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1) Cymbeline
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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...
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The Winter's Tale is a play by William Shakespeare, originally published in the First Folio of 1623. Although it was grouped among the comedies, some modern editors have relabeled the play as one of Shakespeare's late romances. Some critics consider it to be one of Shakespeare's "problem plays", because the first three acts are filled with intense psychological drama, while the last two acts are comedic and supply a happy ending.
The play has been...
3) Hamlet
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Arguably William Shakespeare's most influential play, Hamlet portrays a young Prince's dilemma in choosing between moral integrity and the need for revenge following the murder of his father. Dealing with themes of love, death and revenge, Hamlet is a rich and complex tragedy that continues to entertain audiences around the world today.
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Planning a school or amateur Shakespeare production? The best way to experience the plays is to perform them, but getting started can be a challenge: The complete plays are too long and complex, while scene selections or simplified language are too limited. "The 30-Minute Shakespeare" is a new series of abridgements that tell the "story" of each play from start to finish while keeping the beauty of Shakespeare's language intact. Specific stage directions...
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All's Well That Ends Well (1607) is a comedy by William Shakespeare. All's Well That Ends Well was likely inspired by the tale of Giletta di Narbona from Boccaccio's Decameron. Unpopular during Shakespeare's lifetime, the play remains one of his least staged works to this day. Despite this, scholars praise All's Well That Ends Well for its moral ambiguity. "The web of our life is of a mingled yarn, good and ill together, our virtues would be proud...
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As You Like It (1599) is a comedy by William Shakespeare. As You Like It was probably inspired by Thomas Lodge's Rosalynd, Euphues Golden Legacie (1587), a story based on "The Tale of Gamelyn," a Middle English romance. For its deconstruction of traditional gender roles and depiction of homoeroticism, As You Like It remains an important and frequently performed play in Shakespeare's oeuvre. "All the world's a stage, / And all the men and women merely...
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One of William Shakespeare's most farcical comedies, "The Comedy of Errors" is notable for its use of mistaken identity to achieve a slapstick comedic effect. Ripe with the bard's characteristic word play, the comedy concerns the lives of two sets of identical twins that were accidentally separated shortly after their birth. The play begins by the elderly Syracusian trader Egeon relating the back-story of his family. When Egeon was young, he married...
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Valentine and Proteus are devoted comrades ― until they travel to Milan and meet Silvia, the Duke's ravishing daughter. Torn between the bonds of friendship and the lure of romance, the two gentlemen are further bedeviled by Proteus's prior commitment to Julia, his hometown sweetheart, and the Duke's disdain for Valentine. Thus the stage is set for a comic spree involving a daring escape into a forest, capture by outlaws, and the antics of a clown...
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The king of Thebes is a tyrant but his young relatives, Palamon and Arcite, defend him anyway. The two noble kinsmen find their loyalty rewarded with imprisonment when they end up on the losing side of a battle with the great hero, Theseus of Athens. From the window of their jail they observe Emilia, the sister-in-law of their conqueror, whose stunning beauty shatters their vow of eternal brotherhood. Now the former friends must find a way to evade...
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Friendship and Greed!-- Timon is a wealthy and generous man. Over the length of the play we watch as he slowly gives away his entire fortune. Then we witness the tragedy of a man who comes to realize that he has no friends now that he has no money. "Here lies a wretched corse, Of wretched soul bereft: Seek not my name: a Plague consume you wicked Caitiffs left! Here lie I, Timon; who, alive, all living men did hate: Pass by and curse thy fill, but...
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Vengeance and War-- Rome is in turmoil, there is rioting in the streets and open warfare between the varying ruling factions. Coriolanus would bring peace and order to Rome, but will Rome let him? You common cry of curs! whose breath I hate As reek o' the rotten fens, whose loves I prize As the dead carcasses of unburied men That do corrupt my air,-I banish you.
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In Shakespeare's time, the term "comedy did not necessarily denote something funny or amusing. Rather, through such plays such as A Midsummer Night's Dream and The Merchant of Venice, the playwright examines other defining characteristics of comedic drama-the social interactions of common folks and a focus on the contradictions inherent in everyday life. Readers explore the major themes of Shakespearean comedies, which have enchanted readers and theater-goers...
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Before Shakespeare, few dramatists had used historical figures as characters in a play, or actual historical events as elements of a plot. Likewise, the Bard was a pioneer of the sonnet, which he took to new heights. Both literary form, including his two historical tetralogies, and his narrative poems, in addition to the particular form of sonnet that now bears his name are examined through engaging text. A brief treatise on the music within and accompanying...
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As with many writers before and since, William Shakespeare was influenced by the events that took shape all around him. Sweeping changes to England's politics, language, and culture that took place during his lifetime were the fertile ground from which the Bard drew inspiration. Shakespeare's life is surveyed and the social context in which he created his greatest drama and poetry is examined.
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Shakespeare's gift for writing tragedies was powerful indeed. His ability to create epic tragic characters-think Hamlet, Lear, and the star-crossed Romeo and Juliet-and scenarios is virtually unrivalled. Readers examine the Bard's major tragedies and their significance, and touch upon the state of theatre and dramatic performance in Shakespeare's England for good measure.
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