{"title":"Literary studies: plays and playwrights Books","description":"","products":[{"product_id":"mad-about-shakespeare-life-lessons-from-the-bard-9780008167493","title":"Mad about Shakespeare Life Lessons from the Bard","description":"\u003cb\u003eBook Synopsis\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eEnlightening, moving' SIR IAN MCKELLEN                      From the acclaimed and bestselling biographer Jonathan Bate, a luminous new exploration of Shakespeare and how his themes can untangle comedy and tragedy, learning and loving in our modern lives.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eTrade Review\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e‘Many of us are mad about Shakespeare, whether as audience, actor or scholar. Jonathan Bate represents us all in his enlightening, moving report of his own personal “madness”. Reading it is an education’\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSir Ian McKellen \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e           \u003cp\u003e‘A startlingly original journey into the soul of Shakespeare by one of his greatest living interpreters’\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSir Anthony Seldon\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e           \u003cp\u003e‘Jonathan Bate’s \u003cem\u003eMad About Shakespeare\u003c\/em\u003e offers a series of moving lessons in the complex grammar of life. Speaking as student and teacher, son, husband, father and dramaturge, Bate produces a work of significant cultural and familial history that runs through the language and scenery of Shakespeare. Tying and untying knots, Bate asks how we might live alongside literature as a source of knowledge, comfort and hope.\u003cbr\u003eShakespeare’s expansive plots and wise conceits offer extra space and time in which to live and breathe in the face of emergency; a literary bloodline offering wisdom, insight and consolation’\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSally Bayley\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e           \u003cp\u003e‘An encouraging and welcome reminder of the importance of reading and talking about reading with young people … I hope lots of English teachers will read it and take heart’\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eDr Katy Ricks, Chief Master of King Edwards School\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e           \u003cp\u003e‘Ranges elegantly over a range of literary figures … A very readable account of the thrill of discovering literature … It is a touchingly reticent and romantic book’\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eLiterary Review\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"HarperCollins Publishers","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47832418255191,"sku":"9780008167493","price":10.44,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0817\/1739\/5799\/files\/9780008167493.jpg?v=1710332618"},{"product_id":"the-quest-for-shakespeares-garden-9780500252246","title":"The Quest for Shakespeares Garden","description":"\u003cb\u003eBook Synopsis\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eShakespeare's potent use of garden imagery has captivated successive generations of readers and inspired the making of gardens across the globe. Laced with quotations and abounding with illustrations drawn from sources including Elizabethan gardening books, embroidered fabrics and hand-coloured herbals, The Quest for Shakespeare's Garden tells the story of the Bard's own garden at New Place in Stratford-upon-Avon, revealing its place in garden history.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eTrade Review\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e'This elegant little book takes on the character of a detective story as Strong […] uncovers the way Shakespeare became a gateway for early gardening historians' - Daily Telegraph\u003cbr\u003e'Artily produced [with] an unmissable text by Sir Roy Strong' - Robin Lane Fox, Financial Times\u003cbr\u003e'A total delight, rich with quotations and sumptuous images' - Birmingham Mail\u003cbr\u003e'Wholly original … thoughtfully illustrated' - Archives of Natural History","brand":"Thames \u0026 Hudson Ltd","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47833175425367,"sku":"9780500252246","price":13.46,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0817\/1739\/5799\/files\/9780500252246.jpg?v=1710343334"},{"product_id":"introducing-shakespeare-a-graphic-guide-9781848311152","title":"Introducing Shakespeare: A Graphic Guide","description":"\u003cb\u003eBook Synopsis\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eShakespeare's absolute pre-eminence is simply unparalleled. His plays pack theatres and provide Hollywood with block-buster scripts; his works inspire mountains of scholarship and criticism every year. He has given us many of the very words we speak, and even some of the thoughts we think.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eNick Groom and Piero explore how Shakespeare became so famous and influential, and why he is still widely considered the greatest writer ever. 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This beautiful new book looks at the England in which Shakespeare worked through maps and illustrations that reveal the way that he and his contemporaries saw their land and their place in the world.  It also explores the locations of his plays and looks at the possible inspirations for these and why Shakespeare would have chosen to set his stories there.","brand":"Bloomsbury Publishing PLC","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47850758439255,"sku":"9781844865178","price":18.75,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0817\/1739\/5799\/files\/9781844865178.jpg?v=1710620474"},{"product_id":"conversations-with-wilde-a-fictional-dialogue-based-on-biographical-facts-9781786782304","title":"Conversations with Wilde: A Fictional Dialogue","description":"\u003cb\u003eBook Synopsis\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eRenowned for his endlessly quotable pronouncements, Oscar Wilde cut a dashing figure in late Victorian London … until his tragic downfall resulting from an ill-judged libel action. We remember him not only for his famous trial and imprisonment, but also for a “devil’s dictionary” of timeless aphorisms and for the enduring brilliance of plays such as The Importance of Being Earnest.  Wilde's life resembles his early short story, \"The Remarkable Rocket\", which, rising from nowhere in a shower of sparks, explodes and falls to earth, exclaiming as it goes out, \"I knew I should create a great sensation.\" Merlin Holland expertly traces the arc of his illustrious ancestor's life, from his birth in Dublin in 1854 as Oscar Fingal O'Flahertie Wills Wilde, to a brilliant career at Oxford University where his reputation for dandyish wit was first honed, through to his conquest of the drawing rooms and theatres of fashionable London, culminating in disgrace and imprisonment at the hands of the Marquess of Queensberry in the most notorious libel trial in English history. Wilde died in penury and obscurity in 1900, yet his reputation today has never been greater. 