The Complete Works (Arden Shakespeare) [Hardcover]

William Shakespeare (Author), Richard Proudfoot (Editor), Ann Thompson (Editor), David Scott Kastan (Editor)

Book Description

Series: Arden Shakespeare Complete Works | Publication Date: September 10, 1998

The Complete Arden Shakespeare, published for the first time in 1998, is now available in an updated hardback edition. The Complete Arden Shakespeare contains the texts of all Shakespeare's plays, edited by leading Shakespeare scholars for the renowned Arden Shakespeare series. The updated edition includes eight newly revised playtexts as published in the Arden Third Series since 1998.A general introduction by the three General Editors of the ongoing Arden Shakespeare series 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 'uvre, and its subsequent performance history. An extensive glossary explains vocabulary which may be unfamiliar to modern readers.A The sound, reliable, critical edition of Shakespeare's workA Updated and revised to include all of the editions currently available in the Arden Third SeriesA Includes The Two Noble Kinsmen, the Poems and the SonnetsA General introduction by the Arden General EditorsA Brief contextual introductions to each playA Glossary with about 400 entries

Product Details

• Hardcover: 1200 pages
• Publisher: Arden Shakespeare (September 10, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0174436157
• ISBN-13: 978-0174436157
• Product Dimensions: 10.9 x 8.5 x 2.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,012,682 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

William Shakespeare was born in Stratford-upon-Avon in April 1564, and his birth is traditionally celebrated on April 23. The facts of his life, known from surviving documents, are sparse. He was one of eight children born to John Shakespeare, a merchant of some standing in his community. William probably went to the King's New School in Stratford, but he had no university education. In November 1582, at the age of eighteen, he married Anne Hathaway, eight years his senior, who was pregnant with their first child, Susanna. She was born on May 26, 1583. Twins, a boy, Hamnet ( who would die at age eleven), and a girl, Judith, were born in 1585. By 1592 Shakespeare had gone to London working as an actor and already known as a playwright. A rival dramatist, Robert Greene, referred to him as "an upstart crow, beautified with our feathers." Shakespeare became a principal shareholder and playwright of the successful acting troupe, the Lord Chamberlain's Men (later under James I, called the King's Men). In 1599 the Lord Chamberlain's Men built and occupied the Globe Theater in Southwark near the Thames River. Here many of Shakespeare's plays were performed by the most famous actors of his time, including Richard Burbage, Will Kempe, and Robert Armin. In addition to his 37 plays, Shakespeare had a hand in others, including Sir Thomas More and The Two Noble Kinsmen, and he wrote poems, including Venus and Adonis and The Rape of Lucrece. His 154 sonnets were published, probably without his authorization, in 1609. In 1611 or 1612 he gave up his lodgings in London and devoted more and more time to retirement in Stratford, though he continued writing such plays as The Tempest and Henry VII until about 1613. He died on April 23 1616, and was buried in Holy Trinity Church, Stratford. No collected edition of his plays was published during his life-time, but in 1623 two members of his acting company, John Heminges and Henry Condell, put together the great collection now called the First Folio.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

182 of 188 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Reader, Beware!, August 25, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Complete Works (Arden Shakespeare) (Hardcover)

For those of us who love (and rely on) the individual editions of the Arden Shakespeare, the Complete Works is a huge disappointment. What has always made the Arden editions stand out from the others is the in-depth scholarly analyses and copious footnotes. The footnotes alone are worth the price of a copy but, guess what? In this edition, they've disposed of all but the most general of critical apparatus. Unfortunately, this serves to make this complete edition just another big book to put on your shelf to impress your friends. Curious readers who want assistance with the complex Elizabethan language in the plays will be much better served by the Folger or Bantam editions. That is, at least until someone gets smart and brings back all the individual Arden editions that have been allowed to go out of print! What were they thinking?

40 of 43 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars I must agree, February 1, 2000

By 

N. Schively (Baltimore) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Complete Works (Arden Shakespeare) (Hardcover)

I must agree with the reviewers who rated this volume so low because of the lack of footnotes. I remember being introduced to the individual Arden copies when I was acting in college - the footnotes were SUPERB, much better, more authoritative, more in-depth than anything else out there. I was hoping for the same with this collected works - but was quite disappointed not to find it.

47 of 52 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars What happened to the notes?!, October 21, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Complete Works (Arden Shakespeare) (Hardcover)

I bought the famed Arden ed. of the Works of Shakespeare, shrink-wrapped. I peeled it open in glee...opened it...and...and...NO NOTES! What a waste of hard-earned money. I'd say stick with the individual plays in the Arden series in paperback. Sheesh!! (I rate the "book" two stars; Shakespeare gets five.)