Special Collections
Wonderful William Shakespeare
Description: All his literature in all its many versions!
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Oxford Reading Tree, Level 17, TreeTops Classics, Pack A
by William ShakespeareNo dramatist has ever seen with more frightening clarity into the heart and mind of a murderer than has Shakespeare in this compelling tragedy of evil. Taunted into asserting his "masculinity" by his ambitious wife, Macbeth chooses to embrace the Weird Sisters' prophecy and kill his king-and thus, seals his own doom. Fast-moving and bloody, this drama has the extraordinary energy that derives from a brilliant plot replete with treachery and murder, and from Shakespeare's compelling portrait of the ultimate battle between a mind and its own guilt. [This text is listed as an example that meets Common Core Standards in English language arts in grades 9-10 at http://www.corestandards.org.]
The Phoenix and the Turtle
by William ShakespeareShakespeare's telling of the funeral arrangements for the Phoenix and the Turtledove embodies the depth of their love and the tragedy of their deaths.
The Merchant of Venice
by William ShakespeareShakespearean play with two subplots 1) Antonio defaults on a loan from Shylock the Jew, who demands his life as bond 2) Portia must marry the man who passes a test her father arranged.
Henry IV, Part 1
by William ShakespeareHistory play, completed in Henry IV Part 2. Features some of Shakespeare's most enduring characters: Prince Hal, Falstaff, and Hotspur.
Julius Caesar
by William ShakespeareTragedy about the death of the Emperor Julius Caesar and its aftermath.
Antony and Cleopatra
by William ShakespeareAntony, the soldier of Rome, and Cleopatra, the queen of Egypt, struggle with tragic consequences against the power and authority of the emerging Roman Empire.
Macbeth
by William ShakespeareMacbeth dramatises the damaging physical and psychological effects of political ambition on those who seek power for its own sake. A brave Scottish general named Macbeth receives a prophecy from a trio of witches that one day he will become King of Scotland. Consumed by ambition and spurred to action by his wife, Macbeth murders King Duncan and takes the Scottish throne for himself. He is then wracked with guilt and paranoia. Forced to commit more and more murders to protect himself from enmity and suspicion, he soon becomes a tyrannical ruler. The bloodbath and consequent civil war swiftly take Macbeth and Lady Macbeth into the realms of madness and death.
Henry V
by William ShakespeareHenry V is Shakespeare’s most famous “war play”; it includes the storied English victory over the French at Agincourt. Some of it glorifies war, especially the choruses and Henry’s speeches urging his troops into battle. But we also hear bishops conniving for war to postpone a bill that would tax the church, and soldiers expecting to reap profits from the conflict. Even in the speeches of Henry and his nobles, there are many chilling references to the human cost of war.
Julius Caesar
by William ShakespeareBased on events in Roman history, Shakespeare explores themes of justice and morality in Julius Caesar. Brutus, convinced by Cassius, kills Caesar in the Senate. The conspirators, believing they are acting in the best interest of Rome, refuse to flee—until Mark Antony sways public opinion with his infamous speech. His words sparks the battle to that drives the conspirators from Rome and leads the play to its dramatic conclusion.
The Passionate Pilgrim
by William ShakespeareA collection of poems and sonnets attributed to William Shakespeare, including three that were written originally for Love's Labour's Lost.
Venus and Adonis
by William ShakespeareAdonis tragically chooses the excitement of the hunt over the charms of the beautiful Venus.
The Two Gentlemen of Verona
by William ShakespeareProteus's duplicity is revealed when the beautiful Julia follows him to Milan only to learn his affections have turned to another.
Measure for Measure
by William ShakespeareWhen the Duke of Vienna leaves the city under the governance of Angelo, a strict judge, Claudio and Juliet find themselves in violation of Vienna's severe morality laws. With Claudio's life at risk, Isabella, his sister and a novice nun, agrees to plead the case before Angelo. The duke, disguised as a friar, helps Isabella when it becomes apparent Angelo will only help if she compromises herself, and her beliefs. One of Shakespeare's more complex comedies, Measure for Measure examines ethical and moral issues that still resonate today.
