Shakespeare’s four greatest tragedies were written in a remarkably short period of time, between 1598 and 1606. Hamlet, Othello, Macbeth, and King Lear are each so singular an achievement that any rereading of them reinforces the awe and almost idolatrous worship that this most uncanny of the world’s great writers invariably inspires. In these four plays, Shakespeare engages the problem that is central to tragedy and crucial to any human community—the problem of violence and revenge—on an unprecedented scale. No other literary texts have been more instrumental in deepening our knowledge of ourselves as individuals and as a civilization.
This authoritative edition of the plays is supplemented with footnotes, bibliographies, a detailed chronology of Shakespeare’s life and times, and a substantial introduction in which Tony Tanner discusses each play individually while setting each in context.
An appealing collection of the great tragedies of Shakespeare, these plays express the full force of his dramatic and psychological insight, exploring the fatal flaws that lead to the fall of the mighty from good fortune. The hesitant vengefulness of Hamlet; the vain selfishness of Lear; the irrational jealousy of Othello; the cunning destructiveness of Iago; the romantic impulsiveness of Romeo; the murderous ambition of Lady Macbeth--all of these characters are burned into the collective psyche of world culture.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
About the Author
Stanley Wells is Chairman of the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust, and Emeritus Professor of the Shakespeare Institute, University of Birmingham (formerly Director 1988-97). He has been general editor of the Oxford Shakespeare since 1978. Gary Taylor is at Brandeis University, Massachusetts.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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.
26 of 27 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 starsGreat bindings, good intro critique, March 1, 1999
By A Customer
This review is from: Tragedies: Volume 1 (Everyman's Library) (Hardcover)
We all know about Shakespeare, so a review of his writing is not required. However, I would like to say that the Everyman's Library series are worth getting. Unlike omnibus editions (such as the Riverside Shakespeare), these are actually portable so you don't need a table to hold them up while you are reading. The Everyman's Library series have good hardbindings, are conveniently sized to carry around, and have illuminating and extensive introductions. The typeface used is old, but the letters are large and easily readable (something that is a concern with some other editions).
Tragedies, Volume 1 contains: Hamlet; Othello; King Lear; Machbeth
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We all know about Shakespeare, so a review of his writing is not required. However, I would like to say that the Everyman's Library series are worth getting. Unlike omnibus editions (such as the Riverside Shakespeare), these are actually portable so you don't need a table to hold them up while you are reading. The Everyman's Library series have good hardbindings, are conveniently sized to carry around, and have illuminating and extensive introductions. The typeface used is old, but the letters are large and easily readable (something that is a concern with some other editions).
Tragedies, Volume 2 contains: Titus Andronicus; Troilus and Cressida; Julius Ceaser; Anthony and Cleopatra; Timon of Athens; Coriolanus
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I appreciated reading all the tragedies together like this. There were some that I had read many times before, but others that I had barely read. The Tragedies are what Shakespeare is most noted for, and with good reason. Each of these plays is a masterpiece in its own right, and each of them provides such a wide variety of quotes that we all have heard over and over. That is the most enduring thing about Shakespeare - his mastery of the English language was so great that his words are still remembered today (almost four centuries since his death). Shakespeare has written thirteen tragedies, and I will do individual reviews of three of my particular favourites. The ones that I will further review are "The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark", "The Tragedy of Macbeth" and "The Tragedy of King Lear". As much as I enjoy each of these the other ten should not be ignored either. Shakespeare could not keep some comedy out of his famous tragedies, and sometimes it is these comedic scenes that we remember the most. Who can forget the drunken porter in "Macbeth"? It is very difficult for me to pick a favourite out of these thirteen masterpieces, but I think if asked I'd have to admit to Macbeth. But read them all, they are well worth the time.
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