays and features some of his most beloved characters, including "Mad" Queen Margaret and the scheming Duke of Gloucester, who will go on to become the infamous King Richard III in a later play.
Here, the story picks up after the death of King Henry V, who has left behind his infant...
90) The Longer Poems
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Although we know him best as a playwright, Shakespeare was also a poet, living as he did in an age when the writing of verse enhanced an author's literary reputation as well as his social standing. It's thought that he turned to poetry early in his career, from 1592-94, while London's playhouses were closed during an outbreak of plague. This collection contains four of the Bard's longer poems, consisting of meditations on the themes of sex, guilt,...
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In this hilarious and controversial play, William Shakespeare's "The Taming of the Shrew" introduces the audience to the fiery Katherine - daughter of the rich merchant Baptista - whose temper and independent spirit has driven away every suitor who has dared to ask for her hand.
Enter Petruchio, who has eyes for both Katherine and her considerable dowry. Can Petruchio marry and "tame" this wild and irascible hellcat? (Should such women be "tamed"...
93) El Rey Lear
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La trágica historia del anciano rey, la ingratitud filial, la locura, el despojo, el engaño, el desilusionado amor paterno, se muestran con tal intensidad −reflejada incluso en el clima− que sobrecogen y conmueven profundamente. El universo de Lear está lleno de contradicciones: donde se debiera respetar la autoridad, se atropella; donde los hijos debiesen honrar a sus padres, los ignoran o traicionan; donde la legitimidad debiese prevalecer...
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Magic! Betrayal! Revenge! Sounds like a YA fantasy novel, right? If only Shakespeare wasn't so Shakespeare!
It's not that Shakespeare is a bad writer-he's obviously one of the greatest, the problem is his plays were written hundreds of years ago and if you don't understand the context, the plays can be really confusing.
If you are struggling to get through The Tempest or if you just want a bit more help, then this book is for you!
Inside you will...
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William Shakespeare's The Winter's Tale was one of the last plays that the playwright would write. A classic romance with elements of tragedy, The Winter's Tale is an audience favorite and is often performed. The story revolves around Leontes, the King of Sicilia, who mistakenly comes to believe that his wife has committed adultery. In the end the truth is discovered and the two reconcile against the backdrop of a happy wedding celebration.
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Love and redemption rule the stage in The Two Gentlemen of Verona. Departing Verona for Milan, Valentine begs Proteus to join him. In love with Julia, Proteus demurs, only to be commanded to Milan by his father. In Milan, Proteus quickly forgets Julia, and falls in love with Silvia, the object of Valentine's affection. Desperate to win Silvia's affections Proteus betrays Valentine, only to have his treachery revealed in full view of Julia, who has...
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With over 500 offerings from the most quoted writer in the English language, this modestly priced volume provides a luxurious assortment of memorable and profound thoughts. Conveniently arranged by topic, the source of each quote is fully identified for subjects ranging from love and marriage to truth, beauty, death, music, and more. An ideal resource for writers, speakers, students of literature, and any lover of Shakespeare's works.
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Love, enchantment, and misadventure abound in four timeless comedies by the great Bard of Elizabethan England.
The Taming of the Shrew: After a battle of wits, the suitor Petruchio marries the headstrong lady Katherina and brings her to his home in Verona, where he sets about "taming" his willful bride into an obedient wife.
The Merchant of Venice: In the most dramatic of Shakespeare's comedies, a wealthy Venetian merchant is unable to repay a loan...
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Magic and Treachery– The Play starts which young King henry VI, Marrying Margaret of Anjou. William de la Pol has plans to influence Henry through his young wife. Magic and untrustworthy nobles threaten Henry's reign. Henry Cannot understand how anyone could be anything less than pious, or dishonest, which puts his reign into even deeper jeopardy.
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Romeo and Juliet, A Midsummer Night's Dream, King Lear, Hamlet, and Macbeth, the works of William Shakespeare still resonate in our imaginations four centuries after they were, written. The timeless characters and themes of the Bard's plays fascinate us with their joys, struggles, and triumphs, and now they are available in a single volume for Shakespeare fans. This edition of William Shakespeare's works includes all of his poems and plays in an elegant...