• A highly innovative introduction to the extraordinary phenomenon of Shakespeare


• Explores Shakespeares works through the "Seven Ages of Man," from childhood to "second childishness and mere oblivion"


• Now includes more material on fathers and sons, the perils of courtship, the circumstances of Shakespeares own life, the performance history of h...
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A landmark achievement as expansive, erudite, and passionate as its renowned author, this book is the culmination of a lifetime of reading, writing about, and teaching Shakespeare.

Preeminent literary critic-and ultimate authority on the western literary tradition, Harold Bloom leads us through a comprehensive reading of every one of the dramatist's plays, brilliantly illuminating each work with unrivaled warmth, wit and insight. At the same time, Bloom presents...
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Many a fortnight have passed since the destruction of the Death Star. Young Luke Skywalker and his friends have taken refuge on the ice planet of Hoth, where the evil Darth Vader has hatched a cold-blooded plan to capture them. Only with the help of a little green Jedi Master--and a swaggering rascal named Lando Calrissian--can our heroes escape the Empir...
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New plays often originate from monologues, and the Playwrights' Center of Minneapolis is the creative home for hundreds of playwrights whose work is produced throughout the country. Kristen Gandrow and Polly Carl work with these exciting dramatists each day, and they have collected a broad range of monologues by Center writers for you to perform and enjoy.

The work in The Playwrights' Center Monologues for Women is finely crafted, entertaining, often poignant, and features the best playwriting in present-day American theater. Among the scores of playwrights are notables such a...
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HBO Films will present "Angels in America," directed by Mike Nichols from Tony Kushner's own adaptation of his Tony and Pulitzer Prize-winning play "Angels in America: A Gay Fantasia on National Themes." The remarkable cast features Al Pacino, Meryl Streep, Emma Thompson, Mary Louise Parker, Jeffrey Wright, Justin Kirk, Ben Shenkman, Patrick Wilson, James Cromwell, Michael Gambon and Simon Callow.

"Angels in America" is one of the most remarkable and celebrated plays of our time. Over 350,000 copies have been sold in paperback since their original publication in 1993.

Praise for the pla...
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O'Neill described Ah, Wilderness as "the way I would have liked my boyhood to have been." Set in the summer of 1906, it affectionately depicts the warm, close family of sixteen-year-old Richard Miller and the innocence with which he faces the trials of first love, strong drink, and...
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From the Royal Shakespeare Company - a modern, definitive edition of Shakespeare's much-loved comedy of the battle between the sexes. With an expert introduction by Sir Jonathan Bate, this unique edition presents a historical overview of Much Ado About Nothing in performance, takes a detailed look at specific productions, and recommends film versions. Included in this edition are three interviews with two leading directors and an actor - Marianne Elliott, Nicholas Hytner and Harriet Walter - providing an illuminating insight into the extraordinary variety of interpretations that are ...
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Drawing on his eighteen years of experience as a teaching artist for Folger Shakespeare Library, Nick Newlin offers eighteen scenes to get young actors on their feet performing Shakespeare with confidence, understanding, and fun

Each scene averages five minutes in length, containing two to six characters, and features a monologue that young performers can use in performance, audition, or competition. Every scene has been "road tested" by one of Newlin's student groups at the Folger's annual Secondary School Shakespeare Festival, and includes dynamic stage directions and incisive perf...
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• Helpful background information that puts the play in its historical perspective
• Discussion questions that teachers can use to spark student class participation, and which students can use as springboards for their own themes and term papers
• Fact quizzes, sample examinations, and other features that improve student com...
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This major new edition of Shakespeare's greatest tragedy of love argues that that play is ultimately Juliet's. The play text is expertly edited and the on-page commentary notes discuss issues of staging, theme, meaning and Shakespeare's use of his sources to give the reader deep and engaging insights into the play.
The richly illustrated introduction looks at the play's exceptionally beautiful and complex language and focuses on the figure of Juliet as being at its centre. Rene Weis discusses the play's critical, stage and film history, including West Side Story and Baz Luhrmann's semin...
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Also in the woods, the king and queen of fairyland, Oberon and Titania, battle over custody of an orphan boy; Oberon uses magic to make Titania fall in love with a weaver named Bottom, whose head is temporarily transformed into that of a donkey by a hobgoblin or "puck," Robin...
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The play tells us about families struggling between greed and cruelty, on the one hand, and support ...
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Read Shakespeare's plays in all their brilliance--and understand what every word means

Don't be intimidated by Shakespeare These popular guides make the Bard's plays accessible and enjoyable.

Each No Fear guide contains

• The complete text of the original play
• A line-by-line translation that puts Shakespeare into everyday language
• A complete list of characters with descriptions
• Plenty of helpful commentary