Shakespeare in Select Plays and the Complete Sonnets , by William Shakespeare, the greatest writer in the English language, is available in a fine exclusive collector’s edition featuring a laser-cut jacket on a textured book with foil stamping , making it ideal for fiction lovers and book collectors alike. Each collectible volume will be the perfect addition to any well-appointed library. The Shakespeare in Autumn Seasons Whether you’re buying this as a gift or as a self-purchase, this remarkable limited edition William Shakespeare has been lauded as one of history’s greatest and most influential writers of the English language. His poems and plays have been recited and studied for generations, and remain iconic works of literature. Shakespeare in Autumn includes a nuanced selection of Shakespeare’s finest works, Shakespeare in Select Plays and the Complete Sonnets by William Shakespeare (Seasons Edition--Fall) is one of four titles available in the Fall Seasons series. The Fall collection also includes Anne of Green Gables, Dracula, and Sense and Sensibility.
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".
This beautiful book contains the complete sonnets and five plays. The plays were all a re-read for me, as far as I can remember, although it's been a very long time. My favorites were A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Twelfth Night, followed closely by Romeo and Juliet. The Taming of the Shrew was good, but it's not one of my favorites, and my least favorite in the collection was As You Like It. As far as the sonnets go... I know many would disagree with me, but with the exception of a few, I didn't really care for them. But this is Shakespeare, and most of what I read was spectacularly good.
An absolutely fantastic selection of Shakespeare plays, including one of my favourites, A Midsummer Night's Dream, and one I've been meaning to read for a while, The Taming of the Shrew. As that was the only play which was not a reread, I will review it here.
I hated it. I was absolutely furious when I finished reading it, even putting it into the context of its time where a wife was expected to obey her husband, there was absolutely no respect towards Kate, our shrew, from her husband.... One of the many men with names ending in 'io.' (It got very confusing.)
So, assuming I'd missed something as I know a lot of people love it, I did some internet research. And I had missed something. Something that should have been blatantly obvious considering Shakespeare's other plays which allow female characters to be head strong and willful. It's supposed to be ironic. It's supposed to make us question the act of 'taming' any human being. And to be fair, it did its job... The point just went right over my head.
I think it would have made a difference if I had seen it performed. I read along with the BBC audio book and it's performed so seriously. I even missed the comedy aspect and only remembered it was supposed to be one while reading essays about it on line. It still won't make it onto my list of favourites, but it helped to ease my anger 😂