Edited, introduced and annotated by Cedric Watts, M.A., Ph.D., Emeritus Professor of English, University of Sussex. The Winter's Tale, one of Shakespeare's later romantic comedies, offers a striking and challenging mixture of tragic and violent events, lyrical love-speeches, farcical comedy, pastoral song and dance, and, eventually, dramatic revelations and reunions. Thematically, there is a rich orchestration of the contrasts between age and youth, corruption and innocence, ...
Edited, Introduced and Annotated by Cedric Watts, M.A., Ph.D., Emeritus Professor of English, University of Sussex. The Wordsworth Classics' Shakespeare Series, with Henry V and The Merchant of Venice as its inaugral volumes, presents a newly-edited sequence of William Shakespeare's works. The textual editing takes account of recent scholarship while giving the material a careful reappraisal. Othello has long been recognised as one of the most powerful of Shakespeare’s traged...
Othello has long been recognised as one of the most powerful of Shakespeare’s tragedies. This is an intense drama of love, deception, jealousy and destruction. Desdemona’s love for Othello, the Moor, transcends racial prejudice; but the envious Iago conspires to devastate their lives. In its vivid rendering of racism, sexism, contested identities, and the savagery lurking within civilisation, Othello is arguably the most topical and accessible tragedy from Shakespeare’s major...
Edited, introduced and annotated by Cedric Watts, M.A., Ph.D., Emeritus Professor of English, University of Sussex. Richard III is one of the finest of Shakespeare’s historical dramas. Although it has a huge cast, Richard himself, gleefully wicked, charismatically Machiavellian, always dominates the play: a role to gratify such leading actors as David Garrick, Laurence Olivier, Anthony Sher, Ian McKellen and Al Pacino.Since, in real life, political Machiavellianism is never o...
Shakespeare’s Macbeth is one of the greatest tragic dramas the world has known. Macbeth himself, a brave warrior, is fatally impelled by supernatural forces, by his proud wife, and by his own burgeoning ambition. As he embarks on his murderous course to gain and retain the crown of Scotland, we see the appalling emotional and psychological effects on both Lady Macbeth and himself. The cruel ironies of their destiny are conveyed in poetry of unsurpassed power. In the theatre, ...
‘Love alters not with his brief hours and weeks, But bears it out even to the edge of doom’ Sonnets are for romantics, starry-eyed lovers and ardent hearts. And Shakespeare’s sonnets are the best ever written. But this is why they are also for cynics, for star-crossed lovers and for those who know the anguish of unrequited love. Some of them are written to a young man, some of them to a woman. And although the poems are full of mystery – why did Shakespeare write them, what w...
Tytułowy bohater tragedii „Tymon Ateńczyk” jest majętny, więc nic nie stoi na przeszkodzie, aby wydać huczne przyjęcie i obdarować gości hojnymi prezentami. Jednak taka postawa nie jedna mu prawdziwych przyjaciół, za to skupia wokół niego osoby interesowne. Majątek Tymona pierzcha, a przyjaźnie zostają wystawione na próbę. Dochodzi do brzemiennych w konsekwencje zbrodni. Tymon obmyśla dotkliwą zemstę na fałszywych przyjaciołach.
W sztuce „Sen nocy letniej” mieszają się światy realny i wyobrażony, współistniejące na niemal równych prawach. Na ich tle w mistrzowskiej komedii splatają się historie trzech par kochanków. Źle ulokowana miłość, rozmaite perypetie i udział leśnych duszków podsycają emocje towarzyszące lekturze, zapewniając zarówno mnóstwo radości, jak i odrobinę refleksji nad istotą uczuć.
Na skutek intryg i zawiści Prospero, prawowity książę Mediolanu, zostaje pozbawiony przez swojego brata tronu i wraz z córką Mirandą wyprawiony na morze w łodzi. Trafiają oni na niemal bezludną wyspę, na której spędzają wiele lat. Aż nagle u wybrzeży wyspy pojawia się statek. Dzięki swoim umiejętnościom magicznym Prospero wywołuje burzę, która sprowadza załogę statku na wyspę...
The focus of the great tragedy of William Shakespeare „Macbeth” is unreasonable ambition that turns a brave warrior and a recognized hero into an ominous killer who seized power in his hands at the cost of bloody atrocity. The play „Macbeth” is worth reading if only to enjoy the beautiful poetic language of the great playwright – here evil, intrigue, deceit and the most base vices of humanity are served under the sauce of beautiful poetry.
