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A delightfully comic tale of mistaken identities, Twelfth Night revolves around the physical likeness between Sebastian and his twin sister, Viola, each of whom, when separated after a shipwreck, believes the other to be dead. The theatrical romp begins when Viola assumes the identity of Cesario, a page in the household of the Duke of Orsino. The Duke is enamored of the Countess Olivia, who spurns him for the newly arrived young page. The comical machinations of Malvolio, Sir Toby Belch, the maid Maria, and Sir Andrew Aguecheek add to the ensuing confusion — all of which is pleasantly resolved when Viola and Sebastian meet once again. Filled with some of the finest comedic scenes in the English language, this entertaining masterpiece remains one of Shakespeare's most popular and most performed comedies.

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This bewitching play, Shakespeare's final work, articulates a wealth of the playwright's mature reflections on life and contains some of his most familiar and oft-quoted lines. The story concerns Miranda, a lovely young maiden, and Prospero, her philosophical old magician father, who dwell on an enchanted island, alone except for their servants – Ariel, an invisible sprite, and Caliban, a monstrous witch's son.Into their idyllic but isolated lives comes a shipwrecked party that includes the enemies who usurped Prospero's dukedom years before, and set him and his daughter adrift on the ocean. Also among the castaways is a handsome prince, the first young man Miranda has ever seen. Comedy, romance, and reconciliation ensue, in a masterly drama that begins with a storm at sea and concludes in joyous harmony. Students, poetry lovers, and drama enthusiasts will treasure this convenient, modestly priced edition of one of Shakespeare's greatest plays and one of literature's finest comedies.

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Even those who have never read or seen Romeo and Juliet recognize the star-crossed lovers' names as symbols of forbidden romance. Shakespeare's enduring drama takes place during a sultry Italian summer, in a city already boiling with the enmity between two families. Tensions rise further when an irresistible passion develops between members of opposite sides and the play's mood alternates between hope and despair. Romeo and Juliet was among the author's most popular plays during his lifetime, and it remains one of his most frequently produced dramas. Furthermore, its youthful characters and romantic plot make it an appealing introduction to Shakespeare for younger readers. A definitive survey, this Dover Thrift Study Edition offers the drama's complete and unabridged text, plus a comprehensive study guide. Created to help readers gain a thorough understanding of Romeo and Juliet's content and context, the guide includes: • Scene-by-scene summaries• Explanations and discussions of the plot• Question-and-answer sections• Shakespeare biography• List of characters and more Dover Thrift Study Editions feature everything that students need to undertake a confident reading of a classic text, as well as to prepare themselves for class discussions, essays, and exams.

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Shakespeare is without doubt the most quoted writer in English. His plays and poems comprise an inexhaustible source of memorable and often profound thoughts beautifully and concisely expressed. This remarkably affordable volume presents over 400 quotations conveniently arranged by topic: love, marriage, conduct and morality, truth, beauty, time, death, music, and more.Included are such timeless observations as: «All that glitters is not gold,» «Brevity is the soul of wit,» «How sharper than a serpent's tooth it is/ To have a thankless child»; «While you live, tell truth and shame the devil!»; «The very substance of the ambitious is merely the shadow of a dream,» and many more. Romantic thoughts receive a particularly rich treatment; extensive selections on the subject of love include quotes from the plays («The course of true love never did run smooth»; «Speak low if you speak love») and sonnets («For thy sweet love remember'd such wealth brings,/ That then I scorn to change my state with kings»). Each quote bears a complete citation.Ideal for writers, speakers, students of literature, and any lover of Shakespeare's works, this inexpensive treasury lends itself admirably to a virtually endless number of uses, from casual browsing to designing personal greeting cards.

