Retellings of twenty of Shakespeare's best known plays, using the playwright's own words when possible.

Claudio and Hero, awaiting their wedding, conspire to get the antagonistic Beatrice and Benedick to fall in love, unaware that they themselves are the target of a more sinister plot. Includes explanatory notes, scene-by-scene plot summaries, a key to famous lines and phrases, and illustrations.

Romeo and Juliet was the first drama in English to confer full tragic dignity on the agonies of youthful love. The lyricism that enshrines their death-marked devotion has made the lovers legendary in every language that possesses a literature.

In only two playsThe Comedy of Errors and The Tempest--does Shakespeare observe the unities of time, action, and place. While these apparent constraints seem to restrict the playwright, they also demonstrate an artistry that transcends the apparent restrictions, especially in The Tempest. The added themes of justice satisfied and of young love realized make for a satisfying blend of artistry and stagecraft.

"During the 1967 school year, on Wednesday afternoons when all his classmates go to either Catechism or Hebrew school, seventh-grader Holling Hoodhood stays in Mrs. Baker's classroom, where they read the plays of William Shakespeare and Holling learns much of value about the world he lives in."--T.p. verso.

The skies over ancient Rome blaze with terrifying portents, and soothsayers warn Julius Caesar of approaching doom. As conspiracy swirls through the city, Shakespeare explores the deep repercussions of political murder on the human heart. The classic tale of duplicity and murder is masterfully performed by an all-star, all American cast.

When Hermia's father promises her hand in marriage to a man she doesn't want, she runs away to the forest with her true love, Lysander. But their escape gets turned upside down by the fairy king Oberon and the mischievous Puck, whose magic turns love into hate and men into beasts!

To a contemporary feminist, The Taming of the Shrew is surely anathema. A strong woman is shown to be easily manipulated and ends up subjugated by a somewhat insensitive and boorish man. Yet, despite the real objections, the play has been popular for centuries in itself, in adaptations (Tamed and How, or The Push), and a wildly popular musical (Kiss Me, Kate). Thus, one may be forced to concede that there is an element here that transcends the knockabout,...

When Will Shakespeare needs passionate inspiration to break a bad case of writer's block, a secret romance with the beautiful Lady Viola starts the words flowing like never before!