If you have seen William shakespeares Romeo and Julliet you will find that this book is the script from the movie. This book is very good and it has the VERY hot Leo's face on the cover!!

I think that this book was really good. That is why I rated it 5 stars. Any book that has Leo, the book rocks.

the book/movie was a lovely tale of ahate of 2 kings and alove between their children so strong no force could pull them apart, Not even death! The young lovers died side by side.

It keeps getting better with each page. If you're like me, and you're not all that familiar with the real Shakespeare, you'll find this a truly illuminating read. It's accessible, it's fun, and it sure is a better beach read then anything else you're likely to find this summer. What a terrific surprise!

Great reading in any type of weather. Witty, intellingently presented. Great choice of words. Makes William Shakespeare really a "Bill" who did write ABOUT the masses FOR the masses. Sharp focus on many of the plays that used to give me problems in analyses. Explanation flows effortlessly and make a great deal of sense, when presented with actual monologues! So few bucks for such insights. When Mr. MacKechnie urges his readers "onward" I was ready! JGRAINGER, PHD.

What a find! I bought this book on the recommendation of Joan Plowright's foreward and am so pleased I did. Mackechnie's book not only gathers an amazing amount of Shakespearean monologues, but he dissects them with considerable insight and wit. He guides you through each speech with so much info: why, where, who, that it all makes perfect sense. Any acting student would benefit not only from the technical wisdom but from the anecdotal wisdom as well. Apparently Mackechnie has worked with Laurence Olivier, Anthony Hopkins, Plowright, Ian Mckellen, among others. Highly recommended.

Carol Chillington Rutter is supreme when it comes to talking clearly and intelligently about the Renaissance, its champion women, its theatre and performance, and stagings of Renaissance plays in more recent times. This book is an invaluable part of Ms Chillington Rutter's impressive and growing bibliography. Witty, perceptive and extremely informative, it is an absolute must for anyone interested in performance, women's roles in male-directed productions, and the theatrical process from first days of rehearsals to final performances.

An edited transcript of interview and round-table discussions amongst five of the best female actors to grace the modern British stage, this book is a wealth of fascinating material not only on female roles in Shakespeare, but also public, directorial, and historical/traditional perceptions of those roles, and of the place of women in Shakespearean productions in particular. Standouts include Harriet Walter's compare'n'contrast of Helena from ALL'S WELL THAT ENDS WELL with Imogen in CYMBELINE; Juliet Stevenson and Fiona Shaw's discussion of the Rosalind/Celia relationship in AS YOU LIKE IT; and Paola Dionisetti and Sinead Cusack comparing two different Kates from two different productions of TAMING OF THE SHREW. Great companion volume to go with the PLAYERS OF SHAKESPEARE series of books.

Five of Britain's best women actors (including Harriet Walter, Juliet Stevenson and Sinead Cusack) offer insights into their portrayals of some of Shakespeare's greatest roles. Lady Macbeth, Isabella (Measure for Measure), Kate (Taming of the shrew) and Rosalind (As you like it) are some of the roles discussed. Comparisons of different productions, directors and leading men are highlights of this wonderful collection of anecdotes, insights and lively discussion of Shakespeare and theatre today.

To Buy or Not to Buy!

Educators, lovers of theatre and great literature--take note! Late in the 1990s, Harper Row began to release on cassettes the Arkangel Complete Shakespeare, all of which I reviewed in one paper or another. Using some of the best of the young theatrical talent in Great Britain and some of the older established stars of stage and screen, the producers gave us readings of every single word of every single play by Shakespeare, including the seldom-performed "Two Noble Kinsmen" which is partially by Shakespeare.

Well, hold on! Audio Partners has been contracted to release the entire set on CDs. The trick is that you cannot purchase the individual sets but are required to purchase the entire package of 38 plays for $600. That is 98 CDs in all with a playing time of just over 101 hours! Libraries and school departments take note.

Hearing them as they were released on tape in batches of four or five, I was impressed mostly with the enormity of the project but found some things to quibble about. Casting Oberon and Titania with a pair whose voices were South African or Jamaican (no Henry Higgins, I) made some sense in that it emphasized their other-worldly-ness. So did assigning Malvolio in "Twelfth Night" to an actor with a distinct Scottish accent, but giving Mercutio in "Romeo and Juliet" to the same actor was absurd. Then too there is that sudden sound effect of a train pulling out of a station in the middle of "All's Well That Ends Well"! Granted there was a production current then that did place the play in more modern times, but when one is hearing a recording with no clue as to setting, the result was jarring and should have been omitted.

