Other editions of book Beautiful Stories from Shakespeare

The writings of Shakespeare have been justly termed "the richest, the purest, the fairest, that genius uninspired ever penned." Shakespeare instructed by delighting. His plays alone (leaving mere science out of the question), contain more actual wisdom than the whole body of English learning. He is the teacher of all good— pity, generosity, true courage, love. His bright wit is cut out "into little stars." His solid masses of knowledge are meted out in morsels and proverbs, and thus distributed, there is scarcely a corner of the English-speaking world today which he does not illuminate, or a cottage which he does not enrich.

The writings of Shakespeare have been justly termed "the richest, the purest, the fairest, that genius uninspired ever penned." Shakespeare instructed by delighting. His plays alone (leaving mere science out of the question), contain more actual wisdom than the whole body of English learning. He is the teacher of all good— pity, generosity, true courage, love. His bright wit is cut out "into little stars." His solid masses of knowledge are meted out in morsels and proverbs, and thus distributed, there is scarcely a corner of the English-speaking world today which he does not illuminate, or a cottage which he does not enrich.

Here we have Edith Nesbit's prose retelling of twenty classic Shakespeare stories in a manner clearly readable by children and adults alike. While obviously influenced by Charles and Mary Lamb's 'Tales from Shakespeare', Nesbit's retellings are actually more accessible to the modern reader than those of that justly famous volume, as they were written closer to our own day. The best thing about this book is that it will eventually lead children to discover Shakespeare's plays for themselves! Contents: A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM THE TEMPEST AS YOU LIKE IT THE WINTER'S TALE KING LEAR TWELFTH NIGHT MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING ROMEO AND JULIET PERICLES HAMLET CYMBELINE MACBETH THE COMEDY OF ERRORS THE MERCHANT OF VENICE TIMON OF ATHENS OTHELLO THE TAMING OF THE SHREW MEASURE FOR MEASURE TWO GENTLEMEN OF VERONA ALL'S WELL THAT ENDS WELL

The book is authored by Edith Nesbit, best known for her books "The Railway Children, Five Children and It and The Enchanted Castle." Edith has done a beautiful job of translating Shakespere's works into stories which will engage children in the classic works such as "A Midsummer Night's Dream, Romeo and Juliet and King Lear." This is a delightful way to introduce your children to the world of William Shakespere. I read this book out loud to my daughter. Many of the plays were ones I was not familiar with, so I learned a thing or two myself. I found the book itself quite charming.

Beautiful Stories from Shakespeare. Here is the insight of the book as follows; Hermia and Lysander were lovers; but Hermia's father wished her to marry another man, named Demetrius.Now, in Athens, where they lived, there was a wicked law, by which any girl who refused to marry according to her father's wishes, might be put to death. Hermia's father was so angry with her for refusing to do as he wished, that he actually brought her before the Duke of Athens to ask that she might be killed, if she still refused to obey him. The Duke gave her four days to think about it, and, at the end of that time, if she still refused to marry Demetrius, she would have to die.Lysander of course was nearly mad with grief, and the best thing to do seemed to him for Hermia to run away to his aunt's house at a place beyond the reach of that cruel law; and there he would come to her and marry her. But before she started, she told her friend, Helena, what she was going to do. Helena had been Demetrius' sweetheart long before his marriage with Hermia had been thought of, and being very silly, like all jealous people, she could not see that it was not poor Hermia's fault that Demetrius wished to marry her instead of his own lady, Helena