William Shakespeare

Light Paperback (1 lb or less)

Iowa

Critical commentary and historical background accompany the text of the tragedy of Richard III's seizure of power and eventual defeat

Richard III

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New Jersey

In Richard III, Shakespeare invites us on a moral holiday. The play draws us to identify with Richard and his fantasy of total control of self and domination of others. Not yet king at the start of the play, Richard presents himself as an enterprising villain as he successfully plans to dispose of his brother Clarence. Richard achieves similar success in conquering the woman he chooses to marry. He carves a way to the throne through assassination and executions. The authoritative edition of Richard III from The Folger Shakespeare Library, the trusted and widely used Shakespeare series for students and general readers, is now available as an ebook. Features include: · The exact text of the printed book for easy cross-reference · Hundreds of hypertext links for instant navigation · Freshly edited text based on the best early printed version of the play · Full explanatory notes conveniently placed on pages facing the text of the play · Scene-by-scene plot summaries · A key to famous lines and phrases · An introduction to reading Shakespeare’s language · Illustrations from the Folger Shakespeare Library’s vast holdings of rare books · An essay by a leading Shakespeare scholar providing a modern perspective on the play

Paperback (1 to 2 lbs)

Delaware

Because Orsino is hopelessly in love with the aloof Countess Olivia, he doesn't notice Viola, who, disguised as a boy, is in love with him. This comedy's plot bristles with intrigues galore, but all finally ends happily as lovers are paired. Books in this new, illustrated series present complete texts of Shakespeare's plays. However, the lines are set up so students can see the bard's original poetic phrases printed side-by-side and line-by-line with a modern "translation" on the facing page. Starting in the late 1580s and for several decades that followed, Shakespeare's plays were popular entertainment for London's theatergoers. His Globe Theatre was the equivalent of a Broadway theater in today's New York. The plays have endured, but over the course of 400+ years, the English language has changed in many ways—which is why today's students often find Shakespeare's idiom difficult to comprehend. Simply Shakespeare offers an excellent solution to their problem. Introducing each play is a general essay covering Shakespeare's life and times. At the beginning of each of the five acts in every play, a two-page spread describes what is about to take place. The story's background is explained, followed by brief descriptions of key people who will appear in the act, details students should watch for as the story unfolds, discussion of the play's historical context, how the play was staged in Shakespeare's day, and explanation of puns and plays on words that occur in characters' dialogues. Identifying icons preceding each of these study points are printed in a second color, then are located again as cross-references in the play's original text. For instance, where words spoken by a person in the play offer insights into his or another character's personality, the "Characters" icon will appear as a cross-reference in both the introductory spread and the play proper. Following each act, a closing spread presents questions and discussion points for use as teachers' aids. Guided by the inspiring format of this fine new series, both teachers and students will come to understand and appreciate the genius of Shakespeare as never before.

Twelfth Night

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California

Love's Labour's Lost, now recognized as one of the most delightful and stageworthy of Shakespeare's comedies, came into its own both on the stage and in critical esteem only during the 1930s and 1940s--after nearly three hundred years of neglect by the theater and misuse by critics. In thisnew critical edition, Hibbard pays particular attention to this process of rehabilitation. Based on the quarto of 1598, and drawing on recent scholarly analysis, he proposes that the quarto goes back, probably by way of a "lost" quarto, to an authorial manuscript that represents the play in a stateprior to "fair copy." He offers numerous original readings of difficult and disputed passages, and a helpful commentary to the play's scintillating language.

Love's Labour's Lost

7b5ab2dd-71f5-4f94-a58a-24e284fbea9a-1

Georgia

Or, What You Will

The Signet Classics edition of William Shakespeare's comedy of lovers misled.

Romantic folly and false identites abound as an unusual love triangle takes the stage in this play about Orsino, the infatuated Duke of Illyria; Olivia, the countess he pursues; and Viola, the woman disguised as a man who comes between them.

