Book Club Edition Volume 1 typically includes his comedies and histories: The comedies (e.g., A Midsummer Night's Dream, Twelfth Night, As You Like It) feature humorous misunderstandings, love, and mistaken identities, often resolving in joyful endings. The histories (e.g., Henry V, Richard III) dramatize the lives of English kings, exploring themes of leadership, honor, and the complexities of power. Volume 2 often contains his tragedies and romances: The tragedies (e.g., Hamlet, Macbeth, Othello, King Lear) delve into dark, intense narratives, marked by fatal flaws, moral dilemmas, and profound loss. The romances or late plays (e.g., The Tempest, The Winter's Tale, Cymbeline) blend tragic elements with redemptive endings, exploring forgiveness, renewal, and reconciliation. The collection also includes Shakespeare's 154 sonnets, which reflect on themes of love, time, and mortality, and his longer narrative poems like Venus and Adonis.