Love's Labour's Lost
by William ShakespeareWhen Ferdinand, the king of Navarre, and his companions swear off of the company of women for three years in order to study and fast, they find themselves wholly unprepared for the lack of female company. By the time Princess of France and her ladies arrive, the men find themselves utterly beguiled by the women. Love's Labour's Lost is one of William Shakespeare's early comedies, believed to have been written in the mid-1590s for a performance at the Inns of Court before Queen Elizabeth I. The play draws on themes of masculine love and desire, reckoning and rationalization, and reality versus fantasy.
King Lear
by William ShakespeareKing Lear, growing old and too tired to reign, decides to divide his realm amongst his three daughters, leaving the largest share to the one who loves him the most. His two eldest daughters, Goneril and Regan, foolish and deceitful children, are rewarded for their insincere flattery. His youngest daughter, Cordelia, however, speaks honestly and truthfully, which enrages the old king. He disinherits Cordelia, and then drives himself to madness, left to wander the heath with only his Fool, his servant Caius, and the madman Tom O'Bedlam for company. Once reunited with Cordelia, Lear is too late repents his rashness, and must face the tragic consequences of his choices.
A Lover's Complaint
by William ShakespeareA young woman tells of her seduction and abandonment by a young man who proves to be unworthy of her charm and beauty. After a scene-setting introduction, the poem takes the form of a lengthy speech by the abandoned young woman, including a speech within her speech, as she recounts the words by which she was seduced.
Henry VI, Part I
by William ShakespeareAfter the death of King Henry V, King Henry VI must ascend to the throne amist the chaos of the Hundred Years' War and internal struggles closer to home that threaten the British monarchy.
The Comedy of Errors
by William ShakespeareIdentical twins separated at birth provides the foundation for humour in one of Shakespeare's earlier plays. The young twin sons of Egeon, alongside another set of young twin boys, purchased as slaves, are lost to one another during a tempest at sea. As each searches for the other, the stage is set for a romp that revolves around mistaken identity, physical mishaps, and the comedy of errors referenced in the title.
Henry IV, Part II
by William ShakespeareAfter defeat at the Battle of Shrewsbury the rebels regroup. But Prince Hal’s reluctance to inherit the crown threatens to destroy the ailing Henry IV’s dream of a lasting dynasty. Shakespeare’s portrait of the prodigal son’s journey from youth to maturity embraces the full panorama of society. Henry IV, Part 2 is believed to have been written between 1596 and 1599. It is the third part of a tetralogy, preceded by Richard II and Henry IV, Part 1 and succeeded by Henry V.
Hamlet
by William ShakespeareHamlet is Shakespeare's most popular, and most puzzling, play. It follows the form of a "revenge tragedy," in which the hero, Hamlet, seeks vengeance against his father's murderer, his uncle Claudius, now the king of Denmark. Much of its fascination, however, lies in its uncertainties. Among them: What is the Ghost--Hamlet's father demanding justice, a tempting demon, an angelic messenger? Does Hamlet go mad, or merely pretend to? Once he is sure that Claudius is a murderer, why does he not act? Was his mother, Gertrude, unfaithful to her husband or complicit in his murder?
Henry VI, Part II
by William ShakespeareKing Henry VI's reign is beset with infighting among the nobility as the War of the Roses breaks out in full and the king faces open rebellion as the Duke of York makes a claim for the throne .
Henry IV, Part I
by William ShakespeareAfter overthrowing his predecessor, King Henry IV is acutely aware of the delicate political tensions he must balance to protect his throne. On one hand, he must rein in his son, the mischievous Prince Hal, who has left the court for a life of drinking and pleasure. At the same time, he must put down a rebellion of some of the most powerful families in England. Henry IV, Part I is the second of four connected plays about successive British monarchs, including Richard II, Henry IV, Part II, and Henry V.
Pericles, Prince of Tyre
by William ShakespeareAfter Prince Pericles puzzles out a terrible secret about the king of Antioch, he flees the city and sets sail on his ship. His adventures bring him love and marriage, but his greatest tragedies and triumps lay ahead as he voyages home.
The Merry Wives of Windsor
by William ShakespeareMistress Page and Mistress Ford set out to have some fun at the expense of John Falstaff, who courts both in the hopes of securing their fortunes.