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Using his magic, he vows to seek revenge on the injustice dealt to him by his brother, but in doing so, Shakespeare questions the difficulty of distinguishing men' from monsters', and the realities of justice.","brand":"HarperCollins Publishers","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48732083683671,"sku":"9780007902354","price":5.62,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0817\/1739\/5799\/files\/9780007902354.jpg?v=1719995053"},{"product_id":"the-secret-life-of-oscar-wilde-9780099415459","title":"The Secret Life of Oscar Wilde","description":"\u003cb\u003eBook Synopsis\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eDeals with Oscar's astonishing erotic odyssey through Victorian London's sexual underworld. Oscar Wilde emerges as a man driven personally and creatively by his powerful desires for sex with men, in this book, the author argues that Oscar's Wilde's life and work can only be fully understood and appreciated in terms of his sexuality.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eTrade Review\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIntriguing and entertaining...McKenna makes an impassioned case for re-gaying Wilde * The Times *\u003cbr\u003eA groundbreaking new biography of our greatest queer martyr * Observer *\u003cbr\u003eIt cannot be recommended too highly. Extraordinary, intensely passionate and quite beautiful * Manchester Evening News *\u003cbr\u003eThis is by far and away the best biography of Oscar Wilde to date * John McRae, Professor of Literature *\u003cbr\u003eA bold book * The Guardian *","brand":"Cornerstone","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48732218360151,"sku":"9780099415459","price":13.49,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0817\/1739\/5799\/files\/9780099415459.jpg?v=1719996009"},{"product_id":"shakespeare-9780099599111","title":"Shakespeare","description":"\u003cb\u003eBook Synopsis\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003eAnthony Burgess was born in Manchester in 1917 and educated at Xaverian College and Manchester University. He served in the British army from 1940 to 1946 and was a schoolteacher in England before becoming a colonial education officer in 1954. 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They include \u003ci\u003eA Clockwork Orange\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eNothing Like the Sun\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eThe Complete Enderby\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eEarthly Powers\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eNapoleon\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eTrade Review\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBright, racy...knowledgeable and humorous, alternately sensible and quirky. -- Terry Eagleton\u003cbr\u003eAnthony Burgess's wonderfully well-stocked mind and essentially wayward spirit are just right for summoning up an apparition of the Bard which is more convincing than most -- David Holloway * Daily Telegraph *\u003cbr\u003eAnimated by affection and an understanding of the creative imagination that only a creative writer can bring to bear * Atlantic *\u003cbr\u003eA smooth-flowing narrative, often enlivened by Anthony Burgess's Joycean appetite for linguistic fantasy * The Economist *\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Vintage Publishing","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48732328755543,"sku":"9780099599111","price":10.44,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0817\/1739\/5799\/files\/9780099599111.jpg?v=1719996433"},{"product_id":"shakespeare-for-grownups-9780099599623","title":"Shakespeare for Grownups","description":"\u003cb\u003eBook Synopsis\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e''Rather jolly and very helpful' \u003ci\u003eThe Times\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eNeed to swot up on your Shakespeare? The ultimate guide to the Bard, perfect for the Shakespeare aficionado and general reader alike.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e                                                                                                                                                                                If you've always felt a bit embarrassed at your precarious grasp on the plot of Othello, or you haven't a clue what a petard (as in hoist with his own petard') actually is, then fear not, because this, at last, is the perfect guide to the Bard.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e                                                                                                                                                                              From the authors of the number-one bestselling \u003ci\u003eHomework for Grown-ups\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eShakespeare for Grown-ups\u003c\/i\u003e is the essential book for anyone keen to deepen their knowledge of they \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eTrade Review\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eRather jolly and very helpful * The Times *\u003cbr\u003eThis fascinating and fun volume delves into all things Shakespeare and will appeal to novices and experts alike... light, accessible, and engaging... Included in this book are synopses of all of Shakespeare's works and his life and times, key influences, language and style, controversies, and famous quotations. An entertaining and highly informative read, this is essential for students and scholars, theatergoers wanting to familiarize themselves with a particular work, and general readers who are simply curious about one of the most famous and influential playwrights of all time * Library Journal *\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Vintage Publishing","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48732329443671,"sku":"9780099599623","price":10.44,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0817\/1739\/5799\/files\/9780099599623.jpg?v=1719996436"},{"product_id":"shakespeares-language-9780140285925","title":"Shakespeares Language","description":"\u003cb\u003eBook Synopsis\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe true biography of Shakespeare - and the only one we really need to care about - is in the plays. Sir Frank Kermode, Britain''s most distinguished literary critic, has been thinking about them all his life. This book is a distillation of that lifetime''s thinking. The great English tragedies were all written in the first decade of the seventeenth century. They are often in language that is difficult to us, and must have been hard even for contemporaries. How and why did Shakespeare''s language develop as it did? Kermode argues that the resources of English underwent major change around 1600. The originality of Kermodes''s writing, and the intelligence of his discussion, make this book a landmark.","brand":"Penguin Books Ltd","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48732354380119,"sku":"9780140285925","price":10.44,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0817\/1739\/5799\/files\/9780140285925.jpg?v=1719996534"},{"product_id":"shakespeares-words-9780140291179","title":"Shakespeares Words","description":"\u003cb\u003eBook Synopsis\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eA vital resource for scholars, students and actors, this book contains glosses and quotes for over 14,000 words that could be misunderstood by or are unknown to a modern audience.  