Literary studies: plays and playwrights Books
CONNELL PUBLISHING LTD Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet
Book SynopsisRomeo and Juliet is routinely called “the world’s greatest love story”, as though it is all about romance. The play features some of the most lyrical passages in all of drama, and the lovers are young, beautiful, and ardent. But when we look at the play, the lyricism and the romance are not really what drive things along. It is true that Romeo, especially early on in the play, acts like a young man determined to take his place in an immortal tale of love. Everything he says is romantic – but rather like an anniversary card is romantic. His words propel nothing, or nothing but sarcastic admonitions from his friends to forget about love and to treat women as they should be treated, with careless physical appetite. The world we have entered is rapacious more than romantic. Everyone knows something of this, from the film versions of the story if nothing else. Romeo and Juliet must fight for their love inside a culture of stupid hatreds. But it is not a simple case of love versus war, or the city against the couple. If it were, it would nicely reinforce clichés about true love, fighting against the odds. In this book Simon Palfrey suggests that the play Shakespeare actually wrote is more troubling than this. Juliet’s passion – for all her youth, for all its truth – is at the very cusp of murderousness. Juliet is the world’s scourge, in the sense that she will whip and punish and haunt it; she is also its triumph, in the sense of its best and truest thing. The deaths her love leads to are in no way avoidable, and in no way accidental. They are her inheritance, the thing she was born to. Of course she takes Romeo with her. But it is at heart her play.
£8.54
Arizona Center for Medieval & Renaissance Studies,US Macbeth
Book SynopsisIn Migdalia Cruz'sMacbeth, the Witches run the world.TheMacbeths live out a dark cautionary tale of love,greed,and power,falling from glory into calamityas the Witches spin their fate.Translating Shakespeare's languagefora modernaudience, Nuyorican playwright Migdalia CruzrewritesMacbethwith all the passion of the Bronx.This translation ofMacbethwaspresented in 2018as part ofthe Play On!Shakespeareproject,an ambitious undertakingfromthe Oregon Shakespeare Festivalthat commissioned new translations of 39 Shakespeare plays.These translations present the Bard's work in language accessible to modern audienceswhile never losing the beauty of Shakespeare's verse.Enlisting thetalentsofa diverse group ofcontemporary playwrights, screenwriters, and dramaturges from diverse backgrounds,this projectreenvisionsShakespeare for thetwenty-firstcentury.These volumes make these works available for the first time in printanewFirst Folio fora new era.
£9.46
Theatre Communications Group Inc.,U.S. A Tempest
Book Synopsis
£11.58
Faber & Faber Shakespeare in a Divided America
Book SynopsisA BBC Radio 4 Book of the WeekExcellent.' New StatesmanOutstanding.' Irish TimesEnthralling.' GuardianShapiro at his best.' Daily Telegraph From the author of 1599, a fresh perspective on the history of the United States and a timely reminder of Shakespeare's indelible influence.Shakespeare's position as England's national poet is unquestionable. But as James Shapiro illuminates in this revelatory new history, Shakespeare has long held an essential place in American culture too. Why, though, would a proudly independent republic embrace England's greatest writer? Especially when his works enact so many of America's darkest nightmares: interracial marriage, cross-dressing, same-sex love, tyranny and assassination? Shapiro leads us to fascinating answers and startling stories.
£10.44
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC Death By Shakespeare
Book SynopsisA deep dive into the science behind the creative ways Shakespeare killed off his characters.William Shakespeare found dozens of different ways to kill off his characters, and audiences today still enjoy the same reactions shock, sadness, fear that they did more than 400 years ago when these plays were first performed. But how realistic are these deaths, and did Shakespeare have the knowledge to back them up?In the Bard's day death was a part of everyday life. Plague, pestilence and public executions were a common occurrence, and the chances of seeing a dead or dying body on the way home from the theatre were high. It was also a time of important scientific progress. Shakespeare kept pace with anatomical and medical advances, and he included the latest scientific discoveries in his work, from blood circulation to treatments for syphilis. He certainly didn't shy away from portraying the reality of death on stage, from the brutal to the mundane, and the spectacTrade ReviewHarkup’s enjoyable and informative survey presents this somatic Shakespeare for the Horrible Histories generation. * Times Literary Supplement *Were I a school-teacher introducing phone-addicted teens to Macbeth or Romeo and Juliet, I'd go in big on Shakespeare's 'violent delights'. * Daily Mail (4 stars) *Well-written and intriguing, the book provides a rich behind-the-scenes look at science and historical fact, using the focus on death to deepen understanding of Shakespeare’s life and work. * Historical Novel Society *The author of A Is for Arsenic and Making the Monster: The Science Behind Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein continues her macabre cultural musings with an immensely readable roundup of Shakespearean death. * Smithsonian Magazine *Death By Shakespeare is a macabre but fascinating read, rich in historical context, scientific insight, and intriguing asides. * Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine *Harkup serves a