Classic Poetry

The authoritative edition of The Winter’s Tale from The Folger Shakespeare Library, the trusted and widely used Shakespeare series for students and general readers. The Winter’s Tale, one of Shakespeare’s very late plays, is filled with improbabilities. Before the conclusion, one character comments that what we are about to see, “Were it but told you, should be hooted at /...

The authoritative edition of Hamlet from The Folger Shakespeare Library, the trusted and widely used Shakespeare series for students and general readers. Hamlet is Shakespeare's most popular, and most puzzling, play. It follows the form of a "revenge tragedy," in which the hero, Hamlet, seeks vengeance against his father's murderer, his uncle Claudius, now the king of Denmark. Much of...

‘How beauteous mankind is! O brave new world That has such people in't!’ Performed variously as escapist fantasy, celebratory fiction, and political allegory, The Tempest is one of the plays in which Shakespeare's genius as a poetic dramatist found its fullest expression. Significantly, it was placed first when published in the First Folio of 1623, and is now generally seen...

The acclaimed Pelican Shakespeare series, now repackaged in award-winning modern covers to inspire Shakespearians of all ages. The acclaimed Pelican Shakespeare series, now in a dazzling new series design. Winner of the 2016 AIGA + Design Observer 50 Books | 50 Covers competition. Gold Medal Winner of the 3x3 Illustration Annual No. 14. A Penguin Classic. This edition of The...

This is the first volume of a new prose translation of Dante's epic - the first in twenty-five years. Robert Durling's translation brings a new power and accuracy to the rendering of Dante's extraordinary vision of Hell, with its terror, pathos, and sardonic humour, and its penetrating analyses of the psychology of sin and the ills that plague society. A...

The authoritative edition of Romeo and Juliet from The Folger Shakespeare Library, the trusted and widely used Shakespeare series for students and general readers. In Romeo and Juliet, Shakespeare creates a violent world, in which two young people fall in love. It is not simply that their families disapprove; the Montagues and the Capulets are engaged in a blood feud....

William Shakespeare's classic play Othello, featuring valuable tools for educators and readers, from the esteemed Folger Shakespeare Library, home to the world's largest collection of Shakespeare's printed works. In Othello, Shakespeare creates powerful drama from a marriage between the exotic Moor Othello and the Venetian lady Desdemona that begins with elopement and mutual devotion and ends with jealous rage and...

An improved, larger-format edition of the Cambridge School Shakespeare plays, extensively rewritten, expanded, and produced in an attractive new design. An active approach to classroom Shakespeare enables students to inhabit Shakespeare's imaginative world in accessible and creative ways. Students are encouraged to share Shakespeare's love of language, interest in character, and sense of theatre. Substantially revised and extended in full...

The authoritative edition of Measure for Measure from The Folger Shakespeare Library, the trusted and widely used Shakespeare series for students and general readers. Measure for Measure is among the most passionately discussed of Shakespeare’s plays. In it, a duke temporarily removes himself from governing his city-state, deputizing a member of his administration, Angelo, to enforce the laws more rigorously....

The authoritative edition of Macbeth from The Folger Shakespeare Library, the trusted and widely used Shakespeare series for students and general readers. In 1603, James VI of Scotland ascended the English throne, becoming James I of England. London was alive with an interest in all things Scottish, and Shakespeare turned to Scottish history for material. He found a spectacle of...

The authoritative edition of King Lear from The Folger Shakespeare Library, the trusted and widely used Shakespeare series for students and general readers. Shakespeare's King Lear challenges us with the magnitude, intensity, and sheer duration of the pain that it represents. Its figures harden their hearts, engage in violence, or try to alleviate the suffering of others. Lear himself rages...

This legendary Shakespeare series features authoritative and meticulously researched texts paired with scholarship by renowned Shakespeareans. Updated for the 21st century by editors Stephen Orgel of Stanford University and A. R. Braunmuller of UCLA, each book includes an essay on the theatrical world of Shakespeare's time, an introduction to the individual play, and a detailed note on the text used....

This updated edition has added a substantial new section to the Introduction. Eminent Shakespearean scholars Jonathan Bate and Eric Rasmussen provide a fresh new edition of this masterpiece of political power play and manipulation—along with more than a hundred pages of exclusive features, including: An original Introduction to Julius Caesar Incisive scene-by-scene synopsis and analysis with vital facts about the...

