William Shakespeare

Antony and Cleopatra is one of Shakespeare's greatest tragedies: a spectacular, widely-ranging drama of love and war, passion and politics. Antony is divided between the responsibilities of imperial power and the intensities of his sexual relationship with Cleopatra. She, variously generous and ruthless, loving and jealous, petulant and majestic, emerges as Shakespeare's most complex depiction of a woman: 'Age cannot wither her, nor custom stale / Her infinite variety.'

The Taming of the Shrew is one of the most famous and controversial of Shakespeare's comedies. The central relationship, in which Petruchio boisterously 'tames' a rebellious Kate, has often appeared problematic. In the theatre, it has been treated in a diversity of ways, so that Kate's apparent capitulation varies between the ironic and the sincere. Feminists have been divided in their responses.

»Julius Caesar» is among the best of Shakespeare's historical and political plays. Dealing with events surrounding the assassination of Julius Caesar in 44 B.C., the drama vividly illustrates the ways in which power and corruption are linked. The cry 'Peace, freedom and liberty!' is used to exculpate brutal realities, while personal ambitions taint public actions. Rich in characterization and replete with eloquent rhetoric, «Julius Caesar» remains engrossing and topical: a play for today.

Its lyricism, comedy (both broad and subtle) and magical transformations have long made A Midsummer Night’s Dream one of the most popular of Shakespeare’s works. The supernatural and the mundane, the illusory and the substantial, are all shimmeringly blended. Love is treated as tragic, poignant, absurd and farcical. 'Lord, what fools these mortals be!', jeers Robin Goodfellow; but the joke may be on him and on his master Oberon when Bottom the weaver, his head transformed into that of an ass, is embraced by the voluptuously amorous Titania.

This is an intense drama of love, deception, jealousy and destruction. Desdemona’s love for Othello, the Moor, transcends racial prejudice; but the envious Iago conspires to devastate their lives. In its vivid rendering of racism, sexism, contested identities, and the savagery lurking within civilisation, Othello is arguably the most topical and accessible tragedy from Shakespeare’s major phase as a dramatist.

This play has been popular on the stage during the last three centuries and has proved itself admirable suited to adaptation as pure farce and musical spectacle.

An exciting new edition of the complete works of Shakespeare with these features: Illustrated with photographs from New York Shakespeare Festival productions, vivid readable introductions for each play by noted scholar David Bevington, a lively personal foreword by Joseph Papp, an insightful essay on the play in performance, modern spelling and pronunciation, up-to-date annotated bibliographies, and convenient listing of key passages.

An exciting new edition of the complete works of Shakespeare with these features: Illustrated with photographs from New York Shakespeare Festival productions, vivid readable introductions for each play by noted scholar David Bevington, a lively personal foreword by Joseph Papp, an insightful essay on the play in performance, modern spelling and pronunciation, up-to-date annotated bibliographies, and convenient listing of key passages.

An exciting new edition of the complete works of Shakespeare with these features: Illustrated with photographs from New York Shakespeare Festival productions, vivid readable introductions for each play by noted scholar David Bevington, a lively personal foreword by Joseph Papp, an insightful essay on the play in performance, modern spelling and pronunciation, up-to-date annotated bibliographies, and convenient listing of key passages.

An exciting new edition of the complete works of Shakespeare with these features: Illustrated with photographs from New York Shakespeare Festival productions, vivid readable introductions for each play by noted scholar David Bevington, a lively personal foreword by Joseph Papp, an insightful essay on the play in performance, modern spelling and pronunciation, up-to-date annotated bibliographies, and convenient listing of key passages.

An exciting new edition of the complete works of Shakespeare with these features: Illustrated with photographs from New York Shakespeare Festival productions, vivid readable introductions for each play by noted scholar David Bevington, a lively personal foreword by Joseph Papp, an insightful essay on the play in performance, modern spelling and pronunciation, up-to-date annotated bibliographies, and convenient listing of key passages.

Contains Hamlet, Othello, King Lear and Macbeth.

In Venice, Bassanio needs money to court a rich heiress. His merchant friend Antonio borrows the money from Shylock, a Jewish moneylender. Shylock demands that the money is repaid in three months or he will take a pound of Antonio’s flesh. The merchant confidently agrees, but ultimately it will take the intelligence of two women to save him...

After surviving a shipwreck off the coast of Illyria, Viola disguises herself as a boy to get a position at the court of Duke Orsino, who is in love with beautiful Olivia. Unknown to Viola, her twin brother Sebastian has also survived the shipwreck. When he too arrives in Illyria, confusion and misunderstandings follow. After many cases of mistaken identity, who will be lucky in love? The lovesick Duke, mournful Olivia or practical Viola?

The Montagues and the Capulets hate each other and so when Romeo and Juliet fall in love they are forced into secrecy and subterfuge. Will true love survive? Will the two families make peace?

There is discontent in Rome among the people and aristocrats. The people are angry because of a grain shortage and the aristocrats are worried that Julius Caesar will seek to become king. A group of conspirators led by Brutus decides to assassinate Caesar. At first everything seems to go well for them, but soon the conspirators find themselves pursued by the ‘Spirit of Caesar’. Shakespeare’s text has been adapted into an accessible narrated story which retains the drama of the original play.

Macbeth is loyal and courageous, and is a friend of King Duncan’s. However, after a battle he encounters three witches who tell him that one day he will be King of Scotland. Soon his obsession to become king is reinforced by his wife’s cold-blooded ambition...

Shakespeare's Scottish story of witchcraft and murder is probably one of his darkest works. Macbeth's bloody rise to power is encouraged by his wife, Lady Macbeth. Like her husband, Lady Macbeth's ambition leads her into a dark world of guilt and madness which slowly destroys their marriage, and ends in tragedy.