delectable stew of history, science and wit that is sure to sate the appetite of any Anglophile. * Booklist *Serious scholarship meets horrid histories. Kathryn Harkup located Death by Shakespeare within the contexts of science and medicine, health and safety, crime and punishment, and in the process gives us tour de force descriptions of Juliet's deep coma, Cleopatra's asp, Ophelia's drowning and the carnage at Agincourt, among other celebrated exits. It's a good read – never morbid, and full of insights into the Tudor way of death and how far we've come. -- Professor Sir Christopher Frayling, cultural historian, writer and broadcasterLight enough to be a quick read for fun but hefty enough to educate, this is a book that any student would be happy to study for a class, and it’s a solid addition to any nonfiction or Shakespearean fan’s collection. Yet again, Harkup has delivered a satisfying, sterling examination of an iconic figure’s literary contributions to history. * Criminal Element *Table of ContentsI shall offend, either to detain or give it. The contents, as in part I understand them, are to blame. King Lear, Act 1, Scene 2 Prologue Chapter 1: Our Humble Author Chapter 2: All the World’s a Stage Chapter 3: Will You Be Cured of Your Infirmity? Chapter 4: Off With His Head! Chapter 5: Murder, Murder! Chapter 6: The Dogs of War Chapter 7: A Plague O’both Your Houses! Chapter 8: Most Delicious Poison Chapter 9: To Be, or Not to Be Chapter 10: Excessive Grief the Enemy to the Living Chapter 11: Exit Pursued by a Bear Epilogue Appendix Bibliography Acknowledgements Index
£10.44
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC Lucy Prebble Plays 1
Book SynopsisLucy Prebble is one of Britain''s foremost writers for the stage and screen. This eagerly anticipated play collection brings together her landmark plays for the first time, showcasing her work from 2003 to 2019. Beginning with her George Devine Award-winning play The Sugar Syndrome it continues through her explosive look at the biggest financial scandal in history, concluding with her pointed dramatization of the one of the most shocking news stories of the 2010s. The Sugar Syndrome (2003) Dani is on a mission. She''s just 17, hates her parents, skives college and prefers life in the chatrooms. What she''s looking for is someone honest and direct. Instead she finds Tim, a man twice her age, who thinks she is 11 and a boy. What seems at first to be a case of crossed wires, ends up as an unlikely, and unsettling friendship between the two, which culminates in a shocking, and morally challenging revelation.Enron (2009) One of the most infamous scandals in financial hiTrade ReviewA playwright blessed with an exceptionally fine mind * Telegraph *A brilliantly bold and ferociously intelligent drama about our slippery times * Financial Times (on A Very Expensive Poison) *Prebble has written a profound and stirring play. The material is complex but always accessible, the drama serious and informative yet deeply human, with the odd jolt of piercing humour. The Effect confirms her as one of the most intelligent voices in British theatre. * Evening Standard (on The Effect) *An exhilarating mix of political satire, modern morality and multimedia spectacle * Guardian (on ENRON) *Table of ContentsIntroduction The Sugar Syndrome The Effect Enron A Very Expensive Poison
£18.99
Yale University Press Henrik Ibsen
Book SynopsisTrade Review“The established facts of his life, as well as some fruitful speculations, are responsibly laid out . . . Mr. de Figueiredo does a fine job of chronicling how, in their differing ways, country after country fell under Ibsen’s spell.”—Brad Leithauser, Wall Street Journal“This book could be an education” —John Carey, The Sunday TimesListed on Choice's Outstanding Academic Titles List for 2019 "Ivo de Figueiredo's luminous prose reveals the myth, the mask and the reality of the "Norwegian sphinx." Tracing Ibsen's deliberate construction of his public persona, and his careful management of his career, de Figueiredo also deftly conveys the social and cultural tensions of Ibsen's Norway while keeping his plays and their reception in close focus. An enthralling read.”—Toril Moi, author of Henrik Ibsen and The Birth of Modernism“de Figueiredo approaches Ibsen, so elusive as both man and writer, in a spirit of intense, scrupulous inquiry in which he involves his readers. His Ibsen is therefore refreshingly freed from any conventional compartmentalisation and allowed to develop, throughout his long life, in all his seeming inconsistencies and unique self-vindicating creations. Robert Ferguson’s supple English prose matches the narrative movement and the emotional varieties of the Norwegian original.”—Paul Binding, author of Hans Christian Andersen"de Figueiredo’s splendid biography of Ibsen ranks with those of Koht, Meyer, and Ferguson — with this difference: that he treats the man and the work as independent historical subjects so that the plays become a study of the zeitgeist, with an emphasis on their reception and transformation of European society.”—Errol Durbach, author of Ibsen the Romantic
£33.25
Edinburgh University Press Poetic Theory and Practice in Early Modern Verse
Book SynopsisStudies alternative concepts to received theories and practices of poetry in early modern England
£22.49
Oxford University Press The Crucible Oxford Playscripts
Book SynopsisThis edition of Arthur Miller''s classic tragedy brings the play alive for students whether in the classroom or drama studio. 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. Seen as a parallel to McCarthyism and the fear of communism in 1950s America, the play''s themes of truth, justice, honour, mass hysteria and individuality still resonate with audiences around the world today.
