What's Inside
This volume gathers the entire surviving output of the playwright, spanning historical chronicles, comedies of identity, and grim tragedies. The contents move from the lyrical pleas for legacy in The Sonnets to the political collapse of King Richard the Second and the magical reconciliations of The Tempest. The works are organized primarily by form, separating the long-form theatrical scripts from narrative poems like Venus and Adonis and shorter lyrical cycles. Within these pages, the settings shift from the Roman council chambers of Julius Caesar to the mythological woods near Athens, covering the breadth of the English stage's most influential era.
Works & figures
- Prospero
The right Duke of Milan who controls an island with spirits. (in “THE TEMPEST”)
- Shylock
A rich moneylender in Venice whose daughter elopes with a Christian. (in “THE MERCHANT OF VENICE”)
- King Henry the Eighth
The English monarch whose reign involves the divorce of Queen Katherine. (in “KING HENRY THE EIGHTH”)
- Benedick
A young lord of Padua who engages in witty verbal sparring. (in “MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING”)
- Cressida
The niece of Pandarus caught in the war at Troy. (in “TROILUS AND CRESSIDA”)
- Ariel
An airy spirit who serves the Duke on the island. (in “THE TEMPEST”)
What it's really about
- Usurpation
- Rulers frequently lose thrones to ambitious brothers or rivals.
- Disguise
- Characters routinely adopt false identities to navigate social barriers.
- Mortality
- Poetic speakers and kings alike struggle with time's decay.
Why it's memorable
- A ship breaking apart in a tempestuous noise of thunder and lightning.
- The forest of Arden serving as a refuge for exiled palace residents.
Where to start
Start with The Merchant of Venice for a look at the high-stakes intersection of finance and law in the Italian streets.
For your book club
- Whether the political downfall of Richard II was inevitable given his court's management.
- The validity of the King of Navarre's plan to banish sleep and women for study.