Tales From ShakespeareTHE SIGNET CLASSIC SHAKESPEARE SERIES The Work of the World’s Greatest Dramatist A great way to enjoy twenty of Shakespeare’s timeless plays, this volume is a retelling of the stories in prose by the famous nineteenth-century brother and sister Charles and Mary Lamb. Keeping Shakespeare’s own words whenever possible but making the plots and language easily accessible, this entertaining and readable collection has enthralled both children and adults ever since it first appeared in 1807. Here Shakespeare’s best-known tragedies and comedies come to life. Defined by moving drama, vivid action, great wit, or fantastic imagination, each play comes alive with charm and clarity for readers of any age—as a helpful preface to the original Elizabethan version or even as enriching, unforgettable stories in themselves. With an Introduction by Susan J. Wolfson and an Afterword by Sylvan Barnet, general editor of the Signet Classic Shakespeare series. |
Contents
Preface | 3 |
A Midsummer Nights Dream | 19 |
The Winters Tale | 32 |
Much Ado About Nothing | 44 |
As You Like It | 58 |
The Two Gentlemen of Verona | 76 |
The Merchant of Venice | 90 |
Cymbeline | 105 |
The Comedy of Errors | 175 |
Measure for Measure | 191 |
Twelfth Night or What You Will | 207 |
Timon of Athens | 222 |
Romeo and Juliet | 236 |
Hamlet Prince of Denmark | 255 |
Othello | 272 |
Pericles Prince of Tyre | 287 |
King Lear | 119 |
Macbeth | 136 |
Alls Well That Ends Well | 149 |
The Taming of the Shrew | 163 |
Afterword | 305 |
A Bibliographical Note | 320 |
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Common terms and phrases
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