£15.85
Faber & Faber Shakespeare and the Goddess of Complete Being
Book SynopsisThis enthralling tour de force of literary criticism, unprecedented in Shakespeare studies for its scope and daring, is nothing less than an attempt to show the Complete Works dramatic and poetic as a single, tightly integrated, evolving organism. Hughes supports his thesis with erudition and a painstakingly close analysis of language, plots and characters. A multitude of dazzling insights, such as only one great poet can offer into the work of another, is generated in the process, and our entire understanding of Shakespeare, his art and imagination, is radically transformed. [This] huge study of Shakespeare, more than ten years in the making, is an unprecedented act of critical witness.' London Review of Books
£25.50
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC The Greek Trilogy of Luis Alfaro
Book SynopsisRosa Andújar is Deputy Director and Lecturer in Liberal Arts at King's College London, UK. She has co-edited two volumes which address her research expertise in ancient Greek tragedy and its modern reception: Paths of Song: The Lyric Dimension of Greek Tragedy (2018) and Greeks and Romans on the Latin American Stage (2020).Luis Alfaro is a Chicano writer/performer known for his work in poetry, theatre, short stories, performance and journalism. Alfaro held a six-season tenure as the Mellon Playwright-in-Residence at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival (2013-2019). He was a member of the Playwright's Ensemble at Chicago's Victory Gardens Theatre (2013-2020). Alfaro is the recipient of a MacArthur Foundation Fellowship, popularly known as a genius grant, presented to people who have demonstrated expertise and exceptional creativity in their respective fields. Alfaro is a Joyce Foundation Fellow. In 2019, Alfaro was awarded the PEN America/Laura Pels IntTrade ReviewIn these plays, Luis brilliantly transplants Sophocles’s Electra and Oedipus and Euripides’s Medea into the modern-day streets of Los Angeles and New York. In doing so, he gives voice to the rich, complex lives of the Chicanx and Latinx communities and neighborhoods that he knows and loves. This book is a must-own for any student and lover of contemporary, American plays. * LA Review of Books *A Bloomsbury translation: In this way, the entire book constitutes more than a simple collection of Alfaro's plays. Each of the sections of the anthology reiterates the creation of an archive ... Andújar's work thus contributes to the preservation of the memory of these communities which have turned to the theatre as a venue through which to tell and connect their own stories with other cultures, geographies and temporalities, constantly and necessarily crossing all kinds of borders. * Latin American Theatre Review *Andújar not only offers a richly annotated introduction at the beginning of this volume: each of the three plays also begins with a separate introduction that contextualizes the dramatic work in a way that is both enthralling and enlightening … A must-read for any student and fan of contemporary theatre. And for those of us who have a particular love of Chicanx and Latinx drama, this volume will bring immeasurable reading pleasure and enlightenment. * La Bloga *From the opening scene, the cultural combination is intoxicating … A fascinating trilogy. * British Theatre Guide *Equipped with Andújar’s excellent introduction to Alfaro’s work generally and to each adaptation, plus a production history and interview with Alfaro, this book not only makes the scripts of three very successful plays available for the first time for everyone, but also presents a unique and fascinating way of engaging with the ancient Greek dramas of which Alfaro’s plays are adaptations. * Skenè: Journal of Theatre and Drama Studies *A welcome addition to the bookshelves of those with an interest in the afterlives of Athenian tragedy ... The volume as a whole exemplifies the way in which collaboration between academics and practitioners enhances classical reception studies: this reviewer would be delighted to see more contemporary classical reception texts being given similar treatment. * Greece & Rome *Table of ContentsEditor’s Acknowledgements List of Illustrations 1. Luis Alfaro’s Griego Drama: An Introduction 2. Electricidad: A Chicanx Tragedy between Family and Feminism 3. Electricidad 4. Blind Love and the Chains of Destiny: Oedipus el Rey 5. Oedipus el Rey 6. Mojada: Dramatizing Latinx Migrations 7. Mojada 8. Production History 9. Glossary 10. Interview with Luis Alfaro 11. Further Reading
£23.74
Union Square & Co. Macbeth
Book SynopsisBased on the?'No Fear Shakespeare'?translations, this dynamic graphic novel ? now with colour added ? is impossible to put down. The illustrations are distinctively offbeat, slightly funky and appealing to teens.
£10.44
HarperCollins Publishers Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde Engage your students with this classic story presented through the modern medium of a TV documentary. Collins Drama
Book SynopsisThis dramatisation for schools of Robert Louis Stevenson’s novel is presented in the form of a tv documentary involving expert witnesses trying to get to the bottom of the strange case. The story is reconstructed and the audience is taken back to Victorian London…
£10.05
HarperCollins Publishers History Play The Lives and Afterlife of Christopher Marlowe
Book SynopsisWhat if Christopher Marlowe staged his own death, fled to the Continent and went on to write the works we now attribute to Shakespeare?Trade Review‘Bolt recreates an alternative life of Marlowe that compellingly views the known facts from a different angle.’ Independent ‘A learned and clever piece of historical investigation which cocks a snook as much at the heretics as at the orthodox.’ Independent on Sunday ‘“History Play” is a triumph because…its passion is with the search, with the idea of how our concepts of history and biography are created. “History Play” is, by turns, a jeu d’esprit, an examination of the idea of historical study and a play-filled novel. It made me laugh out loud. And most of all, it made me want to go back to the plays. This was a book that needed to be done perfectly or not at all. It is perfect.’ Spectator
£12.34
HarperCollins Publishers Agatha Christie A Life in Theatre
Book SynopsisA revealing and witty new examination of how Agatha Christie became the world's most successful and popular female playwright, including details of never-before-published scripts and stories.Trade Review‘A magisterial reassessment of Christie's work for the stage.’—Lucy Worsley ‘Agatha Christie: A Life in Theatre is the pivot around which criticism of Christie's theatrical works revolves; there is before Green and there is after Green, and it is hard to imagine that any serious criticism on the subject could be written in the future without a rigorous engagement with this book. It is a project marked by intricate research and illuminating insights into the conditions within which the plays were written and produced.’—Benedict Morrison, The Bloomsbury Handbook to Agatha Christie ‘A thrilling look at the Queen of Crime … Having sifted through the evidence in her personal archives both here and in the US, Christie expert Julius Green spends almost 600 pages proving the case for Dame Agatha's pole position in the pantheon of female playwrights … Extensive quotations from unpublished and/or unperformed plays reveal a wit and nuanced understanding of human nature far beyond the novels.’—Daily Express ‘Her theatrical masterpieces have made her the most successful female playwright of all time … Now, on the 125th anniversary of Agatha Christie's birth, ten new plays by her have been unearthed by British theatre producer Julius Green … Exploring her plays from 'page to stage' he shows that Christie regarded writing books as her day job but found true “creative fulfilment” in the theatre.’—Daily Mail ‘Green turned detective himself and scoured archives around the world to uncover a number of unpublished, unknown works … This book is a treat.’—Independent
£14.44
HarperCollins Publishers As You Like It Collins Classics
Book SynopsisHarperCollins is proud to present its new range of best-loved, essential classics.All the world''s a stage,And all the men and women merely players.'Featuring Rosalind, one of Shakespeare's most likeable and strong female protagonists, As You Like It is a comedic play centred around concealed identity, love, exile and artifice. Banished from the court by her uncle, Rosalind flees to the forest with her cousin Celia and her jester, joining her already exiled father, and disguising herself as a boy. In the guise of a young man, she instructs her would-be lover Orlando in the ways of love and in doing so allows Shakespeare to explore the dynamics of the city and the country as well as the sexual politics of the time.