The authoritative edition of William Shakespeare’s historic play Henry V from the Folger Shakespeare Library, the trusted and widely used Shakespeare series for both students and general readers. Henry V is Shakespeare’s most famous “war play”; it includes the storied English victory over the French at Agincourt. Some of it glorifies war, especially the choruses and Henry’s speeches urging his...

What is honour? A word. What is in that word 'honour'? What is that 'honour'? Air. A history play that combines a coming-of-age narrative with a tale of power, rebellion, friendship, and betrayal, Henry IV Part I has been a perennial favourite from Shakespeare's time to the present. What has ensured its popularity is above all the towering figure of...

The authoritative edition of Henry IV, Part 1 from The Folger Shakespeare Library, the trusted and widely used Shakespeare series for students and general readers. Family relationships are at the centre of Henry IV, Part 1. King Henry IV and Prince Hal form one major father-son pair, with Henry in despair because Hal lives a dissolute life. The father-son pair...

William Shakespeare’s As You Like It, the incredible story about love, rebellion, and generosity, now presented by the Folger Shakespeare Library with valuable new tools for educators and dynamic new covers. Readers and audiences have long greeted As You Like It with delight. Its characters are brilliant conversationalists, including the princesses Rosalind and Celia and their Fool, Touchstone. Soon after...

The acclaimed Pelican Shakespeare series, now repackaged in dazzling new modern covers, aims to inspire Shakespearians of all ages. The acclaimed Pelican Shakespeare series, edited by A. R. Braunmuller and Stephen Orgel, features authoritative and meticulously researched texts paired with scholarship by renowned Shakespeareans. Each book includes an essay on the theatrical world of Shakespeare's time, an introduction to the...

The authoritative edition of A Midsummer Night's Dream from The Folger Shakespeare Library, the trusted and widely used Shakespeare series for students and general readers. In A Midsummer Night's Dream, Shakespeare stages the workings of love. Theseus and Hippolyta, about to marry, are figures from mythology. In the woods outside Theseus's Athens, two young men and two young women sort...

An improved, larger-format edition of the Cambridge School Shakespeare plays, extensively rewritten, expanded and produced in an attractive new design. An active approach to classroom Shakespeare enables students to inhabit Shakespeare's imaginative world in accessible and creative ways. Students are encouraged to share Shakespeare's love of language, interest in character and sense of theatre. Substantially revised and extended in full...

This edition of one of the most enduringly popular and familiar books of the Odyssey—the encounter of Odysseus and his men with the cannibal Cyclops Polyphemos—grew out of the classes taken at the Joint Association of Classics Greek Summer School, where students who had completed a beginners' course were making their first acquaintance with Homeric verse. The complete text of...

This Norton Critical Edition includes: The First Folio (1623) text of Twelfth Night, with annotations and marginal glosses. Natasha Korda's expert introduction and list of textual edits made to the Folio text for this edition. "Intertexts," a rich selection of ancient and Renaissance works in conversation with Twelfth Night's themes of disguised identity, gender fluidity, and fictive letter-writing. Nine illustrations,...

In a respectful, but not reverent, adaptation, Kenneth Cavander reimagines Timon of Athens for the twenty-first century. Never performed in Shakespeare’s lifetime, Timon of Athens presents an intriguing puzzle for contemporary audiences. The disjointed plot and many gaps in the story have led scholars to believe it was a collaboration between Shakespeare and Thomas Middleton, a younger writer known for...

A modern translation that will appeal to new audiences. In her translation of The Merry Wives of Windsor, Dipika Guha updates the language of Shakespeare’s comedy through the lens of our current moment. Guha maintains the humour at the heart of the play while making it accessible for both performers and audiences. This translation was written as part of the...

An accessible new translation of one of Shakespeare’s most interesting and challenging plays. One of Shakespeare’s most difficult plays, Measure for Measure has long challenged performers and audiences alike. In reworking the play in her translation, Aditi Brennan Kapil honours the structure, rhythms, and themes of Shakespeare’s original. Kapil’s updated language makes this cautionary fable about frailty, power, and the...

A new translation of Shakespeare’s great tragedy that renews it for today’s audiences. Marcus Gardley’s translation of King Lear renews the language of one of Shakespeare’s most frequently staged tragedies for a modern audience. Gardley’s update allows audiences to hear the play anew while still finding themselves in the tragic midst of Shakespeare’s play. This translation of King Lear was...

First published in the outstanding and long-running 'red Macmillan' series in 1948 and revised in 1958 and 1962 (with, for example, a new section on Mycenaean Greek in relation to Homer), this second volume on the Odyssey has remained the standard edition used by upper school and university students to guide their early reading of the epic. The introduction covers...

