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3) Henry VIII
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English
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Description
"Henry VIII" is one of the last plays by William Shakespeare and is considered to be among his finest historical dramas. The play was likely written sometime between the death of Queen Elizabeth I in 1603 and the burning of the original Globe Theatre in 1613, as "Henry VIII" was being performed the night of the fire when a canon shot for special effects set the theatre's thatched roof alight. The play appeared in print for the first time in the "First...
4) Richard II
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English
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Description
Classic Books Library presents this new beautiful edition of William Shakespeare's play, "Richard II". This edition features a specially commissioned new biography of William Shakespeare. The play is the first in Shakespeare's tetralogy chronicling the successive reigns of Richard II, Henry IV and Henry V, and covers the battle for power between King Richard and Henry Bolingbroke (who would eventually be Henry IV). Embezzlement, exile and an uprising...
5) Richard III
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English
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Description
Believed to have been written in 1591, William Shakespeare's "Richard III" is one of the bards first plays, the first installment in a tetralogy of plays which includes "Henry IV, Part I," "Henry IV, Part II," and "Henry V." One of the longest of Shakespeare's plays and consequently rarely performed unabridged, "Richard III" is the story of the Machiavellian rise to power and subsequent short reign of King Richard III of England. The play begins with...
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English
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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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Series
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Project Gutenberg
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English
Description
Classic Books Library presents this new beautiful edition of William Shakespeare's narrative poem, "Venus and Adonis". Featuring a specially commissioned new biography of William Shakespeare, it is a must for Shakespeare enthusiasts and newcomers alike. The poem intertwines comedy with tragedy to tell the tale of Venus's obsession with the handsome Adonis, whose affections even the goddess of love cannot hold. It explores the pain of unrequited love...
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Series
Publisher
Project Gutenberg
Language
English
Description
Classic Books Library presents this new beautiful edition of William Shakespeare's narrative poem, "The Rape of Lucrece". This edition features a specially commissioned new biography of William Shakespeare. Set in Rome, the poem tells a tragic tale of lust, conquest, violence and politics. Collatine expresses his love for his wife Lucrece, to a fellow soldier, Tarquin. Hearing of her 'chastity', Tarquin is overcome with his desire to alter this and...
10) Henry V
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English
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Description
Believed to have been written in 1599, William Shakespeare's "Henry V" forms the final installment of a tetralogy of plays, which includes "Richard II", "Henry IV, Part I", and "Henry IV, Part II". The play focuses on the events surrounding the Battle of Agincourt during the Hundred Years' War. Henry, who is introduced in the earlier plays as a wild and undisciplined youth, has now come of age and ascended to the thrown following the death of his...
11) Timon of Athens
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English
Description
"Timon of Athens" was first, published in the "First Folio" in 1623 and was likely, written by William Shakespeare in 1605 or 1606. Often regarded as one of the more difficult of Shakespeare's plays to categorize, "Timon of Athens" blends elements of comedy with components of tragedy in Timon's allegorical downfall and death. The play depicts an Athenian man, Timon, who is popular and wealthy and who selflessly gives away his possessions to a large...
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Lexile measure
800L
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English
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Description
Antony and Cleopatra (1607) is a tragedy by William Shakespeare. Inspired by Thomas North's translation of Plutarch's Lives-a series of biographies on influential figures of the ancient world-Shakespeare wrote Antony and Cleopatra sometime between 1599 and 1601. Often considered a sequel of sorts to his earlier play Julius Caesar, Antony and Cleopatra has served as source material for countless film and television adaptations. "Let Rome in Tiber melt,...
13) Coriolanus
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English
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Description
Shakespeare's tragic drama about a Roman general tested by rioting, war, rejection-and his own all-consuming anger.
Enraged by the withholding of food, the common people of the Roman Republic are rebelling against the elite. In this battle between plebeians and patricians, Caius Marcius has little patience for those he considers beneath him and his family.
After his military victory in the city of Corioli, Marcius is given the nickname Coriolanus...
Author
Publisher
Project Gutenberg
Language
English
Description
F. Scott Fitzgerald is one of America's greatest writers. His novel The Great Gatsby remains on the bestseller lists 70 years after his death. Tales of the Jazz Age defined a generation. It was Fitzgerald himself who coined the phrase. He and his wife lived a decadent, fast-paced lifestyle that is reflected in his writing. The recent major motion pictures The Great Gatsby and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, which is included in this collection,...
15) Cymbeline
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Lexile measure
1310L
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English
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Description
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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English
Description
Classic Books Library presents this new beautiful edition of William Shakespeare's play, "Pericles, Prince of Tyre", featuring a specially commissioned new biography of William Shakespeare. In "Pericles", a father loses his wife, who dies at sea during childbirth. Upon land, Pericles entrusts his new-born daughter, Marina, to the Governor of Tarsus and his wife. Fourteen years later, Marina escapes a deadly plan, devised by the jealous Governor's...
17) The sonnets
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English
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First published in 1609, "The Sonnets" of William Shakespeare are a collection of 154 loosely connected 14 line poems. Considered by many to be among some of the greatest love poetry ever written much debate surrounds the context of the poetry. It has been suggested that the work may be semi-autobiographical but no real evidence firmly supports this notion. The themes of the poems contained within this volume are varied and include such subjects as...
18) King John
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English
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First published in the "First Folio" in 1623 and likely written in the 1590s, "King John" is one of William Shakespeare's best historical plays. It centers on the events of King John's reign of England during the late twelfth and early thirteenth centuries. King John, son of Henry I of England and Eleanor of Aquitaine, inherits the throne after the death of his older brother, King Richard I. John's claim to the throne is challenged by the King of...
19) Titus Andronicus
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English
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Description
Classic Books Library presents this new beautiful edition of William Shakespeare's play, "Titus Andronicus" (1594). This edition features a specially commissioned new biography of William Shakespeare. Unlike Shakespeare's other plays based on Roman histories, the story of "Titus Andronicus" is a fictional work. The play dramatises the gruesome events that take place in the battle for a nation between the brutal Roman general Titus and his powerful...
20) King Lear
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English
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Description
Presents the original text of Shakespeare's play side by side with a modern version, discusses the author and the theater of his time, and provides quizzes and other study activities.