Classic Books Library presents this new beautiful edition of "Shakespeare's Sonnets" (1609). Featuring a specially commissioned new biography of William Shakespeare, it is a must for classical poetry enthusiasts and newcomers alike. Shakespeare's collection of 154 sonnets beautifully explore the age-old human themes of love and beauty, time and mortality, and contain some of the most revered lines in poetry such as, "Shall I compare thee to a summer's...

The King of France gives Helena the hand of any man she wants in marriage, but the one she chooses, Bertram, flees to Tuscany, and she must use her wits to get him back; this text includes background on the play's sources and stage history, as well as a textual analysis.

Presents William Shakespeare's comedy "The Two Gentlemen of Verona," along with explanatory and textual notes, an introduction on Shakespeare, and critical commentaries.

Presents the unabridged text of Shakespeare's classic tragedy in which Othello, a Moorish general, is led by a jealous and evil ensign to believe his wife, Desdemona, has been unfaithful. Includes explanatory footnotes.

A guide to reading and understanding William Shakespeare's "Much Ado About Nothing" which includes the complete unabridged text, detailed explanations of difficult words and passages, a synopsis of the plot, summaries of individual scenes, and notes on the main characters.

Contains the text of the play, an introduction, textual criticism, and notes.

With an introduction to each play, adapted from the Shakespearean primer of Professor Dowden.

A Midsummer Night's Dream is a romantic comedy by William Shakespeare, suggested by "The Knight's Tale" from Geoffrey Chaucer's The Canterbury Tales, written around 1594 to 1596. It portrays the adventures of four young Athenian lovers and a group of amateur actors, their interactions with the Duke and Duchess of Athens, Theseus and Hippolyta, and with the fairies who inhabit a moonlit forest. The play is one of Shakespeare's most popular works for...

The second play in William Shakespeare's tetralogy of plays which also includes "Richard II", "Henry IV, Part 2", and "Henry V", "Henry IV, Part 1" is believed to have been written no later than 1597. A history play, the drama concerns the unquiet reign of Henry Bolingbroke. Following the usurpation of the throne, Henry IV is plagued with guilt over his role in the imprisonment and death of King Richard II. In order to resolve himself of this internal...

Background information about Shakespeare, Elizabethan theater, and the text accompany his play about unrequited love and mistaken identity