With a strong spirit and body, people who are ready to endure all sorts of hardships and difficulties for the sake of the cause of their whole life, their blood, their feats inscribing their names in the history of mankind, also end up being tested, which turn out to be stronger than them. And for the sake of this, a person is able to erase his entire former life overnight. This happens with Anthony, an honorary Roman who fell in love with the proud queen of Egypt. For his ...
Heroes of the work are ready for terrible deeds for the sake of power. Richard is a model of canonical evil, almost a fairy-tale villain, in whom there is nothing light. The main character goes to power through numerous crimes and deceptions. He does not spare underage nephews, ordering to kill them in the Tower, and then dies in a battle with another claimant to the throne.
Shakespeare’s sonnets cannot be overestimated; this is the best sort of poetry. How clean, voiced imagery. In general, in what language you do not read – the pleasure is provided. Idealization of the beloved, ode to his beauty, magnification by his Perfection. But what is interesting – the author sees the imperfections of a loved one, but literally forgives them. And nothing can darken the object of affection for him.
This is a very unusual play. Maybe that’s why little known. The scene of action is Troy, the time of the siege that glorified it. Heroes – Agamemnon, Priam, Achilles, Hector, Menelaus, Paris, Elena. The main reason for the war is to return the prodigal Helen Cuckold Menelaus. Yes exactly. Trojans defend themselves by doubting the right to hold an unfaithful wife. The Greeks besiege, doubting the reason to besiege.
One of Shakespeare’s later plays. The plot focuses on the confrontation between the Duke of Milan, the Wizard of Prospero, and his brother Antonio. The latter, with the help of the Neapolitan king, takes power from his brother. Prospero, with his little daughter Miranda, was expelled from Milan. On a dilapidated ship they were sent to the open sea.
This historical chronicle spans a period of thirty years in English history. Starting from the death of King Henry the Fifth in 1422 and ending with the Battle of Castillon in 1453. Lancaster pays for the usurpation of power and the death of the real king. British troops are defeated in battles with France. In England, civil strife and civil war begin.
The plot of the play is based on the struggle of King Henry IV with former allies. The Earl of Northumberland and his influential relatives, to whom the king owes a great deal to the throne, are not satisfied with their position under the new government and are rebelling. In addition to political troubles, Henry IV is tormented by problems of a personal nature: his heir Henry leads a hectic life, spending time in the company of the dissolute fat man Sir John Falstaff and hi...
By the time of the author’s death, at least ten editions of the poem had been published. Adonis is preparing for a hunt; Venus is trying in every way to seduce him. Passion flares up between them, but Adonis believes that he is too young for romance novels and he is more interested in hunting. Soon Adonis dies due to an accident during a hunt.
Finally, I met with one of the most famous plays of Shakespeare. In this work, important and interesting topics are touched: the hypocrisy of people in pursuit of wealth and power, blinding deceitful speeches and disregard for the true virtues of the soul, cruelty and hot temper, deceived hopes and disappointment in loved ones. As for the king himself, Lear appears to be a rather absurd, selfish and domineering old man, who is too used to universal worship and has lost touc...
The Tragedy of Coriolan – the tragedy of Shakespeare, based on the ancient biographies of the semi-legendary Roman leader of the times of the Republic of Gnay Marcia Coriolanus. Heroes are alive and you can not even read who said what: everyone’s speech is easily distinguished. The images of the tragedy are complex and multifaceted, the problems raised in the play are deep and serious. Reading and re-reading Shakespeare you always find something new that you missed during t...
Edited, introduced and annotated by Cedric Watts, M.A., Ph.D., Emeritus Professor of English, University of Sussex. In the hope of saving her brother's life, should a woman submit to rape? Should the law be respected when its administrator is corrupt? How powerful in the state should religion become? Although Measure for Measure ends like a comedy, with reconciliations, forgiveness and marriages, it has often been regarded as one of Shakespeare's problem plays. The drama show...
Edited, introduced and annotated by Cedric Watts, M.A., Ph.D., Emeritus Professor of English, University of Sussex. The Wordsworth Classics’ Shakespeare Series presents a newly-edited sequence of William Shakespeare’s works. The textual editing takes account of recent scholarship while giving the material a careful reappraisal. The Merchant of Venice is one of Shakespeare’s most popular comedies, but it remains deeply controversial. The text may seem anti-Semitic; yet repeate...
Nobody can remember why the Capulet family and the Montague family hate each other but the feud is longstanding and brutal. When Juliet Capulet and Romeo Montague meet and fall in love the result is tragic, and peace between the two families is only possible after much bloodshed and death. Classic themes such as violence, prejudice, teenage love and parental problems are as relevant today as they were 400 years ago and help make Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet a favourite with...
