The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Volume 2

by William Shakespeare, W.G. Clarke (editor)

Shakespeare produced most of his work between 1589 and 1613. His early plays were comedies and histories—genres he raised to the peak of sophistication and artistry by the end of the 16th century. He then wrote tragedies until about 1608, including Hamlet, King Lear, Othello, and Macbeth, considered some of the finest works in the English language. In his last phase, he wrote tragicomedies, also known as romances, and collaborated with other playwrights.

Shakespeare was a respected poet and playwright in his time, and his reputation reached still greater heights in the 19th century. The Romantics, in particular, acclaimed Shakespeare's genius, and the Victorians worshipped Shakespeare with a reverence that George Bernard Shaw called 'bardolatry'. In the 20th century, his work was repeatedly adopted and rediscovered by new movements in scholarship and performance. His plays remain highly popular today and are constantly studied, performed, and reinterpreted in diverse cultural and political contexts throughout the world.

Shakespeare’s works include the 36 plays printed in the First Folio of 1623, classified as comedies, histories and tragedies. Two plays not included in the First Folio were: The Two Noble Kinsmen, which is attributed to John Fletcher and Shakespeare, and which did not appear in any of the subsequent Folios of Shakespeare’s works, and Pericles, Prince of Tyre, which is now accepted as part of the canon, with scholars agreeing that Shakespeare made a major contribution to its composition. No Shakespearean poems were however included in the First Folio.

William Shakespeare: The Complete Works, in four Volumes, is an unabridged edition containing every word that Shakespeare wrote—all 37 plays classified into comedies, history plays, tragedies; all of his 154 sonnets; his narrative poems, 'A Lover's Complaint', 'The Rape of Lucrece', and 'Venus and Adonis'; a miscellany of 20 poems, 'The Passionate Pilgrim'; and 'The Phoenix and the Turtle', an allegorical poem.

The two Introductions, one by Dr. R.S. Sharma and the other by Dr. Ratri Ray give the reader an overall view of how and why Shakespeare has become such an influential cultural icon, and how perceptions of his work have changed in the intervening four centuries. The Introductions summarise the known facts about the dramatist's life, his reading and use of sources, and the nature of theatrical performances during his lifetime. Brief introductions to each play discuss the date and contemporary context of the play and its position within Shakespeare’s œuvre.

The book will be useful for the students, teachers and researches of Shakespeare. It will be a proud possession for all Shakespeare readers and a must for college and university libraries.

Genres: Classics, Plays, Poetry, Literature, Fiction, Drama, Collections

1140 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1621

About the author

William Shakespeare was an English playwright, poet, and actor. He is 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" (or simply "the Bard"). His extant works, including collaborations, consist of some 39 plays, 154 sonnets, three long narrative poems, and a few other verses, some of uncertain authorship. His plays have been translated into every major living language and are performed more often than those of any other playwright. Shakespeare remains arguably the most influential writer in the English language, and his works continue to be studied and reinterpreted.
Shakespeare was born and raised in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire. At the age of 18, he married Anne Hathaway, with whom he had three children: Susanna, and twins Hamnet and Judith. Sometime between 1585 and 1592, he began a successful career in London as an actor, writer, and part-owner ("sharer") of a playing company called the Lord Chamberlain's Men, later known as the King's Men after the ascension of King James VI and I of Scotland to the English throne. At age 49 (around 1613), he appears to have retired to Stratford, where he died three years later. Few records of Shakespeare's private life survive; this has stimulated considerable speculation about such matters as his physical appearance, his sexuality, his religious beliefs, and even certain fringe theories as to whether the works attributed to him were written by others.
Shakespeare produced most of his known works between 1589 and 1613. His early plays were primarily comedies and histories and are regarded as some of the best works produced in these genres. He then wrote mainly tragedies until 1608, among them Hamlet, Romeo and Juliet, Othello, King Lear, and Macbeth, all considered to be among the finest works in the English language. In the last phase of his life, he wrote tragicomedies (also known as romances) and collaborated with other playwrights.
Many of Shakespeare's plays were published in editions of varying quality and accuracy during his lifetime. However, in 1623, John Heminge and Henry Condell, two fellow actors and friends of Shakespeare's, published a more definitive text known as the First Folio, a posthumous collected edition of Shakespeare's dramatic works that includes 36 of his plays. Its Preface was a prescient poem by Ben Jonson, a former rival of Shakespeare, that hailed Shakespeare with the now famous epithet: "not of an age, but for all time".

Reviews

[Sheryl · Rating 5 out of 5]

Five stars for Shakespeare, but I struggled through the Sonnets, to be honest.

[Sean Leonard · Rating 5 out of 5]

Highlights: Hamlet, Macbeth, Antony and Cleopatra.

[Cordelia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Only read one play in this, I'll probably pick it back up later to read a different play

King Lear:
* See review of the individual play *

Hamlet:
I was only in it for Yorick man (did I spell it right?)
Though Hamlet and Ophelia both being mad are madly matched (yes I'm paraphrasing Taming Of The Shrew) I enjoyed it, would recommend.

[Dav · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Complete Works of William Shakespeare: All the Plays, All The Poems
(2 Volumes) Hardcover – 1974
by W. G. Clark (Editor), W. Aldis Wright (Editor)
The works of William Shakespeare are arranged in chronological order, There is an introduction to each play, adapted from the Shakespearean primer of Professor Dowden.

Everyone should try out some of his works. If they weren't required reading in school, the archaic words and phrases can take some getting used to.








William Shakespeare’s Plays "While it’s difficult to determine the exact chronology of William Shakespeare’s plays, over the course of two decades, from about 1590 to 1613, he wrote a total of 37 plays revolving around several main themes: histories, tragedies, comedies and tragicomedies.

Early Works: Histories and Comedies

With the exception of the tragic love story Romeo and Juliet, William Shakespeare's first plays were mostly histories...

Works after 1600: Tragedies and Tragicomedies

It was in William Shakespeare's later period, after 1600, that he wrote the tragedies Hamlet, Othello, King Lear and Macbeth...

In William Shakespeare's final period, he wrote several tragicomedies. Among these are Cymbeline, The Winter's Tale and The Tempest. Though graver in tone than the comedies, they are not the dark tragedies of King Lear or Macbeth because they end with reconciliation and forgiveness.

Other plays written during this period include All’s Well That Ends Well, Measure for Measure, Timon of Athens, Coriolanus, Pericles and Henry VIII." William Shakespeare Biography.com

[H. Gibson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love his works.
I have a very old, leather bound edition that does not have a date anywhere. Could anyone help out with which edition this might be?

The Complete Works of WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE
Containing the Plays and Poems
with special Introductory matter,
Index of Characters & Glossary of
unfamiliar terms

London & Glasgow
COLLINS CLEAR-TYPE PRESS

1312 pages

[Carol]

I couldn't believe that I found the matching set....at two different used book sales!

[J Sindone · Rating 3 out of 5]

long too

[Danelle Black · Rating 5 out of 5]

The old Bard is always a perfect choice.