These two books of the Odyssey provide an ideal introduction to the poem, illustrating Odysseus' cunning intelligence at its best as he gains acceptance in the court of the Phaeacians, and, above all, the subtly drawn character of Nausicaa. This edition replaces the much-used one by G.M. Edwards (1914). It contains text (now unexpurgated) and vocabulary, expanded commentary, and a...

This text provides a line-by-line commentary on Books XIII-XXIV of Homer's epic poem, the Iliad. The ‘red Macmillan’ Iliad in the edition of W. Leaf, which had served since the 1880s, was replaced by the two-volume edition of M.M. Willcock. Coverage of twelve books in each volume demands a concise introduction and commentary, but Willcock is not omissive. He includes,...

One of Shakespeare’s late plays rewritten in contemporary language. In her modern translation of Cymbeline, Andrea Thome takes up one of Shakespeare’s most complex plays. Thome’s update brings the play’s language into the present, highlighting new resonances and providing a more accessible version of Shakespeare’s play for today’s audiences. One of Shakespeare’s final plays, Cymbeline tells the story of the...

This beautiful, giftable collection celebrates and explores both the beauty and the anguish of love through classic poems, stories, and letters from some of literature’s most beloved writers. Because it defines human existence, love is one of art’s favourite subjects. Timeless Love: Poems, Stories, and Letters celebrates the mysterious nature of love and passion by bringing together classic works written...

The undisputed pioneer of the horror, detective and science-fiction genres, Edgar Allan Poe was an accomplished poet as well as a celebrated writer of short stories. The present edition contains all of his works in verse, from the major poems of his maturity – such as his famous ballads The Raven and ‘Lenore’ – to those he published in his...

The Odyssey is vividly captured and beautifully paced in this swift and lucid new translation by acclaimed scholar and translator Peter Green. Accompanied by an illuminating introduction, maps, chapter summaries, a glossary, and explanatory notes, this is the ideal translation for both general readers and students to experience The Odyssey in all its glory. Green’s version, with its lyrical mastery...

One of the oldest extant works of Western literature, the Iliad is a timeless epic poem of great warriors trapped between their own heroic pride and the arbitrary, often vicious decisions of fate and the gods. Renowned scholar and acclaimed translator Peter Green captures the Iliad in all its surging thunder for a new generation of readers. Featuring an enticingly...

Continuing the paperback edition of Charles S. Singleton's translation of The Divine Comedy, this work provides the English-speaking reader with everything needed to read and understand the Paradiso. This volume consists of the prose translation of Giorgio Petrocchi's Italian text, which faces the translation on each page. Its companion volume of commentary is a masterpiece of erudition, offering a wide...

This edition of Sir Thomas More is the first to bring the play into the context of a major Shakespeare series, to provide a substantial critical analysis, and to offer a comprehensive modern stage history. The introduction deals with issues such as the strange involvement of the anti-Catholic spy-hunter Anthony Munday as chief dramatist, the place of Sir Thomas More...

By carefully selecting extracts from sources, scholars and scriptwriters, Gordon McMullan tells a series of stories about Romeo and Juliet, globally and from their legend's origins to the present day. This edition includes: Introductory materials and explanatory annotations by Gordon McMullan as well as numerous images; Sources and early rewritings by Luigi Da Porto, Matteo Bandello, Pierre Boaistuau, Kareen Klein,...

Now in paperback, the newest, liveliest, and most faithful translation of Paradise available, containing a number of special features that set it apart from the rest. "If there is any justice in the world of books, Esolen's will be the standard Dante... for some time to come." - Robert Royal, Crisis In this, the concluding volume of The Divine Comedy,...

This Norton Critical Edition looks at the full range of opinion and interpretation of this major play from its origins to the present day, from its "genius" (William Hazlitt) to its being a "hateful work, although Shakespearean throughout" (Samuel Taylor Coleridge), and beyond. The Norton Critical Edition is based on the 1623 First Folio text, the only authoritative edition of...

As he was turning forty, Walt Whitman wrote twelve poems in a small handmade book he entitled Live Oak, with Moss. The poems were intensely private reflections on his attraction to and affection for other men. They were also Whitman's most adventurous explorations of the theme of same-sex love, composed decades before the word "homosexual" came into use. This revolutionary,...

