Among the most studied, read, and admired works in world literature, Shakespeare's histories are unmatched for their dramatic brilliance, beauty of language, and profundity of thought. This convenient and affordable volume — ideal for students and lovers of literature — features four of the playwright's greatest historical works:Henry IV, Part 1 masterfully combines comedy and historic events in fifteenth-century England while chronicling the rebellion within...
Among the most studied, most read, and most admired works in world literature, the tragedies of Shakespeare constitute a body of work unrivaled in dramatic brilliance, beauty of language, and profundity of thought. This convenient and affordable volume—ideal for students and all lovers of literature—features four of the playwright’s greatest works: Hamlet, the revenge drama centering on the introspective Prince of Denmark—one of literature's most...
Considered by many as Shakespeare’s masterpiece and one of the greatest dramas of all time, “Hamlet” is the story of its titular character, the Prince of Denmark who discovers that his uncle, Claudius, is responsible for the murder of his father. Claudius has murdered Hamlet’s father, his own brother, in order to usurp the throne of Denmark and to marry Hamlet’s widowed mother. Sunk into a state of despair, Hamlet is torn between his grief over his father’s death and his desire for revenge....
The melancholy Dane's grief for his dead father and suspicion of his ambitious uncle drive him to acts of insanity and violence — and to articulate some of the most quoted speeches in the English language. In addition to its gilded rhetoric, Shakespeare's revenge drama offers an enthralling plot, rich character studies, and other psychologically complex aspects that invite and reward closer examination. Shakespeare's most popular play with modern audiences, Hamlet is not...