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Four Great Comedies: Tempest; Twelfth Night; a Midsummer Night's Dream; As You Like It: Cambridge Text and Glossaries, Complete and Unabridged
The four plays selected for this collection--The Taming of the Shrew, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Twelfth Night, and The Tempest--represent a significant stage in the development of the world's greatest dramatist.
From the back cover:
These four great comedies bring you William Shakespeare in delightful humorous vein. He achieves his greatest merriment in the mistaken identities of As You Like It, the rollicking characters of Puck and Bottom in A Midsummer-Night's dream, the mischievous mixing of sexes in Twelfth Night, and the artful magic of Prospero in The Tempest.
The Cambridge text has been used in this Cardinal edition, complete and unexpurgated. J. Walker McSpadden has contributed a résumé of each plot. Glossaries have been provided to explain unusual words. The cast of characters of each play is illustrated by Frederick E Banbery.
Each of these plays is prefaced with an introduction by Mark Van Doren. This fine critic's appreciation of the separate plays will add immeasurably to the reader's enjoyment and understanding of William Shakespeare.
From the back cover:
These four great comedies bring you William Shakespeare in delightful humorous vein. He achieves his greatest merriment in the mistaken identities of As You Like It, the rollicking characters of Puck and Bottom in A Midsummer-Night's dream, the mischievous mixing of sexes in Twelfth Night, and the artful magic of Prospero in The Tempest.
The Cambridge text has been used in this Cardinal edition, complete and unexpurgated. J. Walker McSpadden has contributed a résumé of each plot. Glossaries have been provided to explain unusual words. The cast of characters of each play is illustrated by Frederick E Banbery.
Each of these plays is prefaced with an introduction by Mark Van Doren. This fine critic's appreciation of the separate plays will add immeasurably to the reader's enjoyment and understanding of William Shakespeare.
372 pages, Paperback
First published October 1, 1948
About the author
William Shakespeare
17.9k books48.7k followersWilliam Shakespeare was an English playwright, poet, and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and one of the world's pre-eminent dramatists. Often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon" (or simply "the Bard"), he remains one of the most influential literary figures in history. His surviving works, including collaborations, comprise approximately 39 plays, 154 sonnets, three long narrative poems, and several other verses, some of uncertain authorship. His plays have been translated into every major living language and are performed more frequently than those of any other playwright. His works continue to be studied, performed, and reinterpreted around the world.
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 established a successful career in London as an actor, playwright, and shareholder in a theatrical company known as the Lord Chamberlain's Men. Following the accession of King James VI and I to the English throne in 1603, the company became known as the King's Men. Around 1613, at approximately 49 years of age, Shakespeare appears to have retired to Stratford-upon-Avon, where he died three years later. Relatively few records of his private life survive, giving rise to considerable speculation about his appearance, sexuality, religious beliefs, and other aspects of his personal life. Various theories have also questioned whether he was the actual author of the works attributed to him, although these claims are not accepted by mainstream Shakespeare scholarship.
Shakespeare produced most of his known works between approximately 1589 and 1613. His early plays consisted primarily of comedies and histories, and are widely regarded as among the finest examples of their respective genres. He subsequently concentrated largely on tragedies, particularly between 1600 and 1608. These included Hamlet, Romeo and Juliet, Othello, King Lear, and Macbeth, all considered masterpieces of English literature. During the final phase of his career, he turned increasingly towards tragicomedies, also known as romances, and collaborated with other playwrights.
Many of Shakespeare's plays were published during his lifetime in editions of varying quality and accuracy. A major milestone in preserving his dramatic works came in 1623, when John Heminges and Henry Condell, two of his fellow actors and close associates, published the First Folio. Officially titled Mr. William Shakespeare's Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies, this posthumous collection contains 36 plays and remains one of the most important sources for the texts of his works. Its preface includes a commemorative poem by Ben Jonson, a fellow playwright and former rival, who famously praised Shakespeare as one "not of an age, but for all time".
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 established a successful career in London as an actor, playwright, and shareholder in a theatrical company known as the Lord Chamberlain's Men. Following the accession of King James VI and I to the English throne in 1603, the company became known as the King's Men. Around 1613, at approximately 49 years of age, Shakespeare appears to have retired to Stratford-upon-Avon, where he died three years later. Relatively few records of his private life survive, giving rise to considerable speculation about his appearance, sexuality, religious beliefs, and other aspects of his personal life. Various theories have also questioned whether he was the actual author of the works attributed to him, although these claims are not accepted by mainstream Shakespeare scholarship.
Shakespeare produced most of his known works between approximately 1589 and 1613. His early plays consisted primarily of comedies and histories, and are widely regarded as among the finest examples of their respective genres. He subsequently concentrated largely on tragedies, particularly between 1600 and 1608. These included Hamlet, Romeo and Juliet, Othello, King Lear, and Macbeth, all considered masterpieces of English literature. During the final phase of his career, he turned increasingly towards tragicomedies, also known as romances, and collaborated with other playwrights.
Many of Shakespeare's plays were published during his lifetime in editions of varying quality and accuracy. A major milestone in preserving his dramatic works came in 1623, when John Heminges and Henry Condell, two of his fellow actors and close associates, published the First Folio. Officially titled Mr. William Shakespeare's Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies, this posthumous collection contains 36 plays and remains one of the most important sources for the texts of his works. Its preface includes a commemorative poem by Ben Jonson, a fellow playwright and former rival, who famously praised Shakespeare as one "not of an age, but for all time".
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
November 6, 2016
"As You Like It" review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
"A Mid-Summer Night's Dream" review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
"The Tempest" review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
"Twelfth Night" review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
4 stars for the plays.
The book itself I would give 2.5 stars. It's older, so it does have notes, unlike books I find that are published today. However, the plays aren't in the order as they are listed on the cover, and the notes are buried in the back, with no indication inside the plays suggesting which lines might have words or phrases worthy of notes. Then the notes, while sorted by play, are listed in alphabetical order instead of the order as they appear within the play. You'll end up doing a lot of backing and forthing while reading. I did like the little character illustrations on the dramatis personæs pages though.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
"A Mid-Summer Night's Dream" review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
"The Tempest" review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
"Twelfth Night" review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
4 stars for the plays.
The book itself I would give 2.5 stars. It's older, so it does have notes, unlike books I find that are published today. However, the plays aren't in the order as they are listed on the cover, and the notes are buried in the back, with no indication inside the plays suggesting which lines might have words or phrases worthy of notes. Then the notes, while sorted by play, are listed in alphabetical order instead of the order as they appear within the play. You'll end up doing a lot of backing and forthing while reading. I did like the little character illustrations on the dramatis personæs pages though.
May 3, 2009
These were the first four Shakespeare plays I ever read, thanks to an old edition of this book (or a similar collection of the same plays) on my parents' bookshelf. I always wanted to play Rosalind, Titania, and Viola!
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August 3, 2010In English language,Inglise keeles,play,theatre,comedy play,romance play,Elizabethan theatre,Shakespearen theatre
July 29, 2012
"A Midsummer Night's Dream" is my favorite- it's beautifully visual.
March 3, 2026
My director accidentally cast me as Olivia… send help I gs
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews