Arden Shakespeare Complete Works

The Complete Arden Shakespeare, available for the first time in a single volume, contains the texts of all Shakespeare's plays, as edited by leading Shakespeare scholars for the renowned Arden Shakespeare series. A general introduction by the three Arden General Editors gives the reader an overall view of how and why Shakespeare has become such an influential cultural icon, and how perceptions of his work have changed in the intervening four centuries. The introduction summarises the known facts about the dramatist's life, his reading and use of sources, and the nature of theatrical performance during his lifetime. Brief introductions to each play, written specially for this volume by the Arden General Editors, discuss the date and contemporary context of the play, its position within Shakespeare's oeuvre, and its subsequent performance history. An extensive glossary explains vocabulary which may be unfamiliar to modern readers.