The Plays Of William Shakespeare A Modernized Compilation

William Shakespeare – born in April 1564 in Stratford on Avon – was the greatest dramatist of the age. By his retirement around 1613, he had created a body of literature unparalleled in its brilliance and impact on the English language. His plays featured rich prose and poetry, complex characters, and explorations of universal themes. They introduced many new words and phrases into the language and set high standards for writers of dramatic verse everywhere. Shakespeare wrote in various genres and styles. Many of the plays combined comedy, real history, romance, and misfortune. This expanded the dramatic possibilities. On top of this, the playwright constantly experimented and innovated to create an artistic product that satisfied mixed audiences. These positive features or selling points of Shakespeare’s plays helped boost the theatre in general as a medium of mass entertainment. Plays became popular across-the-board – attracting all kinds of people and firmly establishing the theatre as a central cultural institution. Large audiences continue to patronize the great Shakespeare plays in live and filmed versions today – notably · "A Midsummer Night's Dream" – the whimsical comedy with several intertwining plots surrounding a celebrity marriage; · “Hamlet” – the story of a Prince of Denmark grappling with the death of his father and seeking revenge against a murdering uncle; · "Henry IV, Part 1" and "Henry IV, Part 2" – following the political struggles of King Henry IV and the coming-of-age of his son, Prince Hal, who later became Henry V; · “King Lear” – the aging king whose decision to divide his kingdom among his three daughters has tragic effects; · "Much Ado About Nothing", with its themes of love and deception, witty banter, and humorous misunderstandings throughout; · “Othello”, exploring themes of jealousy, betrayal, and racism in the tragic story of a Moorish general; · "Richard III", depicting the rise and fall of a scheming, manipulative, and murderous English monarch; · "The Tempest" exploring themes of magic, betrayal, and forgiveness on a remote island; · "The Winter's Tale" combining misfortune and comedy with a story line spanning a long period and strong themes of jealousy and redemption; and · "Twelfth Night" – the compelling tale of mistaken identity and love featuring a young woman disguise d as a man. However, four centuries-plus have inevitably lessened the readability and understandability of the original literary productions. This is a modernized compilation of the dramas – seeking to cut out archaic words, outdated grammar and spelling, and complex old-fashioned syntax while preserving their essence. Concise study guides go with each of the plays. These provide details of their dates (where available) and the complex characters and important events occurring in them. They also summarize the overall themes and plots and assess their general significance as pieces of dramatic art.

The First Folio is a collection of Shakespeare's plays published in 1623, now published in modern type for better access to modern readers.

If you’ve always wanted to read Shakespeare, but are intimidated by the older language, then this is the perfect edition for you! Every single Shakespeare play is included in this massive anthology! Each play contains the original language with modern language underneath!

DigiCat presents to you this unique and meticulously edited Shakespeare collection: Comedies All's Well That Ends Well As You Like It The Comedy of Errors Love's Labour's Lost Measure for Measure The Merchant of Venice The Merry Wives of Windsor A Midsummer Night's Dream Much Ado About Nothing Pericles, Prince of Tyre The Taming of the Shrew The Tempest Twelfth Night or What You Will Two Gentlemen of Verona The Two Noble Kinsmen The Winter's Tale Tragedies Romeo and Juliet Coriolanus Titus Andronicus Timon of Athens Julius Caesar Macbeth Hamlet Troilus and Cressida King Lear Othello Antony and Cleopatra Cymbeline Histories King John Richard II Henry IV, Part 1 Henry IV, Part 2 Henry V Henry VI, Part 1 Henry VI, Part 2 Henry VI, Part 3 Richard III Henry VIII Poetry The Sonnets Venus and Adonis The Rape of Lucrece The Passionate Pilgrim The Phoenix and the Turtle A Lover's Complaint Apocryphal Plays Arden of Faversham A Yorkshire Tragedy The Lamentable Tragedy of Locrine Mucedorus The King's Son of Valentia, and Amadine, The King's Daughter of Arragon The London Prodigal The Puritaine Widdow The Second Maiden's Tragedy Sir John Oldcastle Lord Cromwell King Edward The Third Edmund Ironside Sir Tomas More Faire Em A Fairy Tale in Two Acts The Merry Devill of Edmonton Thomas of Woodstock The Life of William Shakespeare William Shakespeare (1564-1616) was an English poet, playwright, and actor, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's national poet, and the "Bard of Avon". His extant works consist of approximately 38 plays, 154 sonnets, two long narrative poems, and a few other verses. His plays have been translated into every major living language and are performed more often than those of any other playwright.

In the ISR Modernized Poetic Masterpieces series – beautifully readable modern prose translations of the Bard’s songs, sonnets, speeches, and narrative poems This is a collection of Shakespeare’s songs, sonnets, speeches, and narrative poems in modern prose format. The aim has been to make these parts of Shakespeare’s works more accessible and understandable for present-day readers. The anthology starts with the songs – trying to clarify the meaning of the compositions without disconnecting from the deep emotions they express. The book then unveils the sonnets in modern idiom. The sonnets are a great artistic treasure trove. We seek to remain faithful to their emotional depth and philosophical themes while making plainer their deep insights into love, beauty, and human sentiments. The anthology next presents an assortment of speeches from Shakespeare’s theatrical plays. Finally, it provides complete modern versions of Shakespeare’s major narrative poems. These pieces blend captivating storytelling and poetic finesse. Once again, we have sought to preserve their essence while providing a smoother and more enjoyable reading experience.