Displayed panels look at such areas of Shakespeare''s language as greetings, swear-words and terms of address. Plot summaries are included for all Shakespeare''s plays and on the facing page is a unique diagramatic representation of the relationships within each play.","brand":"Penguin Books Ltd","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48732354838871,"sku":"9780140291179","price":23.8,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0817\/1739\/5799\/files\/9780140291179.jpg?v=1719996537"},{"product_id":"four-tragedies-hamlet-othello-king-lear-macbeth-penguin-classics-9780140434583","title":"Four Tragedies Hamlet Othello King Lear Macbeth","description":"\u003cb\u003eBook Synopsis\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe theme of the great Shakespearean tragedies is the fall from grace of a great man due to a flaw in his nature. Whether it is the ruthless ambition of Macbeth or the folly of Lear, the irresolution of Hamlet or the suspicion of Othello, the cause of the tragedy - even when it is the murder of a king - is trifling compared to the calamity that it unleashes. Despite his flawed nature, however, the tragic hero has a nobility that emphasizes the greatness of man. From this paradox the audience is brought to a greater understanding of - and sympathy with - suffering. The four tragedies in this collection are accompanied by notes and an introduction to each text, making this edition of particular value to students and theatre-goers.","brand":"Penguin Books Ltd","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48732366111063,"sku":"9780140434583","price":13.49,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0817\/1739\/5799\/files\/9780140434583.jpg?v=1719996574"},{"product_id":"shakespearean-tragedy-lectures-on-hamlet-othello-king-lear-and-macbeth-new-penguin-shakespeare-library-9780140530193","title":"Shakespearean Tragedy Lectures on Hamlet Othello","description":"\u003cb\u003eBook Synopsis\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eA.C. Bradley put Shakespeare on the map for generations of readers and students for whom the plays might not otherwise have become 'real' at all writes John Bayley in his foreword to this edition of \u003ci\u003eShakespearean Tragedy: Lectures on Hamlet, Othello, King Lear and Macbeth\u003c\/i\u003e.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eApproaching the tragedies as drama, wondering about their characters as he might have wondered about people in novels or in life, Bradley is one of the most liberating in the line of distinguished Shakespeare critics. His acute yet undogmatic and almost conversational critical method has—despite fluctuations in fashion—remained enduringly popular and influential. For, as John Bayley observes, these lectures give us a true and exhilarating sense of the tragedies joining up with life, with all our lives; leading us into a perspective of possibilities that stretch forward and back in time, and in our total awareness of things.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eFor more than seventy years, Penguin has been the","brand":"Penguin Books Ltd","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48732384362839,"sku":"9780140530193","price":12.34,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0817\/1739\/5799\/files\/9780140530193.jpg?v=1719996647"},{"product_id":"soul-of-the-age-9780141015866","title":"Soul of the Age","description":"\u003cb\u003eBook Synopsis\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003eJonathan Bate''s \u003ci\u003eSoul of the Age \u003c\/i\u003ebrings us closer than ever to understanding what \u003ci\u003ebeing\u003c\/i\u003e Shakespeare was actually like.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eHow did plague turn Shakespeare from a jobbing hack into a courtly poet? How did Bottom''s dream rewrite the Bible? How did Shakespeare''s plays lead to the deaths of an earl and a king? And why was he the one dramatist of his generation never to be imprisoned?\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWeaving a dazzling tapestry of Elizabethan beliefs and obsessions, private passions and political intrigues, \u003ci\u003eSoul of the Age\u003c\/i\u003e leads us on an exhilarating tour of the extraordinary, colourful and often violent world that shaped and informed Shakespeare''s thinking. Written by one of the world''s leading experts, it combines almost everything there is to know about the man and his work in one sensational narrative.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e''Bate probably knows as much as any single person can know about Shakespeare ... Surprising, fresh, exhilarating, brilliant'', \u003ci\u003eGuardian\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e''Intensely enjoyable ... you find yourself gasping with pleasure'' John Carey,\u003ci\u003e Sunday Times\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eJonathan Bate is Professor of Shakespeare and Renaissance Literature at the University of Warwick, chief editor of \u003ci\u003eThe RSC Shakespeare: Complete Works \u003c\/i\u003eand the author of many books, including most recently \u003ci\u003eJohn Clare: A Biography\u003c\/i\u003e, which won the Hawthornden Prize for Literature and the James Tait Black Prize for Biography. A Fellow of the British Academy, he was awarded a CBE in 2006.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eTrade Review\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e'An excellent writer ! he achieves a resonant and complex portrait, constantly alert to new lines of enquiry and unexpected conclusions ...  A triumph of precision, learning and intelligent innovation' - Charles Nicholl,  Sunday Telegraph, Book of the Week  'Bate probably knows as much as any single person can know about Shakespeare ... Surprising, fresh, exhilarating, brilliant' - Richard Eyre,  Guardian  'Wholehearted applause for Bate's portrayal of Shakespeare's world ... it is pure pleasure ... I defy any reader, no matter how saturated in Shakespeare, not to find something new here' Independent on Sunday","brand":"Penguin Books Ltd","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48732389933399,"sku":"9780141015866","price":11.69,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0817\/1739\/5799\/files\/9780141015866.jpg?v=1719996673"},{"product_id":"nicholl-c-lodger-9780141023748","title":"Nicholl C Lodger","description":"\u003cb\u003eBook Synopsis\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIn 1612 Shakespeare gave evidence at the Court of Requests in Westminster  it is the only occasion his spoken words are recorded. The case seems routine  a dispute over an unpaid marriage-dowry  but it opens up an unexpected window into the dramatist's famously obscure life-story. Charles Nicholl applies a powerful biographical magnifying glass to this fascinating episode in Shakespeare's life.  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With activities that target exactly the right level plus in-depth biographical and contextual information to deepen students'' understanding of the play, this edition provides comprehensive, relevant and engaging support for 14-16 students. The brand new design ensures that the text and supporting materials are the clearest and most accessible available. Set during the Salem Witch Trials of 1692, The Crucible exposes the tensions caused by gossip and rumour within a tight-knit community, where eventually no one is safe from accusation and vengeance. 