William Shakespeare

Arguably the darkest of all Shakespeare's plays, Macbeth is also one of the most challenging. Is it a work of nihilistic despair, "a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing", or is it a cautionary tale warning of the dangers of Machiavellianism and relativism? Does it lead to hell and hopelessness, or does it point to a light beyond the darkness? This critical edition of Shakespeare's classic psychological drama contains essays by some of today's leading critics, exploring Macbeth as a morality play, as a history play with contemporary relevance, and as a drama that shows a vision of evil and that grapples with the problem of free will.

"The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark", or more simply "Hamlet", is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1599 and 1601. This play recounts how Prince Hamlet exacts revenge on his uncle Claudius, who has murdered Hamlet's father, the King, and then taken the throne and married Gertrude, Hamlet's mother.

I en av Shakespeares mest kjente komedier skal Athens håndverkere fremføre et sørgespill til kong Thesevs bryllup med Hippolyta. Men underveis prøver alven Pukk ut sin trylledrikk på to unge kjærlighetspar, og dermed er forviklingene i full gang. Det antas at stykket er skrevet i 1595 eller 1596.

The Norton Critical Edition is based on the 1623 First Folio text, the only authoritative edition of the play. The editor has modernized spelling but preserves, for the most part, the original lineation and characteristically heavy punctuation. The text of Measure for Measure is accompanied by a full introduction, a note on the text, textual variants, and related illustrations. “Sources” considers the probable, primary, and analogous sources Shakespeare drew upon while composing Measure for Measure, including excerpts from G. B. Giraldi Cinthio’s Hecatommithi and The Tragedy of Epitia, King James I’s Basilikon Doron, and—most directly—George Whetstone’s The History of Promos and Cassandra. “Criticism” collects seventeen important commentaries on Measure for Measure spanning four centuries, including, among others, those by Alexander Pope, Charlotte Lennox, Samuel Johnson, Elizabeth Inchbald, A. C. Bradley, G. Wilson Knight, Jonathan Dollimore, and Marliss C. Desens. “Adaptations and Responses” reprints alternative versions of the play: William D’avenant’s The Law Against Lovers (1662), Charles Gildon’s Measure of Measure, or, Beauty the Best Advocate (1700), and Charles Marowitz’s postmodern version (1975). A Selected Bibliography is also included.