This revised Signet Classics edition includes unique features such as-

. An overview of Shakespeare's life, world, and theater
.A special introduction to the play by the editor, Herschel Baker
. Selections from Barnabe Rich, Of Apolonius and Silla, the source from which Shakespeare derived Twelfth Night
. Dramatic criticism from Samuel Johnson, William Hazlitt, Charles Lamb, and others
. A comprehensive stage and screen history of notable actors, directors, and productions
. Text, notes, and commentaries printed in the clearest, most readable text
. And more...

Name inside the cover and on the first page. Various highlights throughout 

Virginia

In this quintessential Shakespearean drama, Hamlet's halting pursuit of revenge for his father's death unfolds in a series of highly charged confrontations that climax in tragedy. Probing the depths of human feeling like few other works of art, the play is reprinted here from an authoritative British edition complete with illuminating footnotes. A selection of the Common Core State Standards Initiative.

Hamlet

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Published 1998, Signet Classics Newly Revised Edition 

Newly Revised Edition 

Critical and historical notes accompany this comedy of fairies, star-crossed lovers, and workmen trying to put on a wedding celebration play

A Midsummer Night's Dream

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Here are the books that help teach Shakespeare plays without the teacher constantly needing to explain and define Elizabethan terms, slang, and other ways of expression that are different from our own. Each play is presented with Shakespeare's original lines on each left-hand page, and a modern, easy-to-understand "translation" on the facing right-hand page. All dramas are complete, with every original Shakespearian line, and a full-length modern rendition of the text.

Romeo and Juliet

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North Carolina

Shakespeare's popular comedy of love and mistaken identity is accompanied by a section on reading Shakespeare's language, information on Shakespeare's life and theater, explanatory notes, annotated reading lists, and an essay

The Signet Classics edition of one of William Shakespeare's greatest tragedies.

Full of cruelty and betrayal, King Learis the timeless and tragic story of a kingdom held in the thrall of an aging ruler's descent into madness. Desperate for praise, he banishes those who would guide him with honesty and surrounds himself with sycophants-an action that leads to his ultimate downfall....

This revised Signet Classics edition includes unique features such as-

. An overview of Shakespeare's life, world, and theater
.A special introduction to the play by the editor, Russell Fraser
. Selections from Raphael Holinshed's Chronicles of England, Scotland, and Ireland, Sir Philip Sidney's Arcadia, and The True Chronicle History of King Lear, the sources from which Shakespeare derived King Lear
. Dramatic criticism from Samuel Johnson, A. C. Bradley, John Russell Brown, and others
. A comprehensive stage and screen history of notable actors, directors, and productions
. Text, notes, and commentaries printed in the clearest, most readable text
. And more...

King Lear

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Louisiana

New Kittredge Shakespeare editions combine performance issues in feature films with the clarity of Kittredge's notes to provide an entry for students to Shakespeare's plays. Included: performance notes, essays on reading that play as a performance.

The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark

Light Hardcover (1 lb or less)

New York

Macbeth

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Mississippi

Much Ado about Nothing, a Midsummer Night's Dream, as You Like It, Twelfth Night, the Merry Wives of Windsor

Merriment abounds in these beloved comedies by the Bard, in forms that range from magical mischief to rollicking farce. Five of Shakespeare's most popular comedies appear here, in one convenient and economical volume. Contents include: Much Ado About Nothing, in which a betrothed couple set a lover's trap for a confirmed bachelor and his sharp-tongued sparring partner Twelfth Night; or What You Will, the tale of a shipwrecked maiden who disguises herself as a boy and assists a duke in wooing a recalcitrant sweetheart A Midsummer Night's Dream, in which the fairies of an enchanted forest employ a love potion to sport with four young lovers As You Like It, concerning the retreat of banished royalty to a greenwood, where the constraints of everyday life are loosened and the characters free to reinvent themselves The Merry Wives of Windsor, starring the jolly old rogue Sir John Falstaff in a madcap romp that gives his greed and vanity a humorous comeuppance.