Anthony Esolen's translation of Inferno is the most comprehensive and definitive edition available in mass market format, yielding an edition that will be as popular with general readers as with teachers and students. An extraordinary new verse translation of Dante's masterpiece, by poet, scholar, and lauded translator Anthony Esolen. Of the great poets, Dante is one of the most elusive...

This legendary Shakespeare series features authoritative and meticulously researched texts paired with scholarship by renowned Shakespeareans. Updated for the 21st century by editors Stephen Orgel of Stanford University and A. R. Braunmuller of UCLA, each book includes an essay on the theatrical world of Shakespeare's time, an introduction to the individual play, and a detailed note on the text used....

A new and authoritative edition of five seminal revenge tragedies, edited by Emma Smith. As the Elizabethan era gave way to the reign of James I, England grappled with corruption within the royal court and widespread religious anxiety. Dramatists responded with morally complex plays of dark wit and violent spectacle, exploring the nature of death, the abuse of power, and...

Both published posthumously in 1971, Crossing the Water and Winter Trees contain the poems written along with those that went to form Ariel, from the exceptionally creative period that led up to Sylvia Plath's suicide in 1963. Between them they evoke a sense of place and history, mythology both personal and familial and rooted deeply in the natural world. Alongside...

The everyman Signet Shakespeare series continues with the first volume of Comedies containing The Comedy of Errors, The Taming of the Shrew, The Two Gentlemen of Verona, Love's Labour's Lost, Romeo and Juliet (sic), and A Midsummer Night's Dream.

This Norton Critical Edition of Antony and Cleopatra is based on the First Folio (1623), the only authoritative text of the play. The edition includes a preface, detailed explanatory annotations, two maps, and visuals ranging from a silver tetradrachm (34 B.C.E.) to an Egyptian Queen Barbie. Sources, Analogues, and Contexts, a rich selection of historical and literary writing, gives readers...

The Odyssey, an epic masterpiece by Homer, takes readers on an extraordinary adventure filled with gods, heroes, and mythical creatures. This timeless tale follows the legendary hero Odysseus as he embarks on a perilous journey to return home after the Trojan War. With its richly woven narrative and unforgettable characters, The Odyssey captures the essence of human strength, resilience, and...

The Raven is a Gothic literary masterpiece by Edgar Allan Poe, first published in 1845. This haunting narrative poem follows a grieving man tormented by a mysterious raven that repeatedly utters "Nevermore." With its melancholic tone, rhythmic structure, and rich symbolism, it explores themes of loss and despair. One of Poe's most celebrated works, The Raven captivates readers with dark,...

Experience the timeless beauty of Shakespeare's greatest tragedies with this Deluxe Hardbound Edition. Immerse yourself in the world of tragic heroes and captivating narratives, presented in a stunning format that combines elegance and durability. Perfect for Shakespeare enthusiasts and collectors alike. Deluxe hardbound edition featuring Shakespeare's greatest tragedies Immerse yourself in the timeless narratives of tragic heroes Exquisite design and...

Experience the timeless humour and wit of William Shakespeare with Greatest Comedies of Shakespeare. This delightful collection brings together his most beloved comedic plays, filled with mistaken identities, witty wordplay, and uproarious situations that will have you laughing out loud. Comedy, confusion, and charm in every act. A curated selection of Shakespeare's funniest comedies: Hilarious plotlines and memorable characters Lively...

A timeless tale of war, pride, and the cost of glory Homer's The Iliad stands as one of the greatest achievements in Western literature. Set during the final weeks of the Trojan War, the epic centres on Achilles, the Greeks' greatest warrior, whose pride and wrath threaten the fate of his comrades. As the armies of Troy and Greece clash,...

Beautifully designed for display and crafted for durability, this collector's edition is perfect for readers seeking to experience the drama, heroism, and mythology of ancient Greece in a single stunning keepsake. Step into a world shaped by gods, warriors, and ancient quests with this luxury edition of Homer's epic poetry. These foundational works of classical literature have inspired centuries of...

Dante’s dramatic journey down the circles of Hell, up the mountain of Purgatory, and through the spheres of Heaven in search of redemption – and his encounter with devils, monsters, and the souls of sinners and saints – is one of the cornerstones of Western literature, the summit of medieval thinking, and arguably the highest poetic achievement of all time....

Sonnets by William Shakespeare are among the most lyrical and moving pieces of poetry in any language. They abound with examples of his genius for wordplay, rhythm, and metaphor, dealing with the eternal themes of love, memory, beauty, and the ravages of time. First published in 1609, after Shakespeare had written many of his most famous works, the Sonnets have...

Arden Performance Editions are ideal for anyone engaging with a Shakespeare play in performance. With clear facing-page notes giving definitions of words, easily accessible information about key textual variants, lineation, metrical ambiguities and pronunciation, each edition has been developed to open the play’s possibilities and meanings to actors and students. Designed to be used and to be useful, each edition...

Walt Whitman's seminal poetry collection celebrating life, nature, philosophy, and spirituality, now repackaged for Union Square and Co.'s Signature Editions series. Leaves of Grass is a poetry collection by the American poet Walt Whitman (1819–1892). Though the first edition was published in 1855, Whitman spent his entire life writing and re-writing Leaves of Grass, revising it in several editions until...

The Arden Shakespeare is the established scholarly edition of Shakespeare’s plays. Now in its third series, Arden offers the best in contemporary scholarship. Each volume guides you to a deeper understanding and appreciation of Shakespeare’s plays. This edition of King John provides: A clear and authoritative text, edited to the highest standards of scholarship. Detailed notes and commentary on the...

Here is a new Loeb Classical Library edition of Homer's stirring heroic account of the Trojan war and its passions. The eloquent and dramatic epic poem captures the terrible anger of Achilles, "the best of the Achaeans", over a grave insult to his personal honour and relates its tragic result—a chain of consequences that proves devastating for the Greek forces...

Performances of Greek epics customarily began with a hymn to a god or goddess—as Hesiod's Theogony and Works and Days do. A collection of thirty-three such poems has come down to us from antiquity under the title Hymns of Homer. This new Loeb Classical Library volume contains, in addition to the Hymns, fragments of five comic poems that were connected...

A stunning gift edition of the age-old tale of Odysseus and his journey. This epic poem by Homer, believed to have been written between the eighth and ninth centuries BC, continues to be essential reading for young and old alike. The Odyssey follows the Greek hero Odysseus on a ten-year journey back to his home in Ithaca after fighting in...

First published in the outstanding and long-running 'red Macmillan' series in 1947 and substantially updated in 1959 (with, for example, sections on the relationship between Homer and the Mycenaean world), Stanford's The Odyssey—of which this is the first of two volumes—has remained the standard edition used in upper school and by university students to guide their early reading of Homer....

The stories in this collection include the eponymous The It-Doesn't-Matter Suit, in which little Max Nix is on a quest to find the perfect suit he can go ice-fishing, cow-milking and town-walking in. There's magic afoot in Mrs Cherry's Kitchen, and children will love to find their perfect Nighty-night little / Turn-out-the-light little Bed! in The Bed Book.

Five of Shakespeare's most essential and widely read plays—uniting tragedy, comedy, and history—collected in one beautifully designed boxed set. Perfect for students, educators, and readers seeking an accessible gateway to the world's greatest playwright. Shakespeare: Greatest Works brings together five of William Shakespeare's most studied, performed, and beloved plays: Hamlet — The definitive tragedy of conscience, revenge, and human frailty,...

Shakespeare’s famous play finds new life with a translation into contemporary American English. “For never was a story of more woe / Than this of Juliet and her Romeo.” In this new version of Romeo and Juliet, written in accessible modern English, Hansol Jung breathes new life into Shakespeare’s famous tragedy. By closely examining the familiar language and focusing on...

Shakespeare’s early comedy reimagined for modern audiences. Love’s Labour’s Lost is a wacky comedy of disguise and mischief, following the King of Navarre and his companions as they attempt to swear off the company of women. Focusing on bringing new life into the musicality of Shakespeare’s language, Josh Wilder’s translation of Love’s Labour’s Lost brings out the play’s romp and...

A celebration of democracy, nature, and the human soul, Walt Whitman's poetry returns in a deluxe collector's edition that captures the voice of a nation and the spirit of individuality that continues to inspire the world. First published in 1855, Leaves of Grass redefined poetry and gave America its literary soul. This deluxe hardbound edition presents Whitman's complete and evolving...

This translation of Shakespeare’s overlooked play will captivate contemporary readers. Virginia Grise takes on one of Shakespeare’s lesser-known plays in her translation of All’s Well That Ends Well. It is a play that has challenged actors, directors, and audiences for four hundred years, and in this edition, Grise updates Shakespeare’s language for modern ears. This translation was written as part...

