"In Tales of Shakespeare, Charles and Mary Lamb wished to bring the plays to life in a form which would encourage young readers to enjoy Shakespeare"--Cover p. [4].

Close friends Valentine and Proteus become rivals for the hand of Silvia, daughter of the Duke of Milan, who has promised her to the foolish coward Thurio. Proteus has Valentine banished, but Silvia escapes to the forest to join him. Proteus follows with Julia, who dotes on him. After a confrontation, the Duke eventually allows Valentine and Silvia to wed, and Proteus marries Julia.

A comedy of Petruchio's determination to subdue the irascible Katherine and to make her his wife.

This romance revolves around a theme that occupied Shakespeare later in life: reconciliation. Wrongs committed by one generation, here a wife unjustly accused of adultery, are made right by the next generation.

In the new Pelican Shakespeare series, each title is redesigned in an easy-to-read format that preserves the favorite features of the original, including an essay on the theatrical world of Shakespeare, an introduction to the individual play, and a note on the text used.

Othello, a high-ranking Moorish soldier, marries Desdemona, daughter of a Venetian senator who opposes the marriage. Othello wins over her family, but a frustrated ensign, Iago, sabotages his happiness by insinuating that Desdemona is having an affair with Cassio, another officer. Jealousy, racial overtones, confusion, fear, and lies eventually destroy love, honor, friendship, and respect.

The play is set on a remote island, where Prospero, the exiled Duke of Milan, plots to restore his daughter Miranda to her rightful place, using illusion and skillful manipulation. The tempest brings to the island Prospero's usurping brother Antonio and the complicit Alonso, King of Naples. There, his machinations bring about the revelation of Antonio's low nature, the redemption of Alonso, and the marriage of Miranda to Alonso's son, Ferdinand.

Troilus, a Trojan prince (son of Priam), woos Cressida, another Trojan. They profess their undying love, before Cressida is exchanged for a Trojan prisoner of war. As he attempts to visit her in the Greek camp, Troilus glimpses Diomedes flirting with his beloved Cressida, and decides to avenge her perfidy. The majority of the play revolves around the leaders of the Greek and Trojan forces, Agamemnon and Priam respectively. Agamemnon and his cohorts...

Romeo and Juliet are young lovers separated by the ancient and enduring hatred between their families. This text includes an essay on the theatrical world of Shakespeare, an introduction to the play, and a note on the text used.

Without question the most influential, brilliant and beloved writer in the English language, William Shakespeare began as a simple poet and would-be actor, but after joining the Lord Chamberlain's Men acting company in London (later, the King's Men), he began writing plays and his works would go on to become the most performed theatrical pieces on the planet. It is difficult to encapsulate the scope and impact of Shakespeare's writings. Entire...