Jonathan Munby's explosive revival of Shakespeare's epic tragedy transferred to the West End following its sold-out run at Chichester Festival Theatre. Performed by a celebrated cast led by Ian McKellen as the embittered monarch in a fractured kingdom.In this version the play has been cut back to its essentials to create a shorter play for a modern audience. Munby has also created a version to suit the intimacy and immediacy of the Minerva Theatre (Chichester), whilst harnessing wh...

King Lear is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1603 and 1606, and is considered one of his greatest works. The play is based on the legend of King Leir of Britain. It has been widely adapted for stage and screen, with the part of Lear being played by many of the world's most accomplished actors.There are two distinct versions of the play: The True Chronicle of the History of the Life and Death of King Lear and His Three Daughters, which appeared in qua...

**The acclaimed Pelican Shakespeare series, now in a dazzling new series designWinner of the 2016 AIGA + Design Observer 50 Books | 50 Covers competitionGold Medal Winner of the 3x3 Illustration Annual No. 14**This edition of King Lear presents a conflated text, combining the 1608 Quarto and 1623 Folio Texts, edited with an introduction by series editor Stephen Orgel and was recently repackaged with cover art by Manuja Waldia. Waldia received a Gold Medal f...

Twelfth Nightby William Shakespeare"Twelfth Night is a comedy by William Shakespeare, named after the Twelfth Night holiday of the Christmas season. It was written around 1601, and was first published in the First Folio in 1623.Twelfth Night's full title is Twelfth Night, or What You Will; Subtitles for plays were fashionable in the Elizabethan period, though this is the only Shakespeare to be donned with one. "Twelfth Night" is a reference to the twelfth night after...

This is the essential guide to King Lear for students and general audiences alike. This unique volume features the whole of the immortal text as it first appeared in 1623 when the first collected works of Shakespeare were first gathered together. Also included is a modern spelling version of the play.The volume is completed by the famous lectures of A. C. Bradley, still recognised as the peak of Shakespeare scholarship, which bring a new depth to our understanding of these towering masterp...

A king foolishly divides his kingdom between his scheming two oldest daughters and estranges himself from the daughter who loves him. So begins this profoundly moving and disturbing tragedy that, perhaps more than any other work in literature, challenges the notion of a coherent and just universe. The king and others pay dearly for their shortcomings–as madness, murder, and the anguish of insight and forgiveness that arrive too late combine to make this an all-embracing tragedy of evil and...

Anthology of 17th century English poetry. "The spirit of reform which was developed during the early part of the sixteenth century brought about a desire on the part of young men of means to travel on the continent of Europe. This was for the purpose of making themselves acquainted with the politics, social life, literature, art, science, and commerce of the various nations of the same, especially of France, Spain, and Italy. These young Englishmen on their return introduced into the socie...

The Merry Wives of Windsor is a comedy by William Shakespeare, first published in 1602, though believed to have been written prior to 1597. It features the fat knight Sir John Falstaff, and is Shakespeare's only play to deal exclusively with contemporary Elizabethan era English middle class life. It has been adapted for the opera on occasions.

Generally considered as one of Shakespeare’s best comedies, “Much Ado About Nothing” is believed to have been written near the middle of the bard’s career, sometime during 1598 or 1599. It is the story of Leonato, an Italian nobleman, his daughter, Hero, and his niece, Beatrice. Following the conclusion of a war Leonato welcomes into his house Don Pedro, his good friend; fellow soldiers of Don Pedro, Claudio and Benedick; as well as Don Pedro’s illegitimate brother, Don John. Quickly amoro...

King Lear is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1603 and 1606, and is considered one of his greatest works. The play is based on the legend of King Leir of Britain. It has been widely adapted for stage and screen, with the part of Lear being played by many of the world's most accomplished actors.

The poems in "The Story and Song of Black Roderick" revolve around the legendary figure of Black Roderick, a mythical or historical character often associated with Scottish folklore or historical narratives. The collection likely comprises verses that tell tales, legends, or narratives related to Black Roderick, exploring themes of heroism, tragedy, love, and possibly the supernatural.Dora Sigerson Shorter was known for her evocative poetry and her ability to create vivid imagery in her ve...

Romeo and Juliet always use 'thou' to each other, but they are the only pair of lovers in Shakespeare to do this. Why? All the women in Richard III address Richard as 'thou', but no man ever does. Why? When characters address the dead, they use 'thou' – except for Hamlet, who addresses Yorick as 'you'. Why? Shakespeare's contemporaries would have known the answers to these questions because they understood what 'thou' signified, but modern actors and audiences are in the dark. Thr...