"One of the most frequently read and performed of all stage works, Shakespeare's Hamlet is unsurpassed in its complexity and richness. Now the most extensively annotated version of Hamlet to date makes the play completely accessible to readers in the twenty-first century. It has been carefully assembled with students, teachers, and the general reader in mind." "Eminent linguist and translator Burton Raffel offers generous help with vocabulary and...

Contains facsimile reproduction of the title-page of the Elizabethan club copy of the first separate edition of "All's well that ends well," London, 1734. The text is that of Craig's Oxford Shakespeare, with alterations.

The fateful story of two star-crossed lovers whose passion for one another can never end in marriage due to long standing family feuds.

Unique features include an extensive overview of Shakespeare's life, world, and theater by the general editor of Signet Classic Shakespeare series, plus a special introduction to the play by the editor Sylvan Barnet, Tufts University. This book contains information on the source from which Shakespeare derived "Othello"--selections from Giraldi Cinthio's "Hecatommithi". Special introduction by Alvin Kernan, Princeton University.

Has any other love story become so enmeshed in our culture as the tragic story of Romeo and Juliet? In fair Verona the families of Montague and Capulet are locked in a long-standing, bitter blood feud when young Romeo Montague slips into a masquerade party at the Capulet's. During the dance he glimpses Juliet, the daughter of the house, and is struck by love at first sight. She returns his passion and they promise each other everlasting love notwithstanding...

An annotated edition of Shakespeare's tragicomedy in which an unjust Viennese deputy offers to lift a death sentence from a young woman's brother in return for sexual favors from her; also includes essays on Shakespeare's theatrical world and his texts, and a scholarly introduction.

An annotated edition of Shakespeare's historical drama about the Duke of Gloucester's lust for power and obsessive pursuit of his brother's throne, with an introduction, an essay by Harold Bloom, and a note on the text used.

Performed as early as 1611 and published in the "First Folio" in 1623, Shakespeare's "Cymbeline" weaves an elaborate tale of palatial envy and power in Ancient Britain. Cymbeline, King of Britain, commands that his lovely young daughter Imogen marry Cloten, the violent and callous son of the current Queen by her former husband. With her heart already promised to the poor yet heroic Posthumus, Imogen refuses. Disgusted at the prospect of his daughter...

Shipwrecked off the coast of Illyria, Viola enters the service of Duke Orsino disguised as Cesario. But when her twin brother, Sebastian, thought lost at sea, also arrives in Illyria, confusion reigns. Young love, mistaken identity, and general merriment are the hallmarks of this play. So named for a period of the year during the Epiphany where everyday rules of life are turned upside down, Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night remains a delightful romp of...

One of Shakespeare's most frequently performed comedies, Much Ado About Nothing includes two quite different stories of romantic love. Hero and Claudio fall in love almost at first sight, but an outsider, Don John, strikes out at their happiness. Beatrice and Benedick are kept apart by pride and mutual antagonism until others decide to play Cupid. --Publisher