£5.68
HarperCollins Publishers Much ADO about Nothing
Book SynopsisHarperCollins is proud to present its new range of best-loved, essential classics.Thou and I are too wise to woo peaceably.'One of Shakespeare's most witty and enjoyable comedies, Much Ado About Nothing is a play that explores courtship, romance and marriage through a number of relationships. Most famously, that of the irrepressible Beatrice and Benedick as they trade their wits against one another, criticising the notion of marriage, yet slowly falling in love with one another as they do so.
£5.62
HarperCollins Publishers The Merchant of Venice Collins Classics
Book SynopsisHarperCollins is proud to present its incredible range of best-loved, essential classics.''The quality of mercy is not strain''d,It droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven'Bassiano, a noble Venetian, hopes to woo the beautiful heiress Portia. However, he requires financial assistance from his friend Antonio. Antonio agrees, but he, in turn, must borrow from the Jewish moneylender Shylock. As recourse for past ills, Shylock stipulates that the forfeit on the loan must be a pound of Antonio's flesh. In the most renowned onstage law scene of all time, Portia proves herself one of Shakespeare's most cunning heroines, disguising herself as a lawyer and vanquishing Shylock's claims; meanwhile, Shylock triumphs on a humanitarian level with his plea for tolerance: Hath not a Jew eyes?'Viewed paradoxically as anti-Semitic, while at the same time powerfully liberal for its time, The Merchant of Venice is at its core a bittersweet drama, exploring the noble themes of prejudice, justice and honour
£5.02
HarperCollins Publishers Romeo and Juliet
Book SynopsisBuild your child's reading confidence at home with books at the right levelGet to know one of literature's most famous couples, as they meet, fall in love, marry in secret and are then cruelly separated. A love story at its heart, this is also a tale of rivalry, revenge and bitter resentment. Get to know one of Shakespeare's most famous plays in this wonderful and engaging retelling.Pearl/Band 18 books offer fluent readers a complex, substantial text with challenging themes to facilitate sustained comprehension, bridging the gap between a reading programme and longer chapter books.Text type:Curriculum links:
£10.90
HarperCollins Publishers Shakespeares Book
Book SynopsisA lively picture of multiple operators scrambling to steal a march on the competition . . . Lavishly detailed'FINANCIAL TIMESThis is Shakespearean scholarship at its best, brilliantly researched yet compulsively readable. It''s a book for our times, enduringly fascinating and appealing to both enthusiasts and the general reader. Highly recommended!' ALISON WEIRFINANCIAL TIMES BOOK OF THE SUMMERA BBC HISTORY MAGAZINE BOOK OF THE YEAR 2023?A BBC RADIO 4 FRONT ROW NON-FICTION BOOK OF THE YEAR 2023AN AUSTRALIAN BOOK REVIEW BOOK OF THE YEAR 2023The year 2023 marks the 400th anniversary of Mr William Shakespeare's Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies, known today simply as the First Folio. It is difficult to imagine a world without The Tempest, Twelfth Night, Antony and Cleopatra, The Winter's Tale and Macbeth, but these are just some of the plays that were only preserved thanks to the astounding labour of love that went into creating the first collection.Shakespeare's Book: The Intertwined LiveTrade Review PRAISE FOR SHAKESPEARE’S BOOK ‘A superb evocation of the places, personalities and networks that helped turn the words of William Shakespeare into secular scripture. A brilliant, sinewy, deeply immersive read from a fine scholar and storyteller’ Jessie Childs, bestselling author of The Siege of Loyalty House '[A] significant offering… his mission is admirable: to trace every major step in the collective enterprise, starting from the death of the leading Shakespearean actor Richard Burbage in 1619, which served as a melancholy spur… to collate the Bard's works for posterity… [T]he necessary drama is there' Daily Telegraph ‘Laoutaris’s history of the interlinked careers behind the Folio scheme, brings that network to life . . . His resourceful sleuthing ties the Folio’s birth to the politics of its time’ Economist 'Like Shakespeare's plays, Laoutaris's book revolves around detailed interpersonal relationships. From his pages you will learn about the lives of Heminges and Condell… and many others… trestfy[ing] to the thoroughness of the author's research’ Washington Post 'A must read for anyone with even a slight passing fancy for Shakespeare . . . To say this is a book to be read and reread, and have a place on the library shelf, would be a major understatement’ Judith Reveal, New York Journal of Books ‘[A] brilliant new study of the Folio’s genesis … genuinely thrilling. Shakespeare’s Book offers both wonderful vignettes of Shakespeare’s world and tantalising solutions to long-standing mysteries. Laoutaris compellingly recreates the vital collaborations – and rivalries – behind the printing of ‘Shakespeare’s Book’’ The Tablet ‘Intricately woven, vividly depicted and groundbreaking’ Dr Paul Edmondson of the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust
£21.25
HarperCollins Publishers The Merchant of Venice AQA GCSE 91 English
Book SynopsisExam Board: AQALevel: GCSE Grade 9-1Subject: English LiteratureSuitable for the 2024 examsEverything you need to revise for your GCSE 9-1 set text in a snap guideEverything you need to score top marks on your GCSE Grade 9-1 English Literature exam is right at your fingertips! Revise The Merchant of Venice by William Shakespeare in a snap with this new GCSE Grade 9-1 Snap Revision Text Guide from Collins. Refresh your knowledge of the plot, context, characters and themes and pick up top tips along the way to ace your AQA exam. Each topic is explained in an easy-to-read format so you can get straight to the point. Then, put your skills to the test with plenty of practice questions included in every section. The Snap Text Guides are packed with every quote and extract you need. We've even included examples of how to plan and write your essay responses! For more revision on Shakespeare, check out our Snap Revision Text Guides on Macbeth (9780008247089) and Romeo and Juliet (9780008247072).
