Synopses & Reviews
The Necessary Shakespeare Third Edition David Bevington “The Necessary Shakespeare distills the best, the most often read, and the most often produced of Shakespeare’s great plays. By publishing this selection in a compact paperback edition, my hope is to expose a new broader audience to the work of perhaps the greatest author in the history of the English language.”
–From the Preface, The Necessary Shakespeare, Third Edition
This remarkable volume comprises not only twenty-one of Shakespeare’s plays but also all of the sonnets, accompanied by a comprehensive General Introduction that addresses questions of context, language, and critical reception, and appendices that explore dates and alternate texts, sources, and Shakespeare in performance–an extraordinary and indeed necessary collection.
COMEDIES
The Taming of the Shrew
A Midsummer Night's Dream
The Merchant of Venice
Much Ado About Nothing
As You Like It
Twelfth Night; Or, What You Will
Measure for Measure
HISTORIES
The Tragedy of King Richard the Third
The Tragedy of King Richard the Second
The First Part of King Henry the Fourth
The Life of King Henry the Fifth
TRAGEDIES
Romeo and Juliet
Julius Caesar
Hamlet, Prince of Denmark
Othello, the Moor of Venice
King Lear
Macbeth
Antony and Cleopatra
ROMANCES
The Winter's Tale
The Tempest
POEMS
Sonnets
Synopsis
A highly respected editor and Shakespearean scholar, David Bevington presents a brief version of The Complete Works of Shakespeare, 6/e wiih the new edition of The Necessary Shakespeare, 3/e. The third edition addresses the two key issues confronted by students approaching Shakespeare today: a lack of knowledge about the historical period and difficulty with the language of Shakespeare's plays. A richly illustrated general introduction offers insight into Shakespeare's England and background on the literary, social, and cultural contexts in which Shakespeare wrote and produced plays. Each play is introduced by a descriptive essay designed to help students appreciate the historical contexts and interpretive issues raised by the play, without dictating students’ interpretations. Completely revised and updated notes and glosses support student readers line by line, paraphrasing Elizabethan expressions in clear and accessible contemporary language.
Table of Contents
GENERAL INTRODUCTION.
Life in Shakespeare's England.
The Drama Before Shakespeare.
London Theatres and Dramatic Companies.
Shakespeare's Life and Work.
Shakespeare's