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Performed as early as 1611 and published in the “First Folio” in 1623, Shakespeare’s “Cymbeline” weaves an elaborate tale of palatial envy and power in Ancient Britain. Cymbeline, King of Britain, commands that his lovely young daughter Imogen marry Cloten, the violent and callous son of the current Queen by her former husband. With her heart already promised to the poor yet heroic Posthumus, Imogen refuses. Disgusted at the prospect of his daughter marrying beneath her class and thus unable to produce a worthy heir to the British throne, Cymbeline banishes Posthumus from Britain. The Queen becomes involved as well and plots the death of young Imogen and her father, the King, so that her son can rule. Against the backdrop of plots, treachery, a fairy-tale turn of events, and the appearance of a Roman god, Imogen and Posthumus travel long distances and overcome great odds in an attempt to be reunited. In the process, Imogen’s long-lost brothers are found, a Roman army is defeated, and the treacherous Queen is exposed. Exciting, tragic, romantic and adventurous, Shakespeare’s “Cymbeline” remains a thrilling and timeless depiction of young love. This edition is annotated by Henry N. Hudson, includes an introduction by Charles Harold Herford, and a biographical afterword.

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Originally published in Shakespeare’s “First Folio” in 1623, “All’s Well That Ends Well” is a fascinating play that defies classification, an unusual work that blends the comic with the tragic. The play tells the story of Helena, a penniless worker at the Palace of Rousillion, and her cunning adventures to wed Bertram, the prosperous son of the count. Bertram goes to Paris to attend the King of France and Helena follows and uses her cunning and charm to convince the King she is a healer. When Helena risks her life to rid the King of France of a peculiar illness, she is rewarded with her choice of grooms from the King’s court and she chooses the hand of Bertram. Faced with rejection from Bertram due to her lowly social status, she devises a clever and devious plan to birth his son and keep his ring. This is love as war, full of scheming, seduction, and manipulation. Based on a tale from Boccaccio’s, “The Decameron”, the play energizes a classic Shakespearean theme of love complicated and conflicted by differences in class. Full of the expected wit and ardor of Shakespeare, “All’s Well That Ends Well” is an entertaining classic. This edition is annotated by Henry N. Hudson, includes an introduction by Charles Harold Herford, and a biographical afterword.

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One of Shakespeare’s early comedies and most ornately intellectual plays, “Love’s Labour’s Lost” is a mental adventure in hilarity and wit. First published in 1598, the play is filled with lexical puns, literary allusions, and shifting poetic forms, a rich example of the Bard’s linguistic mastery. The play opens with King Phillip of Naverre announcing that the men of his court will devote the coming years to ascetic studies and to reduce distractions, no women will be allowed into the court for three years. However, Naverre and his companions cannot resist the allure of the Princess of France when she comes to visit with her ladies to plead with the King for help. A series of hilarious events ensue as the men fall in love with the beautiful ladies in violation of their oaths. Confusion and humor abound as the women of the court form an alliance to gain entrance in disguise, while the men try to escape also in disguise to meet their loves. In the wit and humor of “Love’s Labour’s Lost” we find an example of Shakespeare’s legendary comedic talent. This edition includes a preface and annotations by Henry N. Hudson, an introduction by Charles Harold Herford, and a biographical afterword.

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Greek playwright, Aristophanes, lived during the 5th and 4th century BC and is considered one of the principal authors of the Greek classical period. Of the nearly thirty plays he wrote during his career, eleven are extant. Amongst the most famous of these is “Lysistrata,” a comedy which focuses on the women of Greece whose husbands have left for the Peloponnesian War. The women do not care about the conflict as much as they care about missing their husbands. Its titular character, Lysistrata, insists that men rarely listen to women’s reasoning and exclude their opinions on matters of state. In retaliation she convinces the women of Greece to organize a strike, refusing to have sex with their husbands until both sides agree to cease fighting. The irony of this is that the men become more upset with their wives than they do with their enemies of war. Notable for its positive portrayal of women’s rationality in a male-dominated society, “Lysistrata” stands as one the most popular and frequently performed plays from classical antiquity. This edition is translated and annotated by the Athenian Society and includes a biographical afterword.

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Greek playwright, Aristophanes, lived during the 5th and 4th century BC and is considered one of the principal authors of the Greek classical period. Of the nearly thirty plays he wrote during his career, eleven are extant. Amongst the most famous of these is “Lysistrata,” a comedy which focuses on the women of Greece whose husbands have left for the Peloponnesian War. The women do not care about the conflict as much as they care about missing their husbands. Its titular character, Lysistrata, insists that men rarely listen to women’s reasoning and exclude their opinions on matters of state. In retaliation she convinces the women of Greece to organize a strike, refusing to have sex with their husbands until both sides agree to cease fighting. The irony of this is that the men become more upset with their wives than they do with their enemies of war. Notable for its positive portrayal of women’s rationality in a male-dominated society, “Lysistrata” stands as one the most popular and frequently performed plays from classical antiquity. Also included in this collection are two additional Aristophanes plays, “The Acharnians” and “The Clouds”. This edition is translated with annotations by the Athenian Society and includes a biographical afterword.