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In addition to the authoritative A-Z entries, it includes nearly 100 illustrations, a chronology, a guide to further reading, a thematic contents list, and special feature entries on each of Shakespeare''s works. Tying in with the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare''s death, this much-loved Companion has been revised and updated, reflecting developments and discoveries made in recent years and to cover the performance, interpretation, and the influence of Shakespeare''s works up to the present day. First published in 2001, the online edition was revised in 2011, with updates to over 200 entries plus 16 new entries. These online updates appear in print for the first time in this second edition, along with a further 35,000 new and revised words. 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Examining the theatres and theatrical profession of the time, he also considers how Shakespeare experienced this world, both as an actor and as a writer. Examining Shakespeare''s narrative poems, sonnets, and all of his plays, Wells outlines their sources, style, and originality over the course of Shakespeare''s career, to consider the fundamental impact his work has had for subsequent generations. Written with enthusiasm and flair by a scholar who has devoted a lifetime to the study of Shakespeare and his works, this is an engaging and authoritative introduction. ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eTrade Review\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWells approaches his subject matter with refreshing clarity and potent enthusiasm ... his convivial tone is one of this volume's great strengths. * English *\u003cbr\u003ean engaging and insightful guide which may inspire its readers to explore not only the author's life and works, but the wealth of contemporary Shakespearean manifestations. * English *\u003cbr\u003eSo all in all I enjoyed this little book very much, and it made me want to go back to the plays themselves as well as to delve into some recent secondary works. If you think you might have failed to fully appreciate Shakespeare, whether owing to bad teaching or to less than first-rate performances, this is an excellent place to start exploring the life and work of probably the most celebrated dramatist not only in Britain but also throughout the world. * Shiny New Books, Harriet Devine *\u003cbr\u003ethis is an excellent place to start exploring the life and work of probably the most celebrated dramatist not only in Britain but also throughout the world. * Shiny New Books *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eTable of Contents\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003ePreface: Why Shakespeare? ; 1. Shakespeare and Stratford-upon-Avon ; 2. Theatre in Shakespeare's time ; 3. Shakespeare in London ; 4. Plays of the 1590s ; 5. Shakespeare and comic form ; 6. Return to tragedy ; 7. The classical plays ; 8. 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In this Very Short Introduction, Bart van Es explores the full range of the playwright''s comic writing, from the neat classical plotting of early works like The Comedy of Errors to the corrupt world of the so-called problem plays, written in the middle years of Shakespeare''s life. Examining Shakespeare''s influences and sources, van Es compares his plays to those of his rivals, and looks at the history of the plays in performance, from the biographies of Shakespeare''s original actors to the plays'' endless reinvention in modern stage productions and in films. Identifying the key qualities that make Shakespearean comedy distinctive, van Es traces the changing nature of Shakespeare''s comic writing over the course of a career that spanned nearly a quarter century of theatrical change.ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eTrade Review\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAimed at a general readership, the slim volume is nonetheless carefully researched and full of original ideas and connections. * Kevin Curran, Studies in English Literature 1500-1900 *\u003cbr\u003ecover[s] an impressive amount of literary and historical ground, and convey[s] a suitably sizeable serving of Shakespeare knowledge. * Shakespeare Magazine *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eTable of Contents\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIntroduction ; World ; Wit ; Love ; Time ; Character ; Endings ; Further Reading ; Index","brand":"Oxford University Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48732770304343,"sku":"9780198723356","price":9.49,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0817\/1739\/5799\/files\/9780198723356.jpg?v=1719998323"},{"product_id":"great-shakespeare-actors-9780198769729","title":"Great Shakespeare Actors","description":"\u003cb\u003eBook Synopsis\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eGreat Shakespeare Actors provides a series of well-informed, well-written, illuminating, and entertaining accounts of many of the most famous stage performers of Shakespeare in both England and America, offering  a concise, actor-centred history of Shakespeare on the stage.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eTrade Review\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWells's vignette reports will make you wish you had been there... Eye-witness accounts are good, and especially when they are by actors such as Helen Faucit in the 19th century and by such academics as Stanley Wells in the 20th century, are invaluable. * Robert Tanitch, Mature Times *\u003cbr\u003eWells's book is a mentor and companion to the Shakespeare lover. It can be dipped into at leisure as each chapter is complete in itself, but the text is so diverting and compulsive, so utterly knowledgeable and incisive, that it is difficult to find an easy pause. It is a book to cherish, to laugh with and to wonder at. * Sandra Callard, On: Yorkshire Magazine *\u003cbr\u003eAimed at a broad readership, the book offers short biographies of \"great Shakespeare actors\" from Shakespeare's time to our own ... the book will very likely prove a helpful and entertaining resource for many. * Kevin Curran, Studies in English Literature 1500-1900 *\u003cbr\u003eGreat Shakespeare Actors is most impressive when quarrying the more remote past, and, although it is suitable for dipping into, reading it straight through conveys a sense of how acting styles and actors' careers have changed. * Henry Hitchings, Spectator *\u003cbr\u003e[A] fascinating book. * Benedict Nightingale, New Statesman *\u003cbr\u003eStanley Wells has his work cut out in Great Shakespeare Actors as he assesses around forty performers over the past four centuries, from Richard Burbage to Simon Russell Beale, offering brisk career summaries with a dash of scholarship and plenty of anecdote ... There's no shortage of excellent stories. * David Collard, The Times Literary Supplement *\u003cbr\u003e... Wells' passion is infectious. * New Republic, Charles Shafaieh *\u003cbr\u003eThis collection is not only a useful source in itself, but opens up many