William Shakespeare

After winning an important victory in battle, Macbeth, a Scottish Lord, is prophesied to become king by three mysterious women. Will the prophecy be fulfilled, or is Macbeth in charge of his own destiny? Classics Illustrated tells this wonderful tale in colorful comic strip form, offering an excellent introduction for younger readers. This edition also includes a synopsis of the play, theme discussions and study questions, which can be used both in the classroom and at home to further engage the reader in the story. The Classics Illustrated comic book series began in 1941 with its first issue, Alexandre Dumas "The Three Musketeers," and has since included over 200 classic tales released around the world. This new CCS Books edition is specifically tailored to engage and educate young readers with some of the greatest works ever written, while still thrilling older readers who have loving memories of this series of old."

Set in the Kingdom of Denmark, the play dramatises the revenge Prince Hamlet is called to wreak upon his uncle, Claudius, by the ghost of Hamlet's father, King Hamlet. Claudius had murdered his own brother and seized the throne, also marrying his deceased brother's widow. Hamlet is Shakespeare's longest play, and is ranked among the most powerful and influential tragedies in English literature, with a story capable of "seemingly endless retelling and adaptation by others". The play likely was one of Shakespeare's most popular works during his lifetime, and still ranks among his most performed, topping the performance list of the Royal Shakespeare Company and its predecessors in Stratford-upon-Avon since 1879. It has inspired many other writers - from Johann Wolfgang von Goethe and Charles Dickens to James Joyce and Iris Murdoch - and has been described as "the world's most filmed story after Cinderella". The story of Shakespeare's Hamlet was derived from the legend of Amleth, preserved by 13th-century chronicler Saxo Grammaticus in his Gesta Danorum, as subsequently retold by 16th-century scholar Fran ois de Belleforest. Shakespeare may also have drawn on an earlier (hypothetical) Elizabethan play known today as the Ur-Hamlet, though some scholars believe he himself wrote the Ur-Hamlet, later revising it to create the version of Hamlet we now have. He almost certainly wrote his version of the title role for his fellow actor, Richard Burbage, the leading tragedian of Shakespeare's time. In the 400 years since its inception, the role has been performed by numerous highly acclaimed actors in each successive century.

Two warring families in fair Verona - The Montagues and the Capulets - struggle to settle an age old feud. Meanwhile, Romeo, a Montague, meets the beautiful Juliet and they instantly fall deeply in love. All is not well, however, as she is a Capulet, and their families' rivalry threatens to tear their forbidden love apart. Classics Illustrated tells this wonderful tale in colourful comic strip form, offering an excellent introduction for younger readers. This edition also includes a biography of William Shakespeare, theme discussions and study questions, which can be used both in the classroom or at home to further engage the reader in the work at hand.