In the grander roles such as Hamlet, Othello and the like, the younger actors give modern readings which might strike some as slighting demands of the high poetry. And those who long for the grander readings can turn to the re-releases of the old Shakespeare Recording Society sets.

One great disadvantage to the cassettes is that you could locate a specific scene only with much fast forwarding. With CDs, of course, you can jump to any scene by pressing the Skip button on your player. When a scene continues onto another disc, the tracking list tells you at which line the scene picks up.

The price might be prohibitive to all but an institution--but I feel that every library should find its way to purchasing the complete set in much the same way that many purchased the complete set of BBC Shakespeare videos.

If you have to empty your penny jar, if you have to cash in your IRA, do so. Get this. These are absolutely superb recordings of some of the best English ever written and some of the most memorable characters ever created. So you don't recognize every word. Doesn't matter. The excellent actors carry you along and draw you intimately into the drama.

You can follow the play in text if you choose to -- they follow the readily available Complete Pelikan Shakespeare. But you don't need to -- if you aren't familiar with a play the brief four or five line summaries of each scene in the small fold-out accompanying each play are quite sufficient to know which characters are involved. It's possible to listen to these while driving, but you can't concentrate fully unless you're totally stuck in traffic. My number one recommendation is to take a Walkman and a pair of headphones to a hammock under a tree and indulge yourself. Second best is a comfy easy chair.

However you listen to these, do get them and listen to them. Or persuade your local library to get the set.

The price -- ...-- seems high until you figure that this is 38 complete plays -- less than the cost of the same play in paperback -- and there are a total of 83 disks, so you're paying just $5 per disk. Cheap! And these aren't some pop music you'll listen to once; these are a lifetime investment for yourself and your family.

Get it. Period.

These performances will keep you spellbound. There is something profound and amazing about listening to this Shakespeare, probably owing to the combination of perfect sound; nuanced, captivating, stellar acting; and fully comprehending the magic of The Bard's words. The quality of the recording is impeccable - there are no glitches, and the volume-level is consistent. Listening on my CD player at home, and following along with the text (not included with the CDs), I feel like I'm "getting" Shakespeare, and being moved by his words, like never before. I even find this listening more satisfying than seeing a Shakespeare play because I can better grasp and appreciate every line. The acting is first-rate (most actors are well-recognized RSC alumns, many of whom have become respected British film stars - ahem - Joseph Fiennes, Ciaran Hinds, Simon Russell Beale, Amanda Root, to name a few), and the clarity of the production picks up the most delicate subtleties of each performance. The background music complements and enhances each play, but isn't obtrusive. I wholeheartedly recommend this set - it will take you to a new level with Shakespeare.

Having a love of literature, and being an English Lit. major has given me the oportunity to read most of Shakespeare's works. Shakespeare's talent and genius has surely endured and his beautiful writings are essential to mankind not only in the classroom but throughout our lives. His tragedies speak the loudest to me, as they are charged with drama, emotion and memorable quotations. Having to choose a favorite book of all time I would say, "Othello." Yet Hamlet is my second favorite drama of Shakespeare's, and Macbeth also holds strong. I do not care for King Lear but having Shakespeare's 4 greatest and most popular tragedies in one book is a collection worth having.

4 of his best i strongly recomend this group of storys.

Hamlet, Othello, King Lear, and Macbeth are Shakespeare's greatest works. These fantastic stories, coupled with strong footnotes, make for superb reading material. I would recommend this book to beginning and master Shakespeare readers.

This is one of the best books ever written on the performing arts. By focusing in on Barrymore's Shakespearean acting only, Morrison manages to show how a second-rate light comedian turned himself into a great artist by sheer hard work -- and then, horrifyingly, how an artist transformed himself into a clown through laziness and dissipation. Through the use of the actor's playbooks and impressive research, Morrison does the impossible and brings Barrymore's stage performances as Richard III and Hamlet so vividly alive you'll swear you're in the theater watching them (I was holding my breath at the end of "Hamlet"). Along the way there are vivid portraits of the idealistic, progressive theater in the 1920's and, a decade later, the ancestry of today's poisonous and envious celebrity culture. Once you read this book you'll never look at Barrymore the same way again.