other routes into theatre commentary, both historical and contemporary. * Heather Neill, Around the Globe *\u003cbr\u003eWhat could easily have been a repetitive book, as a series of actors is connected to a limited number of distinguished roles, is so well written that this never becomes the case. The writing is assured and never flags in an unexpected volume that is well worth dipping into. * British Theatre Guide, Philip Fisher *\u003cbr\u003eThere's so much more in this fascinating book that I haven't been able to cover, so I can only urge you, if this kind of thing interests you, to go out and get a copy soon. You won't regret it. * Shiny New Books, Harriet Devine *\u003cbr\u003eStanley Wells has written a book which is a total delight... unputdownable. * The Journal (Newcastle), Richard Edmonds *\u003cbr\u003eThere is deep research here, lightly worn but nevertheless offering clear pointers for those who wish to study individual performers more closely, and for the great majority of the book there is also an engaging tone * Lisa Hopkins, Sheffield Hallam University, Times Higher Education *\u003cbr\u003ea brisk, fascinating theatrical voyage through more than four centuries * The Independent, Nicholas De Jongh *\u003cbr\u003eThere is deep research here, lightly worn Wells is judicious and restrained and has a dry, crisp style. * Times Higher Education, Lisa Hopkins *\u003cbr\u003eStanley Wells - Shakespeare's brightest and best champion for decades - has produced an absolutely wonderful and wildly readable survey of Shakespearean acting. With tremendous flashes of insight, Wells illuminates not just the staging and the modes of acting that predominated over the centuries, but also the true nature of Shakespeare as a provider of play scripts for actors and audiences. Superbly researched, this is a book that I shall revisit time and time again. * Stephen Fry *\u003cbr\u003eThis astonishing book fills a vital gap on the shelves. Stanley Wells combines the detailed knowledge of a Shakespeare scholar with the sharp eye of a dramatic critic in a book that makes great performances come resonantly alive. If future generations want to know what Olivier or Dench really were like in Shakespeare, it is to this book that they will turn. * Michael Billington *\u003cbr\u003eIn his own day, and ever since, Shakespeare's plays have been staged by some of the worlds most extraordinary actors. Stanley Wells, who knows these plays and their fascinating histories as well as anyone, offers here incisive portraits of exceptional actors who have performed Shakespeare over the past 400 years, from Burbage and Kemp up through Olivier, Dench, McKellen, and Beale. It's a thrilling and captivating account. * James Shapiro, author of 1599: A Year in the Life of William Shakespeare *\u003cbr\u003eStanley Wells's Great Shakespeare Actors is a companionable tour through the encyclopaedic knowledge of our greatest Shakespeare scholar, full of anecdote, erudition, and intimate firsthand observation. It's a tribute to a life of devotion to the theatre, on the page and on stage, informed by a living sense of what actors do, and who they are, and how they work. There are many classic lives here, but also, to me, some enjoyable surprises. * Margaret Drabble *\u003cbr\u003ea highly enjoyable book, clearly and pungently written. ... it will be of great help to the general reader, to Shakespeare students and to theatre historians alike as it allows us to reflect on the very essence of theatre * Sophie Chiari, Cercles *\u003cbr\u003eAs well as drawing effectively on significant written accounts by actors and critics, Wells is particularly persuasive in analyses of visual and aural evidence * Russell Jackson, The Year's Contribution to Shakespeare Studies *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eTable of Contents\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIntroduction Prelude: William Shakespeare 1: Richard Burbage 2: Will Kemp 3: Robert Armin 4: Thomas Betterton 5: Charles Macklin 6: David Garrick Who Was the First Great Shakespeare Actress? 7: Sarah Siddons 8: George Frederick Cooke 9: John Philip Kemble 10: Dora Jordan 11: Edmund Kean 12: William Charles Macready 13: Helen Faucit Who Was the First Great American Shakespeare Actor? 14: Ira Aldridge 15: Charlotte Cushman 16: Edwin Booth 17: Henry Irving 18: Ellen Terry 19: Tommaso Salvini Times of Change 20: Edith Evans 21: Sybil Thorndike 22: Charles Laughton 23: Donald Wolfit 24: Ralph Richardson 25: John Gielgud 26: Laurence Olivier 27: Peggy Ashcroft 28: Michael Redgrave 29: Paul Scofield 30: Donald Sinden 31: Richard Pasco 32: Ian Richardson 33: Judi Dench 34: Derek Jacobi 35: Ian McKellen 36: Janet Suzman 37: Antony Sher 38: Simon Russell Beale 39: Kenneth Branagh","brand":"Oxford University Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48732781117783,"sku":"9780198769729","price":12.59,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0817\/1739\/5799\/files\/9780198769729.jpg?v=1719998371"},{"product_id":"exiles-9780198800064","title":"Exiles","description":"\u003cb\u003eBook Synopsis\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eJames Joyce's only surviving play has divided Joyceans for a century. Illuminating the themes of performance that are so prominent throughout Joyce's fiction, Exiles sees Joyce staking his claim definitively within the European theatrical tradition.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eTrade Review\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe book is complete with Walsh's useful notes and a well-established text and can safely be recommended to students. * Valérie Bénéjam, James Joyce Quarterly *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eTable of Contents\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIntroduction Composition and Publication History Select Bibliography A Chronology of James Joyce EXILES Appendix A: 'Ibsen's New Drama' Appendix B: 'The Day of the Rabblement' Explanatory Notes","brand":"Oxford University Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48732788195671,"sku":"9780198800064","price":8.54,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0817\/1739\/5799\/files\/9780198800064.jpg?v=1719998402"},{"product_id":"george-bernard-shaw-9780198850090","title":"George Bernard Shaw","description":"\u003cb\u003eBook Synopsis\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eGeorge Bernard Shaw has been called the second greatest playwright in English (after William Shakespeare) and one of the inventors of modern celebrity as the most famous public intellectual of his time. Beginning in the 1880s, as a critic and as a playwright, he transformed British drama, bringing to it intellectual substance, ethical imperatives, and modernity itself, setting the theatrical course for the subsequent century. That his legacy endures seventy years after his death is testament to the prescience of his thinking and his prolific creativity. This Very Short Introduction looks at Shaw''s life, starting with his upbringing in Ireland, and then takes a chronological approach through his works. Considering Shaw''s committed antagonism on behalf of a range of socio-political issues; his use of comedy as a mode for communicating serious ideas; and his rhetorical style that pushes conventional boundaries, Christopher Wixson provides an overview of the creative evolution of core themes throughout Shaw''s long career. ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eTable of Contents\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIntroduction \"Shavian\" 1: \"GBS\" 2: \"Unpleasant\" 3: \"Pleasant\" 4: \"Puritan\" 5: \"Political\" 6: \"Extravagant\" 7: \"Farfetched\"","brand":"Oxford University Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48732812280151,"sku":"9780198850090","price":9.49,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0817\/1739\/5799\/files\/9780198850090.jpg?v=1719998503"},{"product_id":"the-authors-effects-on-writers-house-museums-9780198883548","title":"The Authors Effects On Writers House Museums","description":"\u003cb\u003eBook Synopsis\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe Author''s Effects: On the Writer''s House Museum is the first book to describe how the writer''s house museum came into being as a widespread cultural phenomenon across Britain, Europe, and North America. Exploring the ways that authorship has been mythologised through the conventions of the writer''s house museum, The Author''s Effects anatomises the how and why of the emergence, establishment, and endurance of popular notions of authorship in relation to creativity.It traces how and why the writer''s bodily remains, possessions, and spaces came to be treasured in the late eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, as a prelude to the appearance of formal writer''s house museums. It ransacks more than 100 museums and archives to tell the stories of celebrated and paradigmatic relicsBurns'' skull, Keats'' hair, Petrarch''s cat, Poe''s raven, Brontë''s bonnet, Dickinson''s dress, Shakespeare''s chair, Austen''s desk, Woolf''s spectacles, Hawthorne''s window, Freud''s mirror, Johnson''s coffee-pot and Bulgakov''s stove, amongst many others. It investigates houses within which nineteenth-century writers mythologised themselves and their workThoreau''s cabin and Dumas'' tower, Scott''s Abbotsford and Irving''s Sunnyside. And it tracks literary tourists of the past to such long-celebrated literary homes as Petrarch''s Arquà, Rousseau''s Ile St Pierre, and Shakespeare''s Stratford to find out what they thought and felt and did, discovering deep continuities with the redevelopment of Shakespeare''s New Place for 2016.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eTrade Review\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThis smart, well-written book will attract a wide audience through its seamless grafting of literary history, material culture, and museum studies. Highly recommended. All readers. * M. Frank, University of Massachusetts Lowell, CHOICE *\u003cbr\u003e...an engaging journey through Authorland in nine chapters... her [Watson's] writing has the capacity to make us think on more detailed ways about the institutions of literary tourism * Bill Bell, Literary Review *\u003cbr\u003eWatson is an assured and intuitive guide to the perhaps slightly introspective world of the writer's house museum. She knows the literature well (there are 92 pages of notes and bibliography to 231 pages of text) and her awareness of critical theory does not come at the cost of clarity of expression. It is a broad-ranging, thoughtful and informative book. * Stephen Clarke, The Johnsonian News Letter *\u003cbr\u003eThe Author's Effects engagingly insists that we attend to the presence and particularity of its examples, that we share Watson's fascination with the ability of each to \"effect\" the author it evokes. * LuAnn McCracken Fletcher, Cedar Crest College , Review 19 *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eTable of Contents\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIntroduction 1: Remains: Burns' skull and Keats' hair 2: Bodies: Petrarch's cat and Poe's Raven 3: Clothing: Brontë's bonnet and Dickinson's dress 4: Furniture: Shakespeare's chair and Austen's desk 5: Household Effects: Johnson's coffee-pot and Twain's effigy 6: Glass: Woolf's spectacles and Freud's mirror 7: Outhouses: Thoreau's cabin and Dumas' prison 8: Enchanted Ground: Scott's Abbotsford, Irving's Sunnyside, Shakespeare's New Place 9: Exit through the Gift-shop","brand":"Oxford University Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48732827353431,"sku":"9780198883548","price":999.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}]},{"product_id":"new-oxford-student-texts-goldsmith-she-stoops-to-conquer-9780199129768","title":"New Oxford Student Texts Goldsmith She Stoops to","description":"\u003cb\u003eBook Synopsis\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eOxford Student Texts offer an accessible route into the study of texts for A Level including line-by-line notes, and detailed sections covering key themes, issues and contexts. This edition focuses on ''She Stoops to Conquer'' by Oliver Goldsmith.","brand":"Oxford University Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48732832137559,"sku":"9780199129768","price":14.7,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}]},{"product_id":"anthony-and-cleopatra-the-oxford-shakespeare-9780199535781","title":"Anthony and Cleopatra The Oxford Shakespeare","description":"\u003cb\u003eBook Synopsis\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIn its towering central characters, vast geographical and historical sweep, and its variety of style and mood, Anthony and Cleopatra is perhaps the most ambitious of Shakespeare''s designs. Yet the degree and nature of its success remain surprisingly contentious, and performances of the play have seldom matched the extravagant expectations of its admirers.  Michael Neill''s wide-ranging introduction from a number of angles, including those of gender and race. He examines the sources and discusses the theatrical challenge presented by Shakespeare''s technique, with its extraordinary tensions between rhetoric and action. A full stage history further illustrates its theatrical fortunes; both here and in the extensive commentary this edition illuminates the play''s theatrical dimensions as well as the rich complexity of its poetic language. ABOUT THE SERIES: For over 100 years Oxford World''s Classics has made available the widest range of literature from around the globe. Each affordable \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eTrade Review\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e'Stanley Wells' OUP Complete Works of Shakespeare is now eight years old and has spawned a new Oxford Shakespeare which appears now in splendidly affordable volumes in that nonpareil of libraries of good reading The World's Classics.'  