Five Great Comedies

6742a087-958d-43f9-8036-f9750882f1ff-1

Pennsylvania

Hamlet, Othello, King Lear, Macbeth

Hamlet One of the most famous plays of all time, the compelling tragedy of the young prince of Denmark who must reconcile his longing for oblivion with his duty to avenge his father’s murder is one of Shakespeare’s greatest works. The ghost, Ophelia’s death and burial, the play within a play, and the breathtaking swordplay are just some of the elements that make Hamlet a masterpiece of the theater. Othello This great tragedy of unsurpassed intensity and emotion is played out against Renaissance splendor. The doomed marriage of Desdemona to the Moor Othello is the focus of a storm of tension, incited by the consummately evil villain Iago, that culminates in one of the most deeply moving scenes in theatrical history. King Lear Here is the famous and moving tragedy of a king who foolishly divides his kingdom between his two wicked daughters and estranges himself from the young daughter who loves him–a theatrical spectacle of outstanding proportions. Macbeth No dramatist has ever seen with more frightening clarity into the heart and mind of a murderer than has Shakespeare in this brilliant and bloody tragedy of evil. Taunted into asserting his “masculinity” by his ambitious wife, Macbeth chooses to embrace the Weird Sisters’ prophecy and kill his king–and thus, seals his own doom. Each Edition Includes: • Comprehensive explanatory notes • Vivid introductions and the most up-to-date scholarship • Clear, modernized spelling and punctuation, enabling contemporary readers to understand the Elizabethan English • Completely updated, detailed bibliographies and performance histories • An interpretive essay on film adaptations of the play, along with an extensive filmography

Four Tragedies

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Slightly marked cover, slightly bent spine, and one taped up corner. Book is overall sturdy otherwise. Not my favorite play by Shakespeare, so I wasn’t to pass it on. 

Massachusetts

The Signet Classics edition of William Shakespeare's fantastical play that combines elements of tragedy and comedy.

Prospero-sorcerer and rightful Duke of Milan-has lived a reclusive life with his daughter Miranda in the years since his position was usurped by his brother, Antonio. Now, as Antonio's ship passes near Prospero's island home, the sorcerer conjures up a terrible storm that will change all of their destinies....

This revised Signet Classics edition includes unique features such as-

. An overview of Shakespeare's life, world, and theater
.A special introduction to the play by the editor, Robert Langbaum
. Selections from William Strachey, Sylvester Jourdain, Montaigne, and Ovid, sources from which Shakespeare derived The Tempest
. Dramatic criticism from Samuel Taylor Coleridge, E.M.W. Tillyard, Lori Jerrell, and others
. A comprehensive stage and screen history of notable actors, directors, and productions
. Text, notes, and commentaries printed in the clearest, most readable text
. And more...

The Tempest

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Henry VI, Part 2 presents a kind of story that was popular before Shakespeare began writing, tracing the fall of powerful individuals to their untimely deaths. The first to go is the Duke of Gloucester, Lord Protector of England and the most powerful man in the kingdom, who is murdered after his wife goes into exile.

Next to meet a bad end is the Duke of Suffolk, the queen's lover, who rules England through her. After Suffolk conspires with the cardinal of Winchester to kill Gloucester, he is banished and assassinated. The cardinal dies raving of his own guilt.

Ultimately, the king's weakness lies behind these events. Preferring spiritual contemplation, he has left others to contend for power. Now his liberty is at risk as Jack Cade, and then the Duke of York, rise against him. The play leaves us in suspense about Henry's fate by ending with the start of the Wars of the Roses--a conflict setting the white rose of the Duke of York against the red rose of King Henry, of the House of Lancaster.

