Twelve Plays by Shakespeare [Paperback]

William Shakespeare (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 19, 2004

Convenient and inexpensive, this box set features a dozen of the Bard's most popular dramas. Unabridged texts of Hamlet, Richard III, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, The Merchant of Venice, Romeo and Juliet, Macbeth, The Taming of the Shrew, The Tempest, Othello, King Lear, Julius Caesar, and Much Ado About Nothing.

Product Details

• Paperback: 1173 pages
• Publisher: Dover Publications (November 19, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0486443361
• ISBN-13: 978-0486443362
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.5 x 3.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #75,374 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

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Nice box, terrific price, April 6, 2005

By 

Eric - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Twelve Plays by Shakespeare (Paperback)

This boxed set contains 12 separate paperback books (Dover Thrift Editions). They're fairly compact and as such, will fit into my summer travel plans. The box itself is really nice (very solid); it looks pretty good on my shelf and I could see giving this set as a gift. At $15 for 12 books the price is pretty hard to beat.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Exactly what I wanted, July 13, 2010

A Kid's Review

This review is from: Twelve Plays by Shakespeare (Paperback)

As an actor, I thought it would be helpful to have these plays on hand in separate books instead of one large compilation. The books are thin & very easy to take with me. I would recommend these for anyone, especially those who are love with Mr. Billy Shakes!

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Good Stuff, January 6, 2011

By 

So, in the End... - See all my reviews

This review is from: Twelve Plays by Shakespeare (Paperback)

Be it Hamlet, Macbeth, or Romeo and Juliet, Shakespeare is still as important in today's world than ever. Shakespeare's works show the complexity of humans. His characters are three-dimensional and diverse. His works appeal to a large audience because even if they were written in the Renaissance, their human emotions and truths still exist. So, it's nice to have everything in a nice little box with 12 plays to read whenever things are getting a little dull. The books are all thin and very easy to understand.