Michael Morrison's book fills a much needed gap in the large Barrymore biographical canon: it tells the story of Barrymore the artist. Many of the other great biographies of the man and family (Margot Peter's THE HOUSE OF BARRYMORE, anything by James Kotsilibas-Davis, to name only two of many excellent others) understandably short-shrift the details found here, in favor of the fabulous "bon mots" and the large tragic arc of his life. Morrison, if it's possible to believe, makes that tragedy all the more heartbreaking by detailing the hard work that Barrymore put himself through to transform himself from a light comedian into the greatest tragic actor of his generation - and arguably the last great tragic actor of the American theatre.

The detailed recreations of Barrymore's acting in RICHARD III and HAMLET are facinating. They provide all of us who have come after some small picture of what it must have been like to actually see him on stage. It helps, I suppose, to be familiar with his film work, to have heard at least some of his Shakespearean recordings, in order to fully visualize Barrymore's "flashing, rapier" genius at work - but it's probably not necessary. A must for all Barrymore fans, actors, and theatre lovers, this book is a treasure. But beware, its story could break your heart.

Michael Morrison has provided us with a stirring portrait of one of America's greatest actors, John Barrymore. His book is a vivid account of Barrymore's innovative approach to Shakespearean acting and subsequent rise to fame. This book is required reading for Shakespearean scholars and Barrymore enthusiasts alike.

Do you want to know what "To be or not to be..." is really about? The script for Hamlet is here. On the other hand, "Cry havoc and let slip the dogs of war" is from Julius Caesar, which also gave us "the ides of March." This book is a joy, and it contains the complete works written by the Bard of Avon.

It appears, at first glance, that this book only contains the comedies written by Shakespeare, but that is because there are three Tables of Contents within the book. These lists are placed at the beginning of each section, and the following page numbers begin at one again. However, not in the case of the Poems and Sonnets, which are in the Historical Plays list.

There is an additional list for the exquisite plates, which add another dimension to the historical significance of this library. The artwork, such as the three witches who enter to thunder and lightning in Macbeth, is extraordinary. You will find the work of:
*Sir John Gilbert (1817-1897) who created almost 750 pictures just for Shakespeare's works.
*George Cruikshank, who was the son of Isaac Cruikshank, a Scottish painter, and the primary illustrator for Charles Dickens.
*Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester (1532-1588). Dudley knew Shakespeare, and was once courtier in the court of Queen Elizabeth I.

For any student or lover of literature and art, or as a writer's reference, this is a requisite.

Victoria Tarrani

This book is an excellent buy. If you like to read and always find yourself wishing you had more of a great writers work then this is the way to go. It contains almost if not everything he ever wrote. The book cover is flawless. If you know some one who collects books or do yourself than you got to get this one. I would however not recommend this for young kids because of its size.

THE LIBRARY SHAKESPEARE IS EXCELLANT. IT CONTAINS ALL OF SHAKESPERARE'S PLAYS, POEMS, AND SONNETS. IT HAS A BEAUTIFUL HARDCOVER, YET IT IS STILL THE EXACT SAME WORDS THAT SHAKESPEARE WROTE. I HIGHLY RECCOMEND THIS BOOK TO EVERYONE!

This being one of Shakespeare's less-performed works, I purchased the tape to read with the text, before seeing a production. It's also one of the few audiobooks I've purchased. Worth every penny--like listening to a radio play! Wonderful diction, stirring readings, not what I expected from a play that--let's face it--is confusing for those not versed in English history. Having gone through it once, I can now listen to it without the text and pretty much follow the action. Glad I purchased Parts II and III at the same time.

This being one of Shakespeare's less-performed works, I purchased the tape to read with the text, before seeing a production. It's also one of the few audiobooks I've purchased. Worth every penny--like listening to a radio play! Wonderful diction, stirring readings, not what I expected from a play that--let's face it--is confusing for those not versed in English history. Having gone through it once, I can now listen to it without the text and pretty much follow the action. Glad I purchased Parts II and III at the same time.

As three television series and numerous versions on stage have demonstrated, the Henry VI trilogy plays very well on stage, even when given without cuts. None of the action and certainly none of the characters are particularly complex; although a good deal of background information about Richard II and Henry IV is requisite to appreciating what is happening here. And when "Richard III" follows, this play is made so much clearer appearing as it does as the logical consequence of all the events that came before it. Therefore I am delighted to report (1) are now available as late entries in the remarkable Arkangel Shakespeare series put out by Penguin Putnam, and (2) they make for some terrific listening.