The Oxford Times","brand":"Oxford University Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48732844360023,"sku":"9780199535781","price":8.54,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0817\/1739\/5799\/files\/9780199535781.jpg?v=1719998640"},{"product_id":"the-complete-sonnets-and-poems-the-oxford-shakespeare-9780199535798","title":"The Complete Sonnets and Poems The Oxford","description":"\u003cb\u003eBook Synopsis\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe Oxford ShakespeareGeneral Editor Stanley WellsThe Oxford Shakespeare offers authoritative texts from leading scholars in editions designed to interpret and illuminate the works for modern readers- a new, modern-spelling text, collated and edited from all existing printings- on-page and facing-page commentary and notes explain language and allusions- detailed introductions consider the sonnets'' biographical and literary background, how the poems relate to the plays, dating and textual matters, and the mysteries of ''Mr W. H.'' and the ''Dark Lady''- includes poems attributed to Shakespeare in the seventeenth century- full index to introductions and commentary- durable sewn binding for lasting use''not simply a better text but a new conception of Shakespeare. This is a major achievement of twentieth-century scholarship.'' Times Literary Supplement ABOUT THE SERIES: For over 100 years Oxford World''s Classics has made available the widest range of literature from around the globe. Each affordable volume reflects Oxford''s commitment to scholarship, providing the most accurate text plus a wealth of other valuable features, including expert introductions by leading authorities, helpful notes to clarify the text, up-to-date bibliographies for further study, and much more.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eTrade Review\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eA long and detailed critique, which ends with excellent praise 'This Complete Sonnets and Poems is a distinguished addition to a distinguished series. It will repay comtinuing study, and act as a valuable point of reference for readers concerned more generally with Shakespeare's art and language. Colin Burrow's good sense, tact and balance as an editor are deeply impressive.' * H.R.Woudhuysen, TLS *","brand":"Oxford University Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48732844392791,"sku":"9780199535798","price":8.54,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0817\/1739\/5799\/files\/9780199535798.jpg?v=1719998641"},{"product_id":"hamlet-the-oxford-shakespeare-9780199535811","title":"Hamlet The Oxford Shakespeare","description":"\u003cb\u003eBook Synopsis\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eTrade Review\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003ea dynamic, exciting, and thought-provoking work * Notes and Queries *\u003cbr\u003eit is bound in general to have considerable impact on our thinking about Hamlet (the text and the play) and deserves wide attention * Notes and Queries *\u003cbr\u003elevel-headed, perspicuous treatment of the textual problems...It may be commended to students...Of the three recent Hamlets, this edition is the one I shall require students to buy. * T. H. Howard-Hill, Review English Studies *","brand":"Oxford University Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48732844425559,"sku":"9780199535811","price":8.54,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0817\/1739\/5799\/files\/9780199535811.jpg?v=1719998640"},{"product_id":"the-tragedy-of-coriolanus-9780199535804","title":"The Tragedy of Coriolanus","description":"\u003cb\u003eBook Synopsis\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eCoriolanus is perhaps the most brilliant political play ever written. Set in Ancient Rome, it remains a gripping psychological study of the relationship between personality and politics.   The introduction to this new edition considers Shakespeare''s adaptation of his historical material (Plutarch''s Lives) in relation to the social and political conditions in London and Stratford at the time of the play''s composition, also offering new evidence that it was written in 1608. Professor Parker examines the play''s history and particularly its staging at the Blackfriars theatre, where it was probably the first of Shakespeare''s plays to be presented and for which it may have been written. A thorough commentary pays special attention to the needs of actors and directors. ABOUT THE SERIES: For over 100 years Oxford World''s Classics has made available the widest range of literature from around the globe. Each affordable volume reflects Oxford''s commitment to scholarship, providing the most\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eTrade Review\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e'Stanley Wells' OUP Complete Works of Shakespeare is now eight years old and has spawned a new Oxford Shakespeare which appears now in splendidly affordable volumes in that nonpareil of libraries of good reading The World's Classics.' The Oxford Times * English Studies Offprint from vol.77 Number 1, January 1996 *","brand":"Oxford University Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48732844458327,"sku":"9780199535804","price":8.54,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0817\/1739\/5799\/files\/9780199535804.jpg?v=1719998639"},{"product_id":"a-midsummer-nights-dream-the-oxford-shakespeare-9780199535866","title":"A Midsummer Nights Dream The Oxford Shakespeare","description":"\u003cb\u003eBook Synopsis\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eA Midsummer Night's Dream is perhaps the best loved of Shakespeare's plays.  It brings together aristocrats, workers, and fairies in a wood outside Athens, and from there the enchantment begins.  In the introduction to this edition, Peter Holland pays particular attention to dreams and dreamers, and to Shakespeare's  construction of a world of night and shadows. Both here and in his commentary he explores the play's extensive performance history to illustrate the wide range of interpretations of which it is capable.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eTrade Review\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe commentary is admirably lucid and undogmatic on textual variants ... The introduction is of the kind that ponders and explores. Holland's method is to take each aspect or element of the play and consider it in the light of earlier traditions ... his critical position emerges unobtrusively but persuasively from the attested facts. * M.M. Mahoud, YES, 27, 1996 *","brand":"Oxford University Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48732844491095,"sku":"9780199535866","price":7.59,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0817\/1739\/5799\/files\/9780199535866.jpg?v=1719998640"},{"product_id":"the-merchant-of-venice-the-oxford-shakespeare-9780199535859","title":"The Merchant of Venice The Oxford Shakespeare","description":"\u003cb\u003eBook Synopsis\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWhat was Shakespeare''s attitude to Semitism? The Introduction to this edition of The Merchant of Venice opens by addressing this vital issue raised by the play, and goes on to study the sources, background, and date, includuing a discussion of Sigmund Freud''s essay on ''The Three Caskets''. Professor Halio interprets the play''s contradictions, inconsistencies, and complementarities, especially as these relate to the overarching theme of bonds and bondage. A survey of the play''s stage history ranges from discussions of its early staging to important twentieth-century productions and performances outside England, particularly in Israel.The text, based on a fresh examination of the early editions, is presented in modernized spelling and punctuation. Unfailingly lucid and helpful, this is an ideal edition for students, actors, and the general reader. ABOUT THE SERIES: For over 100 years Oxford World''s Classics has made available the widest range of literature from around the globe. Each affordable volume reflects Oxford''s commitment to scholarship, providing the most accurate text plus a wealth of other valuable features, including expert introductions by leading authorities, helpful notes to clarify the text, up-to-date bibliographies for further study, and much more.