The authoritative edition of Henry VI, Part 2 from The Folger Shakespeare Library, the trusted and widely used Shakespeare series for students and general readers, includes:

-Freshly edited text based on the best early printed version of the play
-Full explanatory notes conveniently placed on pages facing the text of the play
-Scene-by-scene plot summaries
-A key to the play's famous lines and phrases
-An introduction to reading Shakespeare's language
-An essay by a leading Shakespeare scholar providing a modern perspective on the play
-Fresh images from the Folger Shakespeare Library's vast holdings of rare books
-An annotated guide to further reading

Essay by Nina Levine

The Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington, DC, is home to the world's largest collection of Shakespeare's printed works, and a magnet for Shakespeare scholars from around the globe. In addition to exhibitions open to the public throughout the year, the Folger offers a full calendar of performances and programs. For more information, visit Folger.edu.

Henry VI Part 2

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Dover Thrift Edition of William Shakespeare’s sonnets. Perfect for a literature class or your own library collection. 

Illinois

Without a doubt the most important of Shakespeare's nondramatic works, the sonnets have engendered reams of scholarly disputation as to the identity of "the dark lady" and the "lovely boy" to whom the vast majority are addressed. Controversy has also long simmered over the full name of the "W.H." of the dedication. What is not in dispute is the superior quality of these lyrics, which rank among the finest sonnets ever written -- in any language.
Overt 150 poems deal with love, friendship, the tyranny of time, beauty's evanescence in power, death, and other themes in language unsurpassed in power, precision, and beauty. Now this inexpensive Dover edition enables any lover of poetry or fine literature to have this exquisite verse in his or her personal library. A brief glossary illuminates a number of archaic terms.

William Shakespeare - Complete Sonnets

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A collection of sonnets and other poems by William Shakespeare explores the nature of love

All the Love Poems of Shakespeare

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One of the great Shakespearean tragedies, Macbeth is a dark and bloody drama of ambition, murder, guilt, and revenge. Prompted by the prophecies of three mysterious witches and goaded by his ambitious wife, the Scottish thane Macbeth murders Duncan, King of Scotland, in order to succeed him on the throne. This foul deed soon entangles the conscience-stricken nobleman in a web of treachery, deceit, and more murders, which ultimately spells his doom. Set amid the gloomy castles and lonely heaths of medieval Scotland, Macbeth paints a striking dramatic portrait of a man of honor and integrity destroyed by a fatal character flaw and the tortures of a guilty imagination.
A selection of the Common Core State Standards Initiative.

The Tragedy of Macbeth

Florida

Here are the books that help teach Shakespeare plays without the teacher constantly needing to explain and define Elizabethan terms, slang, and other ways of expression that are different from our own. Each play is presented with Shakespeare's original lines on each left-hand page, and a modern, easy-to-understand "translation" on the facing right-hand page. All dramas are complete, with every original Shakespearian line, and a full-length modern rendition of the text. Helpful background information that puts each play in its historical perspective. Discussion questions that teachers can use to spark student class participation, and which students can use as springboards for their own themes and term papers. Fact quizzes, sample examinations, and other features that improve student comprehension of what each play is about.

A Midsummer Nights Dream

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Alec McCown

Five Act comedy. First performed in about 1600 and published in his First Folio in 1623. 
Nice clean copy. No writing, dog ears or tears. Outside page edges clean - a little discoloration from light exposure. Spine intact with no outside creasing. Cover shows minimal shelf wear. 

Michigan

One of the most entertaining of Shakespeare's comedies " AS YOU LiKE IT" (1599) is a tale of fraternal intrique and tangled romance, set largely in the mysterious Forest of Arden.

As You Like It

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Wyoming

One of the most popular of all Shakespeare's history plays, Henry IV, Part I re-creates actual events from early-15th-century English history as King Henry deals a rebellion inside with his kingdom led by Harry Percy ("Hotspur") and other notables. Besides this mutinous action, the king must also contend with the dissolute ways of his son, Prince Hal, who spends much of his time in the company of the witty, rotund, tavern-haunting Sir John Falstaff, one of Shakespeare's immortal comic characters. During the rebellion against his father, however, Hal acquits himself honorably in battle, portending the eventual transformation in later plays of the wild prince into a great warrior-king.
These various themes are woven together here in a superb blend of brilliantly staged scenes depicting the king's attempts to pacify the rebels and maintain his power, the plotting of Percy and other insurgents, grim action on the battlefield, and the low comedy of Falstaff and his comrades -- all brought to life in some of Shakespeare's finest blank verse and raciest prose.