£7.48
HarperCollins Publishers Romeo and Juliet Edexcel GCSE 91 English
Book SynopsisExam Board: EdexcelLevel: GCSE Grade 9-1Subject: English LiteratureSuitable for the 2024 examsEverything you need to revise for your GCSE 9-1 set text in a snap guideEverything you need to score top marks on your GCSE Grade English Literature exam is right at your fingertips! Revise Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare in a snap with this new GCSE Grade 9-1 Snap Revision Text Guide from Collins. Refresh your knowledge of the plot, context, characters and themes and pick up top tips along the way to ace your Edexcel exam. Each topic is explained in an easy-to-read format so you can get straight to the point. Then, put your skills to the test with plenty of practice questions included in every section. The Snap Text Guides are packed with every quote and extract you need. We've even included examples of how to plan and write your essay responses! For more revision on Shakespeare, check out our Snap Revision Text Guide on Macbeth (9780008353025).
£7.48
HarperCollins Publishers Macbeth AQA GCSE 91 English Literature Workbook
Book SynopsisExam Board: AQALevel: GCSE Grade 9-1Subject: English LiteratureSuitable for the 2024 examsTargeted practice questions covering your GCSE grade 9-1 set textOur Macbeth GCSE Grade 9-1 workbook has everything you need to put your skills to the test and score top marks on your GCSE Grade 9-1 English Literature exam! Prepare for your exam in a snap with this new GCSE Grade 9-1 Snap Revision Macbeth Workbook from Collins. Full of questions on plot, context, characters and themes in a clear and easy-to-use format with answers included you'll get plenty of practice. With exam-style questions you can plan and write your essay responses to be completely prepared for your AQA exam. Perfect to use alongside the GCSE Grade 9-1 Snap Revision Macbeth Text Guide for all the key information you need to practise and pass.
£7.49
HarperCollins Publishers Hamlet
Book SynopsisExam board: AQA, Edexcel, Eduqas, WJECLevel & Subject: A Level English LiteratureFirst teaching: September 2015Next exams: 2025This edition of Hamlet is perfect for A-level students, with the complete play in an accessible format, on-page notes, introduction setting the context, timeline, character and theme indexes.Affordable high quality complete play for HamletDemystify vocabulary with notes on the page and concise commentarySet the scene with perfectly pitched introductions that introduce key contexts, concerns and stylistic features, and examine different performances and interpretationsRecall plot summaries at the beginning of each sceneSupport A Level revision and essay writing with theme and character indexesHelp with social, historical and literary context with the bespoke timeline of Shakespeare's life and timesTrade Review“The new Collins Classroom Classic editions are perfect for schools – clear text, bright covers, a good size for pockets and bags, and a great price that makes buying new class or cohort sets very attractive in these budget-conscious times.” de Stafford School
£6.49
HarperCollins Shakespeares Philosophy Discovering the Meaning Behind the Plays
Book SynopsisExplores Shakespeare's philosophy of life and illustrates how he was influenced, for example, by the essays of Montaigne that were translated into English while Shakespeare was writing.
£10.74
HarperCollins Publishers Inc A Thousand Times More Fair
Book Synopsis
£14.39
Cornerstone The Secret Life of Oscar Wilde
Book SynopsisDeals 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.Trade ReviewIntriguing and entertaining...McKenna makes an impassioned case for re-gaying Wilde * The Times *A groundbreaking new biography of our greatest queer martyr * Observer *It cannot be recommended too highly. Extraordinary, intensely passionate and quite beautiful * Manchester Evening News *This is by far and away the best biography of Oscar Wilde to date * John McRae, Professor of Literature *A bold book * The Guardian *
£13.49
Vintage Publishing Bacchae
Book SynopsisThis stunning translation, by the acclaimed poet Robin Robertson (Forward Prize, Man Booker shortlist 2018), has reinvigorated Euripides'' devastating take of a god''s revenge for contemporary readers, bringing the ancient verse to fervid, brutal life.Dionysus, god of wine and ecstasy, has come to Thebes, and the women are streaming out of the city to worship him on the mountain, drinking and dancing in wild frenzy. The king, Pentheus, denouces this so-called ''god'' as a charlatan. But no mortal can deny a god and no man can ever stand against Dionysus.''The dialogue is taut, volcanic and often exquisitely beautiful... Euripides deserves to have his exquisite verse transformed into modern speech, and in Robertson I believe he has found a poet who can do that.'' Edith Hall, Literary ReviewTrade Review‘Euripides’s Bacchae is one of the most powerful poems in Greek literature...one of the hardest texts in Western literature to translate. The astute Scottish poet Robin Robertson has already shown with his Medea, published in 2008, that he can translate Euripides into chiselled English poetry ripe for theatrical delivery. Bacchae is even better. In the choral odes, sung by the titular Bacchants, he has radiantly evoked the ritual solemnity, supported by assonance and percussive drive, that makes these sung poems so otherworldly. The dialogue is taut, volcanic and often exquisitely beautiful... Euripides deserves to have his exquisite verse transformed into modern speech, and in Robertson I believe he has found a poet who can do that. This translation cries out for realisation by multiple voices on radio or in live theatre -- Edith Hall * Literary Review *Robin Robertson is the great Euripides translator of our time. The clarity and power of his Medea is unmatched, and his Bacchae is just as direct, unhindered and fluid, perfect for revealing such madness. -- David VannI can recommend the clarity of the translation...Robertson maintains a robust and exuberant style. It’s time to brush up on our Greek theatre and here’s a stunning chance -- Grace Cavalieri * Washington Independent Review of Books *It's 2,400 years old, yet it is so compelling and absolutely modern -- Deborah WarnerI portray men as they should be, but Euripides portrays them as they are -- Sophocles, Aristotle's 'Poetics'