Using some military music and representative battle cries for the many combat scenes and the opening and closing of doors to let us know about entrances and exits, this set gives us a fast-paced account of Shakespeare's dramatic shaping of so many years of tumultuous English history.

Now this play has a large cast and it is very seldom clear just who is speaking at any given moment--a problem endemic to any play on tape with several characters--and it is recommended that one have a text handy during the first hearing. Or if you have seen the magnificent BBC productions of this trilogy, you might be able to know who is speaking from your memory of that series. Suffice it to say, most of the important characters can be recognized by their voices, although (as many critics have pointed out) all the men do tend to speak alike until the very idiosyncratic voice of Richard Gloucester appears late in Part II.

Since the demise of the old legendary series on Decca/London label back in the LP days, this is the only recording we have of these three plays; and we are very fortunate they are done so well.

The "Richard III" came out at the same time and I will record my comments about that set on the appropriate webpage.

Like Shakespeare, this book is as strong on comedy as it is on the serious stuff, and like Shakespeare it's very rarely dull. The American Library Association have awarded it a prize as one of the best reference books of the year, and you can see why -- it's very up to date, very handsome, very easy to use and has lots and lots of really unusual and enlightening pictures. It's particularly good on Shakespeare movies, and is really international -- lively North American scholars cover Shakespeare's presence in Canada and the US beautifully, and it's really bright and surprising about Russia and China and about everywhere else. It's a book that will help explain to high school students why Shakespeare matters and that actually shows how much fun can be had around the plays and poems in so many different ways -- quite apart from telling college students all sorts of things that their professors had better be up on too. I didn't agree with everything it said about the shows at the rebuilt Globe, sure, but then I like seeing guys in tights.

This guide is beautifully illustrated and carefully written by many of the finest Shakespeare scholars alive (there are entries by Helen Vendler, Park Honan, Jonathan Bate, Stephen Orgel, and many others). It is a joy to simply open it to a random page and read. There is an admitted and fairly strong bias toward British Shakespearians and productions, but this helps focus the book and give it a depth many similar guides lack. That doesn't mean it's a provincial book, however, for there are numerous entries surveying Shakespeare across the world and in a variety of contexts. One of the most helpful aspects of the book is an outline of categories and entries at the beginning, a remarkably useful aid when terminology or names slip your mind. It is helpful, but not necessary, to have a copy of the Oxford Shakespeare to refer to, since titles, chronologies, and line references are all keyed to it.

Here's a book about Shakespeare that isn't written as if the only people who had ever cared about him were graduate students -- not that graduate students won't use it all the time, or that it isn't written by the top Shakespeare experts in the world (the contributors include the likes of Stephen Orgel and Helen Vendler), but unforced, unpretentious enthusiasm for Shakespeare and all sorts of things done in his name breathes from every page. It's beautifully illustrated and what's more the research is all fresh -- there's lots of stuff in here that has never been in a Shakespeare reference book before (eg some of the images, lots of stuff about Shakespeare on recent film and TV and radio and in popular culture, newest finds in textual studies and biography). You can read it from A to Z and it's a good read. Fabulous present for anyone studying Shakespeare at any level and especially for anyone who just likes reading the stuff or seeing it acted. It'll help you fall in love with Shakespeare all over again.

The sonnet is one of the more difficult-to-write forms of poetry, with very strict rules on rhyming and lines, and that makes Shakespeare's collection of sonnets all the more impressive. Shakespeare sprinkled his various plays with poetry and songs, but there is something of a different flavor to these works.

Titleless, identified only by numbers, these poems have vivid metaphors and imagery ("let not winter's ragged hand deface," "gold candles fix'd in heaven's air"). The tone of the poetry varies from one sonnet to the next; sometimes it focuses on old age, to love that "looks upon tempests and is not shaken," and simple expressions that can't really be interpreted any other way. Some of it is pretty well-known ("Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?/Thou art more lovely and more temperate") but most of them you won't have seen before.

Even if you're not normally a fan of poetry, the delicate touch of Shakespeare's words is worth checking into. Fantastic.

This edition of the sonnets is one of the most important and the description on Amazon is misleading - It is actually both volumes 24 and 25 bound together so you get the complete set It's hard to find this book so it is a great find in this version

Shakespeare's amazing Sonnets are compiled here in this wonderful volume, a great addition to anyone's bookshelf. If you love Shakespeare, then this is a must-have book.