William Shakespeare

For this updated critical edition of King Lear, Lois Potter has written a completely new introduction, taking account of recent productions and reinterpretations of the play, with particular emphasis on its afterlife in global performance and adaptation. The edition retains the Textual Analysis of the previous editor, Jay L. Halio, shortened and with a new preface by Brian Gibbons. Professor Halio, accepting that we have two versions of equal authority, the one derived from Shakespeare's rough drafts, the other from a manuscript used in the playhouses during the seventeenth century, chooses the Folio as the text for this edition. He explains the differences between the two versions and alerts the reader to the rival claims of the quarto by means of a sampling of parallel passages in the Introduction and by an appendix which contains annotated passages unique to the quarto.

"The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars, but in ourselves." Julius Caesar, written in 1599 by William Shakespeare, is based on true historical incidents and is the first major tragedy by Shakespeare written in Roman spirit. It blooms out of premonitions, prophesies and mistrust, leading to bloodshed and war as the main protagonists, Caesar and Brutus, undergo a severe emotional, psychological and physical conflict. The play revolves around the themes of patriotism, friendship and betrayal and effectively portrays the struggle for power, wicked conspiracy and revenge. Oscillating between the nobility of cause and fatality of crime, Julius Caesar is regarded as one of the Shakespearean classics of all times

King Lear is a play for our times. The central characters experience intense suffering in a hostile and unpredictable world. They face domestic cruelty, political defeat, and a stormy external environment that invades them 'to the skin.' They constantly question the meaning of their experiences as we watch their emotions range from despair to rage to unexpected tenderness and desperate hope as they are rejected, even tortured. Lear's daughters, as in a fairy tale, are three strong women. The elder two vie for sexual and political power, while the youngest, Cordelia, is initially banished because of her plain speaking, then returns in a doomed attempt to restore her father to his throne. King Lear has an unusual performance history. It was significantly revised, by Shakespeare or others, between its first two publications, and was then succeeded by an adaptation that softened the ending so that Lear and Cordelia survived. In our own times King Lear is performed around the world in productions that explore its relevance to contemporary political and environmental challenges. This edition offers a distinctive 'extended' text, taking the later Folio as a starting point and adding the lines that appear only in the Quarto, distinguished by a light gray background. Variations in individual words that are of critical interest are recorded in the margin.

THE CLASSIC BATTLE OF THE SEXES This comedic play, written by William Shakespeare in the middle of his career, and first published in 1623, is a true battle of the sexes. It is both a clash of wits between two quarrelsome lovers as well as a a near-deadly conflict built on conventions of gender and male rivalry. It is considered to be one of Shakespeare's best comedies, combining two quite different stories of romantic love...one with robust humor, the other, the more serious issues of honor, shame and politics. A a group of soldiers arrive in Messina, and two romantic pairings emerge. The first, is between Claudio and Hero who fall in love at first sight, the second, Claudio's friend Benedick and Hero's cousin Beatrice who are fooled into believing that the other is in love with them. Through gossip, rumor, and overhearing, Benedick and Beatrice are deceived into confessing their love for each other, and Claudio is tricked into rejecting Hero on the alter on the mistaken belief that she has been unfaithful. Hero faints and is believed dead, but recovers to be proved innocent by a chance discovery. Benedick defends his cousin's honor and wins back Beatrice's love. The two eventually unite to play cupid and straighten things out, as the others in a celebration of the marriages of the two couples. A masquerade ball, conversations overheard, unrequited love, a faked death, challenges to a duel, cries of treason, all come together in this masterful work which as stood the test of time and is one of Shakespeare's most frequently performed comedies.