£7.59
Vintage Publishing Shakespeare
Book SynopsisAnthony 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. His Malayan trilogy of novels and a history of English literature were published while he was living in Malaya and Brunei.He became a full-time writer in 1959 and achieved a worldwide reputation as one of the most versatile novelists of his day. His writings include biographies of Shakespeare and Hemingway, critical studies of James Joyce, stage plays, and two volumes of autobiography. His work as a composer and librettist includes the Broadway musical, Cyrano, and Blooms of Dublin, an operetta based on Joyce's Ulysses.His 33 novels continue to be published all over the world. They include A Clockwork Orange, Nothing Like the Sun, The Complete Enderby, Earthly Powers, NapoleonTrade ReviewBright, racy...knowledgeable and humorous, alternately sensible and quirky. -- Terry EagletonAnthony 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 *Animated by affection and an understanding of the creative imagination that only a creative writer can bring to bear * Atlantic *A smooth-flowing narrative, often enlivened by Anthony Burgess's Joycean appetite for linguistic fantasy * The Economist *
£10.44
Penguin Books Ltd Shakespeares Language
Book SynopsisThe 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.
£10.44
Penguin Books Ltd Shakespeares Words
Book SynopsisA 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.
£25.20
Penguin Books Ltd Four Comedies
Book SynopsisWilliam Shakespeare (1564-1616) was born to John Shakespeare and mother Mary Arden some time in late April 1564 in Stratford-upon-Avon. He wrote about 38 plays (the precise number is uncertain), a collection of sonnets and a variety of other poems.
£11.69
Penguin Books Ltd Shakespearean Tragedy Lectures on Hamlet Othello
Book SynopsisA.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 Shakespearean Tragedy: Lectures on Hamlet, Othello, King Lear and Macbeth.Approaching 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.For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the
£11.69
Penguin Random House Australia Coriolanus
Book Synopsis
£7.60
Penguin Books Ltd The Complete Pelican Shakespeare
Book SynopsisThis edition of Shakespeare's complete works aims to combine accessibility with scholarship. Each play or poetry collection has an introduction which includes textual and literary-historical issues and there are same-page notes for ease of reference.Trade Review"Here is an elegant and clear text for either study or the rehearsal room, notes where you need them, and the distinguished scholarship of the general editors, A. R. Braunmuller and Stephen Orgel, who understand that these are plays for performance as wellas great texts for contemplation." —Patrick Stewart“The perfect companion to enjoy the most profound stories of the human condition that Shakespeare has given us and that I have had the privilege to perform, from Othello to King Lear. "—James Earl Jones “Orgel and Braunmuller’s editions of the Pelican Shakespeare are an indispensable part of my library. These introductions by great Shakespearean scholars are erudite yet accessible, and the individual editions of the plays are perfect for the rehearsal room. They combine scholastic precision with an inspiring energy that fuels everyone making Shakespeare live today.” —Simon Godwin, Shakespeare Theatre Company and the National Theatre“I have been using the Pelican Shakespeare for years in my lecture course–it’s invaluable.”—Marjorie Garber, Harvard University Table of ContentsEditorsAcknowledgmentsPublisher's NoteThe Opening Pages of the Folio of 1623The QuartosGeneral IntroductionThe Shakespearian Theater WorldWilliam Shakespeare of Stratford-upon-Avon, GentlemanThe Texts of ShakespeareA Comparative TableNondramatic PoetryThe Narrative Poems - edited by Jonathan Crewe:Venus and AdonisLucreceThe Phoenix and the TurtleThe Passionate PilgrimA Lover's ComplaintThe Sonnets - edited by Stephen Orgel with an Introduction by John HollanderIndex of First Lines to The SonnetsComediesThe Two Gentlemen of Verona - edited by Mary Beth RoseThe Taming of the Shrew - edited by Stephen OrgelThe Comedy of Errors - edited by Frances E. DolanLove's Labor's Lost - edited by Peter HollandA Midsummer Night's Dream - edited by Russ McDonaldThe Merchant of Venice - edited by A.R. BraunmullerThe Merry Wives of Windsow - edited by Russ McDonaldMuch Ado About Nothing - edited by Peter HollandAs You Like It - edited by Frances E. DolanTwelfth Night, or, What You Will - edited by Jonathan CreweThe History of Troilus and Cressida - edited by Jonathan CreweMeasure for Measure - edited by Jonathan CreweAll's Well That Ends Well - edited by Claire McEachernPericles Prince of Tyre - edited by Stephen OrgelCymbeline - edited by Peter HollandThe Winter's Tale - edited by Frances E. DolanThe Tempest - edited by Peter HollandHistoriesGenealogical ChartMonarchs of EnglandThe First Part of Henry the Sixth - edited by William Montgomery with an Introduction by Janis LullThe Second Part of Henry the Sixth - edited by William Montgomery with an Introduction by Janis LullThe Third Part of Henry the Sixth - edited by William Montgomery with an Introduction by Janis LullThe Tragedy of King Richard the Third - edited by Peter HollandThe Tragedy of King Richard the Second - edited by Frances E. DolanThe Life and Death of King John - edited by Claire McEachernThe First Part of King Henry the Fourth - edited by Claire McEachernThe Second Part of King Henry the Fourth - edited by Claire McEachernThe Life of King Henry the Fifth - edited by Claire McEachernThe Life of King Henry the Eighth - edited by Jonathan CreweTragediesTitus Andronicus - edited by Russ McDonaldRomeo and Juliet - edited by Peter HollandThe Tragedy of Julius Caesar - edited by William Montgomery with an Introduction by Douglas TrevorThe Tragical History of Hamlet Prince of Denmark - edited by A.R. BraunmullerThe Tragedy of Othello the Moor of Venice - edited by Russ McDonaldThe Life of Timon of Athens - edited by Frances E. DolanKing Lear: The 1608 Quarto and 1623 Folio Texts - edited by Stephen OrgelKing Lear: A Conflated Text - edited by Stephen OrgelMacbeth - edited by Stephen OrgelAntony and Cleopatra - edited by A.R. BraunmullerThe Tragedy of Coriolanus - edited by Jonathan CreweIndex of Songs
