Includes bibliographical references (pages A-75-A-106) and index.
Contents:
General introduction. Shakespeare criticism. Life in Shakespeare's England -- The drama before Shakespeare -- London theaters and dramatic companies -- Shakespeare's life and work -- How to read Shakespeare -- Shakespeare's language -- Shakespeare criticism. The comedies. Troilus and Cressida. Love's labor's lost -- The two gentlemen of Verona -- The taming of the shrew -- A midsummer night's dream -- The merchant of Venice -- Much ado about nothing -- The merry wives of Windsor -- As you like it -- Twelfth night; or, what you will -- All's well that ends well -- Measure for measure -- Troilus and Cressida. The histories. The famous history of the life of King Henry the Eighth. The second part of King Henry the Sixth -- The third part of King Henry the Sixth -- The tragedy of King Richard the Third -- The life and death of King John -- The tragedy of King Richard the Second -- The first part of King Henry the Fourth -- The second part of King Henry the Fourth -- The life of King Henry the Fifth -- The famous history of the life of King Henry the Eighth. The tragedies. Coriolanus. Romeo and Juliet -- Julius Caesar -- Hamlet, Prince of Denmark -- Othello, the Moor of Venice -- King Lear -- Macbeth -- Timon of Athens -- Antony and Cleopatra -- Coriolanus. The romances. The two noble kinsmen. Cymbeline -- The winter's tale -- The tempest -- The two noble kinsmen. The poems. Sonnets. The rape of Lucrece -- The phoenix and the turtle -- A lover's complaint -- Sonnets.
Summary:
"The seventh edition of this comprehensive anthology addresses the two key issues confronted by readers approaching Shakespeare today: a lack of knowledge about the historical period and difficulty with the language of Shakespeare's plays. A richly illustrated general introduction offers insight into Shakespeare's England and background on the literary and cultural contexts in which Shakespeare wrote and produced plays. Each play is introduced by a descriptive essay designed to help the reader appreciate the cultural contexts and interpretive issues raised by the play -- without dictating their interpretations. Thoroughly revised and updated notes and glosses provide additional support to understanding the language of Shakespeare's time."--Amazon.com.
This resource is supported by the Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act as administered by State Library of Iowa.