Books in Classic William Shakespeare series

Hamlet’s father, the king of Denmark, has died suddenly. But instead of grieving, his mother Gertrude has married the dead king’s brother, Claudius. One dark night, Hamlet sees a ghost. It is his dead father, who claims he was murdered by Claudius, the new king. But did Hamlet really see a ghost, or did he just imagine it? And if he did see a ghost, was it telling him the truth? Hamlet plans to avenge his father by killing Claudius. But the man he stabs isn’t Claudius, as he thinks, but his girlfriend’s father. So the wrong man dies. So much tragedy, but there is more to come. Who else will die an untimely death? And who will live to tell the tale? Real Reads are accessible texts designed to support the literacy development of primary and lower secondary age children while introducing them to the riches of our international literary heritage. Each book is a retelling of a work of great literature from one of the world’s greatest cultures, fitted into a 64-page book, making classic stories, dramas and histories available to intelligent young readers as a bridge to the full texts, to language students wanting access to other cultures, and to adult readers who are unlikely ever to read the original versions.

The Signet Classics edition of William Shakespeare's controversial comedy.Featuring the tumultuous relationship of Petruchio and the headstrong Katherina, this popular comedy goes beyond courtship to explore what happens after a determined man marries a woman who refuses to be tamed. 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 B. Heilman• Sources from which Shakespeare derived The Taming of the Shrew • Dramatic criticism from Richard Hosley, Maynard Mack, Germaine Greer, 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...

Two perennial classics--William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet and the Broadway musical West Side Story--in a single volume!The tragedy of love thwarted by fate has always intrigued writers. In the sixteenth century, William Shakespeare took this theme and fashioned one of the world's great plays: Romeo And Juliet. In our own time, Shakespeare's drama has been used as a basis for the overwhelmingly successful musical play West Side Story. Though one of these works is set among the nobility of Verona, and the other among immigrant families of New York's West Side, both tell the story of the plight of young star-crossed lovers.

The Signet Classics edition of Shakespeare's timeless tragedy of conspiracy and betrayal.In the first of his Roman history plays, the Bard tells the story of the murder of emperor Julius Caesar and the gruesome aftermath as ancient Rome descends into a violent mob.This title in the Signet Classics Shakespeare series includes:• An overview of Shakespeare's life, world, and theater• A special introduction to the play by the editors, William and Barbara Rosen• Selections from Plutarch's Lives of Noble Grecians and Romans, the source from which Shakespeare derived Julius Caesar• Dramatic criticism from Roy Walker, Maynard Mack, Richard David, and others• A comprehensive stage and screen history of notable actors, directors, and productions of Julius Caesar• Text, notes, and commentaries printed in the clearest, most readable format• Recommended readings

Our Signet Classic Shakespeare Series was extensively revised in 1998. We offer the best of everything -- unforgettable works edited by eminent Shakespeare scholars, comprehensive notes on the text, an essay on Shakespeare's life and times, source material, critical commentaries, extensive bibliographies, and footnotes. And there's more-- Grow with the times by including both historical and thoroughly contemporary critical commentary on such issues as feminist, political, and theatrical interpretations of the plays -- with recent full-length essays by such respected scholars as Frank Kermode, Carolyn Heilbrun, Michael Goldman, Linda Bamber, and many others.-- Provide more bibliographic listings and more up-to-date and relevant listings of pertinent books and articles in the Suggested Reference Section than the competition offers.-- Feature essays on the Performance or Stage History of each play, written by Sylvan Barnet.

The Signet Classic Shakespeare SeriesThe work of the world’s greatest dramatist edited by outstanding scholars The SonnetsUNIQUE FEATURES OF THE SIGNET CLASSICS SHAKESPEARE• An extensive overview of Shakespeare’s life, world, and sonnets by the general editor of the Signet Classics Shakespeare series, Sylvan Barnet, Tufts University • Special introduction to The Sonnets, by W. H. Auden • Literary criticism by William Empson, Hallett Smith, Winifred M. T. Nowottny, and Helen Vendler • Detailed footnotes at the bottom of each page of the sonnets • List of recommended reading • All text printed in the clearest, most readable type

The Signet Classic Shakespeare Series. The work of the world's greatest dramatist in authoritative texts edited by outstanding scholars. Special Introduction to the play by the editor, Albert Gilman, boston Univeristy. General discussion of Shakespeare's life, world, and theater by the general editor of the Signet Classic Shakespeare series, Sylvan Barnet, Tufts University.

A storm, a shipwreck, an enchanted island ... A violent storm shipwrecks the King of Naples and his noblemen on what appears to be an uninhabited island. What the king doesn’t know is that they have been brought here by powerful magic. Prospero, the mysterious ruler of the island, has a plan, but will he use his magic for good or bad against the castaways? His daughter, Miranda, has never seen another man except her father. What will she think of the stranger who stumbles into her life? Prospero’s monstrous servant, Caliban, sees a chance to overthrow his master. Will he succeed? Enchantment and treachery are everywhere on the island – which will prove the stronger? Real Reads are accessible texts designed to support the literacy development of primary and lower secondary age children while introducing them to the riches of our international literary heritage. Each book is a retelling of a work of great literature from one of the world’s greatest cultures, fitted into a 64-page book, making classic stories, dramas and histories available to intelligent young readers as a bridge to the full texts, to language students wanting access to other cultures, and to adult readers who are unlikely ever to read the original versions.

The Tragedy of Julius Caesar By William Shakespeare The Tragedy of Julius Caesar is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written in 1599. It is one of several plays written by Shakespeare based on true events from Roman history, which also include Coriolanus and Antony and Cleopatra. Although the title is Julius Caesar, Brutus speaks more than four times as many lines, and the central psychological drama of the play focuses on Brutus' struggle between the conflicting demands of honor, patriotism, and friendship. The play opens with the commoners of Rome celebrating Caesar's triumphant return from defeating Pompey's sons at the battle of Munda. Two tribunes, Flavius and Marrullus, discover the commoners celebrating, insult them for their change in loyalty from Pompey to Caesar, and break up the crowd. There are some jokes made by the commoners, who insult them back. They also plan on removing all decorations from Caesar's statues and ending any other festivities. In the next scene, during Caesar's parade on the feast of Lupercal, a soothsayer warns Caesar to "Beware the ides of March", a warning he disregards. The action then turns to the discussion between Brutus and Cassius. In this conversation, Cassius attempts to influence Brutus' opinions into believing Caesar should be killed, preparing to have Brutus join his conspiracy to kill Caesar. They then hear from Casca that Mark Antony has offered Caesar the crown of Rome three times and that each time Caesar refused it, fainting after the last refusal. Later, in act two, Brutus joins the conspiracy, although after much moral debate, eventually deciding that Caesar, although his friend and never having done anything against the people of Rome, should be killed to prevent him from doing anything against the people of Rome if he were ever to be crowned. He compares Caesar to "A serpents egg/ which hatch'd, would, as his kind, grow mischievous,/ and kill him in the shell.", and decides to join Cassius in killing Caesar.