£58.50
Penguin Books Ltd Soul of the Age
Book SynopsisJonathan Bate''s Soul of the Age brings us closer than ever to understanding what being Shakespeare was actually like.How 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?Weaving a dazzling tapestry of Elizabethan beliefs and obsessions, private passions and political intrigues, Soul of the Age 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.''Bate probably knows as much as any single person can know about Shakespeare ... Surprising, fresh, exhilarating, brilliant'', Guardian''Intensely enjoyable ... you find yourself gasping with pleasure'' John Carey, Sunday TimesJonathan Bate is Professor of Shakespeare and Renaissance Literature at the University of Warwick, chief editor of The RSC Shakespeare: Complete Works and the author of many books, including most recently John Clare: A Biography, 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.Trade Review'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
£11.69
Penguin Books Ltd Nicholl C Lodger
Book SynopsisIn 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. Marshalling evidence from a wide variety of sources, including previously unknown documentary material on the Mountjoys, he conjures up a detailed and compelling description of the circumstances in which Shakespeare lived and worked, and in which he wrote such plays as Othello, Measure for Measure and King Lear.
£11.69
Penguin Books Ltd A View from the Bridge Penguin Modern Classics
Book SynopsisArthur Miller''s play A View from the Bridge is a tragic masterpiece of the inexorable unravelling of a man, set in a close-knit Italian-American community in 1950s New York. Eddie Carbone is a longshoreman and a straightforward man, with a strong sense of decency and of honour. For Eddie, it''s a privilege to take in his wife''s cousins, Marco and Rodolpho, straight off the boat from Italy. But, as his niece Catherine begins to fall for one of them, it''s clear that it''s not just, as Eddie claims, that he''s too strange, too sissy, too careless for her, but that something bigger, deeper is wrong - and wrong inside Eddie, in a way he can''t face. Something which threatens the happiness of their whole family.This Penguin Classics edition includes an introduction by the author and a new foreword by actor Philip Seymour Hoffman.
£8.54
Penguin Books Ltd Focus
Book SynopsisA reticent personnel manager living with his mother, Mr Newman shares the prejudices of his times and of his neighbours - and neither a Hispanic woman abused outside his window nor the persecution of the Jewish store owner he buys his paper from are any of his business. Until Newman begins wearing glasses, and others begin to mistake him for a Jew.Arthur Miller''s chilling novel displays the same searing moral precision and emotional intensity of his plays, as the intensity of anti-Semitism in 1945 New York mounts, and the prejudices Newman shares begin to turn threateningly against him.
£11.69
Penguin Books Ltd The Sonnets and a Lovers Complaint
Book SynopsisPart of the "Clothbound Classics" series, this title collects sonnets of Shakespeare's that deal with eternal subjects such as love and infidelity, memory and mortality, and the destruction wreaked by Time. It also includes the sonnet "A Lover's Complaint", in which a young woman is overheard lamenting her betrayal by a heartless seducer.
£15.29
Penguin Books Ltd Shakespeares Sonnets
Book Synopsis''Shall I compare thee to a summer''s day?Thou art more lovelyand more temperate . . .''Shakespeare''s 154 sonnets contain some of the most exquisite and haunting poetry ever written, dealing with eternal themes such as love and infidelity, memory and mortality, and the destruction wreaked by time. This new edition collects them in a pocket-sized volume, perfect for gifting. William Shakespeare was born some time in late April 1564 in Stratford-upon-Avon and died in 1616. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world''s pre-eminent dramatist.
£6.99
Penguin Publishing Group Portable Shakespeare The Penguin Classics
Book SynopsisA selection of The Bard's greatest writings edited by the great Shakespearean Stephen OrgelWilliam Shakespeare's plays revolutionized the English language and created some of the most important scenes in Western literature: Hamlet contemplating his mortality, Romeo romancing Juliet, Lear railing against his insanity into the storm, and King Henry V wandering among his soldiers on the eve of battle. With introductions and context from leading Shakespearean scholar Stephen Orgel, the essential works of the most important figure in English literature are collected here: nine complete plays, the most popular scenes and poems, as well as a glossary of 1,000 key words. With clear and authoritative texts from the Pelican Shakespeare series, this user-friendly edition will inspire students, thespians, poets, and general readers alike.For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,7
£17.19
Penguin Putnam Inc Resurrection Blues Penguin Plays
Book SynopsisArthur Miller’s penultimate play, Resurrection Blues, is a darkly comic satirical allegory that poses the question: What would happen if Christ were to appear in the world today? In an unidentified Latin American country, General Felix Barriaux has captured an elusive revolutionary leader. The rebel, known by various names, is rumored to have performed miracles throughout the countryside. The General plans to crucify the mysterious man, and the exclusive television rights to the twenty-four-hour reality-TV eventhave been sold to an American network for $25 million. An allegory that asserts the interconnectedness of our actions and each person’s culpability in world events, Resurrection Blues is a comedic and tragic satire of precarious morals in our media-saturated age.