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The final play in Shakespeare's masterly dramatization of the strife between the Houses of York and Lancaster, Richard III offers a stunning portrait of an archvillain–a man of cunning and ruthless ambition who seduces, betrays and murders his way to the throne. In the process, Richard delivers great speeches and engages in formidable confrontations with a large cast of characters, almost all of them caught up in the terrible struggle for power that dominates the play. It is a tribute to Shakespeare's dramatic genius and knowledge of human psychology that by the end of the drama the detestable Richard begins to elicit some sympathy for the awful plight in which he finds himself. Explanatory footnotes and an introductory note are included.

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A young beauty defies bigotry to marry a heroic warrior of a different race, but a false friend poisons her husband's mind with jealousy, «the green-eyed monster.» This gripping drama of romance and treachery unfolds amid the Renaissance splendor of Venice and Cyprus, centering on a soldier's plot to exact revenge by exploiting the weaknesses of others. An eloquent tale of betrayal and racism, Shakespeare's seventeenth-century tragedy continues to resonate for today's audiences. A definitive survey, this Dover Thrift Study Edition offers the drama's complete and unabridged text, plus a comprehensive study guide. Created to help readers gain a thorough understanding of Othello's content and context, the guide includes: • Scene-by-scene summaries• Explanations and discussions of the plot• Question-and-answer sections• Shakespeare biography• List of characters and more Dover Thrift Study Editions feature everything that students need to undertake a confident reading of a classic text, as well as to prepare themselves for class discussions, essays, and exams.

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Test? Paper? Class discussion? Don't worry, we have you covered. This book has everything you need.<BR>Not only does it feature the complete text of <I>Much Ado About Nothing</I>, it offers a comprehensive study guide that will easily help you understand Shakespeare's classic drama.<BR>You'll make the grade with:<BR>&#8226; Complete and unabridged text<BR>&#8226; Scene-by-scene summaries<BR>&#8226; Explanations and discussions of the plot<BR>&#8226; Question-and-answer sections<BR>&#8226; Shakespeare biography<BR>&#8226; List of characters and more

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Everything You Need To Make The Grade<BR>Test? Paper? Class discussion? Don't worry, we have you covered. This book has everything you need.<BR>Not only does it feature the complete text of <I>The Merchant of Venice</I>, it offers a comprehensive study guide that will easily help you understand Shakespeare's classic drama.<BR>You'll make the grade with:<BR>&#8226; Complete and unabridged text<BR>&#8226; Scene-by-scene summaries<BR>&#8226; Explanations and discussions of the plot<BR>&#8226; Question-and-answer sections<BR>&#8226; Shakespeare biography<BR>&#8226; List of characters and more

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Two pairs of young lovers fall asleep in an ancient Athenian forest and wake to find themselves in the middle of a good deed gone wrong. A Midsummer Night's Dream conjures up a fairyland inhabited by well-intentioned sprites whose magic leads to farcical confusion. The mirthful tangle of mistaken identities and misplaced affections develops and resolves in the glorious poetry of England's greatest playwright.Shakespeare's fantastical comedy has enchanted audiences since its debut in the twilight years of the sixteenth century. A definitive survey, this Dover Thrift Study Edition offers the drama's complete and unabridged text, plus a comprehensive study guide. Created to help readers gain a thorough understanding of the content and context of A Midsummer Night's Dream, the guide includes: &#8226; Scene-by-scene summaries&#8226; Explanations and discussions of the plot&#8226; Question-and-answer sections&#8226; Shakespeare biography&#8226; List of characters and more

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Perhaps the most popular of all of Shakespeare's comedies, A Midsummer Night's Dream humorously celebrates the vagaries of love. The approaching wedding festivities of Theseus, Duke of Athens, and his bride-to-be, Hippolyta, Queen of the Amazons, are delightfully crisscrossed with in-again, off-again romances of two young pairs of Athenian lovers; a fateful rivalry between the King and Queen of the Fairies; and the theatrical aspirations of a bumbling troupe of Athenian laborers. It all ends happily in wedding-night revelry complete with a play-within-a-play presented by the laborers to the ecstatic amusement of all. This edition, complete with explanatory footnotes, is reprinted from a standard British edition.

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