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Widely accepted as Shakespeare’s earliest tragedy, “Titus Andronicus” is the bloody story of a Roman general engaged in terrible revenge with the Queen of the Goths, Tamora. The play begins with Titus returning to Rome after ten years of fighting. He brings with him the defeated Tamora, Queen of the Goths, and her sons. Titus sacrifices one of Tamora’s sons to avenge the sons he lost in the war, which begins a cycle of revenge in which Tamora and her lover, Aaron the Moor, plot and scheme against the remaining children of Titus. This entails especially horrific results for his daughter Lavinia, whose fate is thought to be based on the mythological story of Procne and Philomela from Ovid’s “Metamorphoses”. The conclusion is full of further violence and death, with few characters remaining to tell the tragic story of Titus and his children. This edition includes a preface and annotations by Henry N. Hudson, an introduction by Charles Harold Herford, and a biographical afterword.

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Originally published in the First Folio of 1623, “Measure for Measure” is William Shakespeare’s play which was likely written sometime in 1603 or 1604. The play begins with Vincentio, the Duke of Vienna, who leaves the government in charge of the authoritarian justice, Angelo, when he departs the city on a diplomatic mission. Lord Angelo believes that there is too much debauchery in the city and seeks to more strictly enforce laws against certain sexual activities. The story centers on Claudio who has impregnated his fiancée, Juliet, outside the bonds of marriage. Despite their plans to marry, Lord Angelo wishes to make an example of Claudio by sentencing him to death. Based upon two 16th century works, Italian novelist and poet Cinthio’s “The Story of Epitia”, and English dramatist George Whetstone’s “Promos and Cassandra”, “Measure for Measure”, which is classified by most scholars as a comedy, is notable for being one of the bard’s “problem plays”, given its intermittent shifts in tone between darkly dramatic and comedic elements. This edition includes a preface and annotations by Henry N. Hudson, an introduction by Charles Harold Herford, and a biographical afterword.

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The first play in William Shakespeare’s tetralogy of plays which also includes “Henry IV, Part 1”, “Henry IV, Part 2”, and “Henry V”, “Richard II” is believed to have been written around 1595. A history play, the drama concerns the last two years of the life of King Richard II of England, spanning the years 1398 to 1400. The drama begins with a dispute between Richard’s cousin, Henry Bolingbroke, who would later become King Henry IV, and Thomas de Mowbray, first Duke of Norfolk. Henry has accused Mowbray of murdering his uncle, the Duke of Gloucester. Meanwhile, Henry’s father, John of Gaunt, first Duke of Lancaster, believes it is Richard that is responsible for his brother’s murder. Unable to resolve the matter by traditional methods it is agreed that the dispute will be settled through trial by battle between Bolingbroke and Mowbray. What ensues is a series of events that will bring about the tragic downfall of Richard. A study in the disastrous consequences of political miscalculation, “Richard II” begins the story of a dramatically Machiavellian period of England’s rule. This edition includes a preface and annotations by Henry N. Hudson, an introduction by Charles Harold Herford, and a biographical afterword.

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One of the last tragedies written by William Shakespeare, “Coriolanus” is the story of the legendary 5th century BC Roman general Caius Martius, later given the honorary name Coriolanus. Based largely on the biographical accounts of Plutarch and Livy, the play opens amongst riots over grain in which Coriolanus’ contempt for the plebeians of Rome is exhibited. The general is drawn away from the riots to battle with the Volscian army. Following the conquest of the Volscian city of Corioli, he finds himself a hero and turns his ambition to politics. In his bid for a position in the Roman Senate, he discovers the power of both his allies and his enemies. Coriolanus quickly learns that his temperament is unsuited for success in the political arena. His militaristic pride, disdain for the concept of popular rule, as well as his unwillingness to slander his opponents, ultimately lead to his exile from Rome. A classic portrayal of the fledgling Roman Empire, “Coriolanus” is ultimately a tale of the tragic consequences of misplaced alliances. This edition includes a preface and annotations by Henry N. Hudson, an introduction by Charles Harold Herford and a biographical afterword.

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Originally published in the First Folio of 1623, William Shakespeare’s “The Winter’s Tale” is a play which has been classified by some critics as a comedy and by others as a romance. The confusion arises out of the fact that the first three acts are filled with intense psychological drama while the last two acts provide a comedic and happy ending. At the outset of the play we are introduced to two childhood friends, Leontes, King of Sicilia, and Polixenes, the King of Bohemia, who has travelled to Sicilia to visit his old friend. After several months of joyful reunion, Polixenes yearns to return home to attend to his affairs and see his son. Leontes however doesn’t wish to see his friend go and implores his wife, Queen Hermione, to try and convince him to stay. Hermione easily convinces Polixenes, which should make Leontes happy, but instead arises suspicion that the two may be engaged in an affair considering how quickly Hermione is able to change Polixenes’ mind. The jealousy of Leontes sets in motion a series of events which threaten to ruin his entire kingdom and legacy. This edition includes a preface and annotations by Henry N. Hudson, an introduction by Charles Harold Herford, and a biographical afterword.

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