Henry IV

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David Scott Kastan

Barnes & Noble Shakespeare edition.
Nice, clean text. No writing or tears. Front few top corner page edges are creased (see photo). Outside page edges clean. Spine intact with no outer creasing. Cover clean with very little shelf wear. 

&&LDIV&&R&&LDIV&&R&&LP style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"&&R&&LI&&RTaming of the Shrew&&L/I&&R, by &&LB&&RWilliam Shakespeare&&L/B&&R, is part of the &&LI&&RBarnes & Noble Shakespeare&&L/I&&R series.  This unique series features newly edited texts prepared by leading scholars from America and Great Britain, in collaboration with one of the world's foremost Shakespeare authorities, &&LB&&RDavid Scott Kastan&&L/B&&R of Columbia University. Together they have produced texts as faithful as possible to those that Shakespeare wrote.&&L/P&&R&&LP style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"&&R &&L/P&&R&&LP style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"&&REach volume in the &&LI&&RBarnes & Noble Shakespeare&&L/I&&R includes:&&L/P&&R
 * &&LB&&RNew Scholarship&&L/B&&R - Premiere scholars introduce each play with contemporary scholarship. An essay on editing the text provides an in-depth look at the quartos and folios used in the edition.
 * &&LB&&RContextualizing Essays&&L/B&&R - Essays on Shakespeare's England, language, and life, along with essays on performing Shakespeare and significant performances frame the play in both historical and theatrical context for readers. A look at the lasting influence of the play on music, art, film, and dance creates an interdisciplinary framework with which to approach the play.
 * &&LB&&RBetter Notes&&L/B&&R - Through one-word margin definitions, facing-page glosses, and longer end notes after the play, our innovative approach to notes pulls readers away from the text fewer times while providing them with more information and comprehensive analysis.
 * &&LB&&RFurther Reading&&L/B&&R - An annotated bibliography of titles, hand-selected by the introduction author, takes readers beyond the edition for further reading.

&&LP style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"&&R &&L/P&&R&&LP style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"&&R&&LI&&RThe Taming of the Shrew&&L/I&&R, Shakespeare's classic take on the battle of the sexes, continues to shock and delight audiences. The editor, &&LSTRONG&&RNicholas F. Radel&&L/B&&R, provides a rich and illuminating set of notes explaining the many classical and historical references within the play's fast-paced banter. &&L/P&&R&&L/DIV&&R&&L/DIV&&R

The Taming of the Shrew

6d64586f-f7a8-415b-985a-8ec4845a2b7c-1

Slightly worn spine but book is overall in great condition. My favorite comedy by Shakespeare but am unlikely to reread anytime soon. Would love to pass it on to a fellow English major or classics lover. 

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William Shakespeare

Richard III

William Shakespeare

Richard III

William Shakespeare

Twelfth Night

William Shakespeare

Love's Labour's Lost

William Shakespeare

Twelfth Night

William Shakespeare

Hamlet

William Shakespeare

A Midsummer Night's Dream

William Shakespeare

Romeo and Juliet

William Shakespeare

A Midsummer Night's Dream

William Shakespeare

King Lear

William Shakespeare

The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark

William Shakespeare

Macbeth

William Shakespeare

Five Great Comedies

William Shakespeare

Four Tragedies

William Shakespeare

The Tempest

William Shakespeare

Henry VI Part 2

William Shakespeare

William Shakespeare - Complete Sonnets

William Shakespeare

All the Love Poems of Shakespeare

William Shakespeare

The Tragedy of Macbeth

William Shakespeare

A Midsummer Nights Dream

William Shakespeare

As You Like It

William Shakespeare

Henry IV

William Shakespeare

The Taming of the Shrew

William Shakespeare

Twelfth Night