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eTrade Review\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe annotation, generally proficient, is admirably frank in rendering sexual doubles entendres and is frequently illuminating in its references to modes of staging ... As in the other volumes of this Oxford Shakespeare series, there is a good range of pictorial material and a very useful index ... this edition of The Merchant of Venice is creditable, lucid, and practical. * Cedric Watts, University of Sussex, Review of English Studies, Vol. 47, No. 186, May '96 *","brand":"Oxford University Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48732844589399,"sku":"9780199535859","price":7.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0817\/1739\/5799\/files\/9780199535859.jpg?v=1719998641"},{"product_id":"the-tragedy-of-king-richard-iii-9780199535880","title":"The Tragedy of King Richard III","description":"\u003cb\u003eBook Synopsis\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eRichard III is one of Shakespeare''s most popular plays on the stage and has been adapted successfully for film. This new and innovative edition recognizes the play''s pre-eminence as a performance work: a perspective that informs every aspect of the editing. Challenging traditional practice, the text is based on the 1597 Quarto which, it is argued, brings us closest to the play as it would have been staged in Shakespeare''s theatre. The introduction, which is illustrated, explores the long performance history from Shakespeare''s time to the present. Its critical engagement with the play responds to recent historicist and gender-based approaches. The commentary gives detailed explication of matters of language, staging, text, and historical and cultural contexts, providing coverage that is both carefully balanced and alert to nuance of meaning. Documentation of the extensive textual variants is organized for maximum clarity: the readings of the Folio and the Quarto are presented in separate banks, and more specialist information is given at the back of the book. Appendices also include selected passages from the main source and a special index of actors and other theatrical personnel. ABOUT THE SERIES: For over 100 years Oxford World''s Classics has made available the widest range of literature from around the globe. Each affordable volume reflects Oxford''s commitment to scholarship, providing the most accurate text plus a wealth of other valuable features, including expert introductions by leading authorities, helpful notes to clarify the text, up-to-date bibliographies for further study, and much more.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eTrade Review\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThis is far and away the finest critical edition of the play available * Eric Rasmussen, Shakespeare Survey *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eTable of Contents\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eLIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS; INTRODUCTION; EDITORIAL PROCEDURES; THE TRAGEDY OF KING RICHARD III; APPENDICES; INDEX","brand":"Oxford University Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48732844556631,"sku":"9780199535880","price":7.59,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0817\/1739\/5799\/files\/9780199535880.jpg?v=1719998641"},{"product_id":"othello-the-oxford-shakespeare-9780199535873","title":"Othello The Oxford Shakespeare","description":"\u003cb\u003eBook Synopsis\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe Oxford ShakespeareGeneral Editor: Stanley WellsThe Oxford Shakespeare offers authoritative texts from leading scholars in editions designed to interpret and illuminate the plays for modern readers- A new, modern-spelling text, collated and edited from all existing printings- Extensive introduction gives full attention to the play''s bold treatment of racial themes, gender, and social relations- Detailed performance history designed to meet the needs of theatre professionals- On-page commentary and notes explain language, word-play, and staging- Appendices on music in the play and a full translation of the Italian novella from which the story derives- Illustrated with production photographs and related art- Full index to introduction and commentary- Durable sewn binding for lasting use''not simply a better text but a new conception of Shakespeare. This is a major achievement of twentieth-century scholarship.'' ABOUT THE SERIES: For over 100 years Oxford World''s Classics has made av\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eTrade Review\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e...For the wealth of helpful material and stimulating ideas this is surely the most valuable edition of Shakespeare's disturbing and controversial tragedy available today. * Dieter Mehl, Archiv *\u003cbr\u003eThe text of this edition is close to perfect * Eric Rasmussen *","brand":"Oxford University Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48732844622167,"sku":"9780199535873","price":7.59,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0817\/1739\/5799\/files\/9780199535873.jpg?v=1719998642"},{"product_id":"the-winters-tale-the-oxford-shakespeare-9780199535910","title":"The Winters Tale The Oxford Shakespeare","description":"\u003cb\u003eBook Synopsis\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eTrade Review\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003ea valuable edition of The Winter's Tale. ... this is a well-focused and helpful edition. * Paul Hammond, Review of English Studies *","brand":"Oxford University Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48732844884311,"sku":"9780199535910","price":999.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}]},{"product_id":"twelfth-night-or-what-you-will-the-oxford-shakespeare-9780199536092","title":"Twelfth Night or What You Will The Oxford","description":"\u003cb\u003eBook Synopsis\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eTwelfth Night is one of the most popular of Shakespeare's plays in performance, and this edition emphasizes its theatrical qualities in both the introduction and the full and detailed commentary. Where the original music has not survived, James Walker has composed settings compatible with the surviving originals, freshly edited, so that this edition, uniquely, offers all the music required to perform the play.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eTrade Review\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe commentary on Twelfth Night is alive with the editors' feeling for the play in performance. * M.M. Mahoud, University of Kent, YES, 27, 1996 *","brand":"Oxford University Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48732845113687,"sku":"9780199536092","price":7.59,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0817\/1739\/5799\/files\/9780199536092.jpg?v=1719998643"}],"url":"https:\/\/bookcurl.com\/collections\/literary-studies-plays-and-playwrights.oembed?page=60","provider":"Book Curl","version":"1.0","type":"link"}