£10.34
Penguin Publishing Group Verdis Shakespeare
Book SynopsisLook out for a new book from Garry Wills, What the Qur'an Meant, coming fall 2017.Riveting . . . a double-barreled salvo that hits two bull's-eyes. —The New York Times Book ReviewThis dazzling study of the three operas that Giuseppe Verdi adapted from Shakespeare's plays takes readers on a wonderfully engaging journey through opera, music, literature, history, and the nature of genius. Verdi's Shakespeare explores the writing and staging of Macbetto (Macbeth), Otello (Othello), and Falstaff, operas by Verdi, an Italian composer who could not read a word of English but who adored Shakespeare. Delving into the fast-paced worlds of these men and the hands-on life of the stage that at once challenged them and gave flight to their brilliance, Wills, in his inimitable way, illuminates the birth of artistic creation.Trade ReviewA Booklist Editors Choice Pick for 2011 “Wonderfully illuminating. This book is the product of a lifetime of listening and watching….No lover of Verdi—or Shakespeare, for that matter—will want to miss it.” —Opera News “Riveting…a double-barreled salvo that hits two bull’s-eyes. Shakespeare scholarship is one of the world’s thriving industries, with no factories but worldwide workshops. While you are reading this, there must be hundreds (thousands?) of worthies turning out articles and books from pole to pole. But Garry Wills has upped the ante. There is a fair, but not daunting, amount of musical analysis, as well as much acknowledged borrowing and quoting from other relevant writers. This only makes the book more useful, what with burrowings (rather than borrowings) a worm would be proud of, and a panorama worthy of a fly’s multifaceted eye. “Nomen est omen” goes a Latin adage: the name is a signifier. So the noun “Wills” suggests manifold motivation, multiple resolve. Whatever Garry undertakes, trust Wills to get done.” —John Simon, The New York Times “Wills’s joyously engaged, scholarly yet personable essay is not just a treat but also a banquet succulent enough to make Shakespeareans and Verdians of all who partake of it.” —Booklist, starred review “Opera aficionados will delight in Wills’s thoughtful, deeply rehearsed essays. . . . [His] detailed depictions of the operas’ subtleties, sublimely rendered for opera fans, endlessly elucidate the work of these ‘creative volcanoes.’” —Publishers Weekly “Wills brilliantly explores the evolution, development, and performance histories of the three plays (actually, four, counting both Henry IV and Merry Wives of Windsor as inspirations for Falstaff), the three operas, and the connections among them. As essential purchase. ” —Library Journal, starred review “Wills’s insights into both Verdi’s acute understanding of Shakespeare and his ingenious methods of conveying it are thrilling—particularly his account of how, when composing “Otello,” Verdi encapsulated the six hundred and eighty-six lines of the play’s first act within a few minutes of music.” —The New Yorker “Fascinating.” —Commonweal Magazine “One genius interprets another: English to Italian, words to lyrics, immortal drama to overpowering opera. . . . While the book has an enormous amount to teach devotees of either Shakespeare or Verdi, opera fans in particular will enjoy the author’s close and illuminating attention to backstage history, as well as words, music and phrasing.” —Kirkus“Despite the novelty of the subject in VERDI'S SHAKESPEARE, Wills’s writing is characteristically clear and marked with literate ping. . . . Throughout, he demonstrates an innate understanding of drama and music and how they can work together. His analysis of melody, harmony and orchestration are as solid as his examination of theatrical practice and technique. And his research is thorough. He draws on the considerable store of data unearthed by others, citing in his more than one hundred footnotes a veritable Who’s Who of opera and theater scholars.” —The Washington Independent Review of Books
£17.10
Penguin Putnam Inc The Merchant of Venice
Book SynopsisTrade Review“Gorgeous new Shakespeare paperbacks.” —Marlon James, author of A Brief History of Seven Killings“I have been using the Pelican Shakespeare for years in my lecture course--it's invaluable, the best individual-volume series available for students.”—Marjorie Garber, William R. Kenan, Jr. Professor of English and Visual and Environmental Studies, Harvard University
£7.69
Penguin Putnam Inc Henry V
Book SynopsisTrade Review“Gorgeous new Shakespeare paperbacks.” —Marlon James, author of A Brief History of Seven Killings“I have been using the Pelican Shakespeare for years in my lecture course--it's invaluable, the best individual-volume series available for students.”—Marjorie Garber, William R. Kenan, Jr. Professor of English and Visual and Environmental Studies, Harvard University
£9.00
Penguin Putnam Inc Richard III
Book SynopsisTrade Review“Gorgeous new Shakespeare paperbacks.” —Marlon James, author of A Brief History of Seven Killings“I have been using the Pelican Shakespeare for years in my lecture course--it's invaluable, the best individual-volume series available for students.”—Marjorie Garber, William R. Kenan, Jr. Professor of English and Visual and Environmental Studies, Harvard University
£9.00
Penguin Putnam Inc The Sonnets
Book SynopsisThe acclaimed Pelican Shakespeare series, now repackaged in award-winning modern covers to inspire Shakespearians of all ages.
£8.54
