Special Collections
Wonderful William Shakespeare
Description: All his literature in all its many versions!
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Henry VI, Part 1
by William ShakespeareOne of Shakespeare's history plays. First of a four-play series, including Henry VI Parts 2 and 3 and Richard III.
Twelfth Night
by William ShakespeareTwelfth Night is a tale of unrequited love – hilarious and heartbreaking. Twins are separated in a shipwreck, and forced to fend for themselves in a strange land. The first twin, Viola, falls in love with Orsino, who dotes on OIivia, who falls for Viola but is idolised by Malvolio. Enter Sebastian, who is the spitting image of his twin sister...
The Tempest
by William ShakespeareDesigned for students with special educational needs, and for those with English as a second languge, this text gives a simplified retelling of the play in accessible yet vivid language. Strong illustrations bring the play to life.
The Comedy of Errors
by William ShakespeareBook Description The shortest and probably earliest of Shakespeare's comedies, The Comedy of Errors is the story of identical twin brothers who are raised apart-and then mistaken for each other.
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.
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.
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.
Julius Caesar
by William ShakespeareTragedy about the death of the Emperor Julius Caesar and its aftermath.
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.
Henry VIII
by William ShakespeareKing Henry VIII risks both his realm and his immortal soul when he divorces Katherine of Aragon in favour of Anne "Bullen". With a cast of characters that includes Cardinal Wolsey, Thomas Cranmer, the dukes of Norfolk and Suffolk, and Sir Thomas Cromwell, Shakespeare explores one of the most fascinating periods in English history, which was still shaping and influencing his world under Henry's daughter, Elizabeth I.
The Tempest (PDF)
by William Shakespeare and Rex GibsonThis new edition of The Tempest is part of the established Cambridge School Shakespeare series and has been substantially updated with new and revised activities throughout. Remaining faithful to the series' active approach it treats the play as a script to be acted, explored and enjoyed. As well as the complete script of The Tempest, you will find a variety of classroom-tested activities, an eight-page colour section and an enlarged selection of notes including information on characters, performance, history and language.
The Merchant of Venice
by Cedric Watts and William ShakespeareThe Wordsworth Classics' Shakespeare Series presents a newly-edited sequence of William Shakespeare's works. The textual editing takes account of recent scholarship while giving the material a careful reappraisal. The Merchant of Venice is one of Shakespeare's most popular comedies, but it remains deeply controversial. The text may seem anti-Semitic; yet repeatedly, in performance, it has revealed a contrasting nature. Shylock, though vanquished in the law-court, often triumphs in the theatre. In his intensity he can dominate the play, challenging abrasively its romantic and lyrical affirmations. What results is a bitter-sweet drama. Though The Merchant of Venice offers some of the traditional pleasures of romantic comedy, it also exposes the operations of prejudice. Thus Shakespeare remains our contemporary. Suitable for all secondary level study up to GCSE/Standard Grade, this edition contains two sets of differentiated activities at the end of each act. The activities are designed to develop student understanding of the play and its themes.
William Shakespeare (Famous People, Famous Lives)
by Emma FischelThe extraordinary life of England's greatest dramatist is told in fascinating detail, from his rural beginnings in Stratford-on-Avon, where he was born in 1564, to his phenomenal success in London, where he became a favourite at the glorious court of Queen Elizabeth. The narrative describes how plays were beginning to become the popular entertainment form of the day, how theatres were built and who went to them. All Elizabethan life is there, and the book gives the reader not only a complete background on the life of Shakespeare, but also a vivid picture of late sixteenth-century life.
The Winter's Tale
by William Shakespeare and Edward Hall and Roger WarrenThe Winter’s Tale takes us on an extraordinary journey. King Leontes falls prey to an inexplicable jealousy of his wife Hermione; it causes her (apparent) death and the (actual) death of his young son Mamillius. Sixteen years of repentance, supervised by Paulina, lead to scenes of reunion and reconciliation — but without concealing the cost in human terms. This is a slightly shortened version of the text of The Winter’s Tale as printed in the First Folio of Shakespeare’s works (1623). The opening sequence, divided between various voices, and the first half of Scene Twelve, draw upon, and re-shape, the more extended versions of the original.
A Midsummer Night's Dream (Oxford School Shakespeare) (PDF)
by William ShakespeareOxford School Shakespeare is an acclaimed edition especially designed for students, with accessible on-page notes and explanatory illustrations, clear background information, and rigorous but accessible scholarly credentials. This edition includes illustrations, preliminary notes, reading lists (including websites), classroom notes and is complete and unabridged.
Antony and Cleopatra
by John Wilders and William ShakespeareJohn Wilders - literary advisor to the BBC TV Shakespeare series - brings thorough scholarship and a practical understanding of performance needs to this new edition. Clarity, accessibility and rigour are the hallmarks of an edition which will provide invaluable guidance for all its readers.
Oxford School Shakespeare
by Roma Gill and William Shakespeare'Much Ado About Nothing' is one of Shakespeare's greatest love stories and a comic tour de force. Exploring the eternal themes of love, jealousy and honour, it focuses on two pairs of very different lovers and their trials and tribulations en route to the altar. Claudio and Hero are in love and soon to be married. As they await the wedding, they decide to play a trick on their friends Beatrice and Benedick, two confirmed singletons who scorn marriage and enjoy nothing more than expressing their mutual disdain. Can they persuade Benedick that Beatrice is in love with him - and vice versa? Meanwhile, the evil Don Pedro plots to destroy Claudio and Hero's love.
Titus Andronicus
by William ShakespeareThe Roman general Titus is drawn into a violent cycle of revenge when he returns triumphantly to Rome with the Goth queen and her three sons as prisoners.
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.
Venus and Adonis
by William ShakespeareAdonis tragically chooses the excitement of the hunt over the charms of the beautiful Venus.