A continuation of the popular series of Signature Select Classics chapbooks, this volume collects the complete sonnets of Shakespeare into one volume. This stunning chapbook includes all 154 sonnets written by William Shakespeare, which were first published in 1609. Exploring timeless themes such as love, jealousy, beauty, the passage of time, and mortality, this keepsake edition of poems also features...

The bloodiest and brashest of Shakespeare’s plays, this revenge tragedy begins with war and ends in mutilation and cannibalism. Acts of war and sexual violence across borders and within families highlight the importance of empire, Blackness and gender, alongside the familial and literal blood which characterise early modern and contemporary performance. The Arden Shakespeare Fourth Series Titus Andronicus provides: A...

Tyranny, imperialism and political authority define Shakespeare’s enduring dramatic depiction of ruling power and regime change in ancient Rome. A touchpoint for characterising tyrannical leaders throughout the world, Julius Caesar has told a cautionary tale of the uneasy relationship between political leaders and citizens from the time it was first performed up to the 21st century. The Arden Shakespeare Fourth...

Lillian Groag presents a new version of Troilus and Cressida that will resonate with contemporary audiences. One of the most obscure plays in Shakespeare’s canon, Troilus and Cressida may also be the Bard’s darkest comedy. Exploring some of the events of Homer’s Iliad, the play juxtaposes the carnage of the Trojan War with a love story between its two titular...

Shakespeare’s tragic story of revenge is reimagined for the twenty-first century. One of Shakespeare’s goriest plays, Titus Andronicus traces the fall of the Andronicus family in ancient Rome. Clinging to the ways of the past, Titus desperately seeks to remain loyal to the throne as his world crumbles around him. Amy Freed’s translation of Titus Andronicus is careful and meticulous,...

Tracy Young offers a new version of Shakespeare’s difficult tale of jealousy and redemption. The Winter’s Tale is one of Shakespeare’s most challenging explorations of redemption and rebirth. Driven by extreme jealousy, Leontes, the King of Sicily, accuses his wife Hermione of infidelity and orders his newborn daughter to be abandoned. Sixteen years later, Leontes must reckon with the consequences...

Tim Slover brings fresh clarity to his contemporary version of Shakespeare’s final play. Playwright, poet, and novelist Tim Slover presents William Shakespeare’s and John Fletcher’s collaboration, The Two Noble Kinsmen, in a modern translation that retains all the wit, romance, and poetry of the original. For his last play, the Bard pulled out all the stops, creating a tragicomedy of...

Age range 12+ The Tempest: The 30-Minute Shakespeare offers eight scenes from this rich comedy. Beginning with the magical storm and shipwreck, this adaptation includes the uproarious discovery of the monster Caliban and his plot to kill Prospero. Included are the heartfelt marriage vows between Ferdinand and Miranda, the disguised antics of fairy Ariel, and Prospero's poetic abjuration of his...

Considered by most scholars to be the last play that Shakespeare wrote, The Tempest is a stormy tale of betrayal and forgiveness. After being banished by his brother Antonio, Prospero harnesses the magic of an otherworldly island full of monsters and spirits to seek revenge. In reworking this play for a twenty-first-century audience, Kenneth Cavander focuses on the humor and...

Emily Dickinson, poet of the interior life, imagined words/swords, hurling barbed syllables/piercing. Nothing about her adult appearance or habitation revealed such a militant soul. Only poems, written quietly in a room of her own, often hand-stitched in small volumes, then hidden in a drawer, revealed her true self. She did not live in time but in universals—an acute, sensitive nature...

An updated version of The Merchant of Venice that speaks to our contemporary reckoning with racism and injustice. Elise Thoron’s translation of Shakespeare’s searing The Merchant of Venice cuts straight to the heart of today’s fraught issues of social justice and systemic racism. Thoron’s clear, compelling contemporary verse translation retains the power of the original iambic pentameter while allowing readers...

Shakespeare’s archetypal slapstick comedy, now with updated jokes and wordplay. One of Shakespeare’s earliest plays, The Comedy of Errors is a farcical tale of separated twins and mistaken identities. This slapstick play is a staple of the genre, including madcap bawdiness, love at first sight, reunions, and happily-ever-afters. Christina Anderson’s translation dives deep into the joy of the original text,...

Amy Freed rewrites The Taming of the Shrew, one of the more problematic plays in the Shakespeare canon. While beloved for its sharp dialogue and witty banter, The Taming of the Shrew offers a problematic storyline that many have deemed misogynistic. The play contains insensitive gags and uneasy politics, making it difficult for modern audiences to connect with the text....