Complete Works of Shakespeare, The, 7th edition

A balanced editorial approach, a highly respected editor, and proven apparatus combine to make Bevington the most student-friendly introduction to Shakespeare on the market.

The seventh edition of this comprehensive anthology addresses the two key issues confronted by students approaching Shakespeare today:

(1) a lack of knowledge about the historical period and;

(2)  difficulty with the language of Shakespeare's plays.

David Bevington's richly illustrated general introduction offers insight into Shakespeare's England and background on the literary, social, and cultural contexts in which Shakespeare wrote and produced plays. Each play is introduced by a descriptive essay designed to help students appreciate the historical contexts and interpretive issues raised by the play, without dictating students' interpretations. Completely revised and updated notes and glosses support student readers line by line, paraphrasing Elizabethan expressions in clear and accessible contemporary language.

• A richly illustrated General Introduction provides students with the historical and cultural background they need to understand Shakespeare's works in context.
• Introductory essays on each play offer insight into major themes, cultural issues, and critical conflicts, as well as updated performance histories on each work. Recent films and stage performances are discussed for all major works.
• The most complete and accessible apparatus to help today’s students understand and appreciate Shakespeare. Clear and accessible notes and glosses support modern readers line by line. Renaissance expressions and idioms are painstakingly translated into modern English by an editor with many years’ experience teaching Shakespeare to undergraduates.
• The collective wisdom and critical acumen of a prestigious editorial advisory board and one of our most highly respected Shakespeare scholars combine to provide state-of-the-art scholarship and interpretive balance on each and every work in the Shakespeare canon.

• "Reading Shakespeare in the Twenty-First Century," an updated essay that opens the General Introduction poses questions about the relevance and difficulty of Shakespeare for contemporary students and offers practical strategies for readers new to Shakespeare.
• “Shakespeare’s Language,” in the general introduction, has been revised in order to better introduce Shakespeare’s idioms and vocabulary to novice readers.
• “Films and Videos as a Guide to the Study of Shakespeare,  updated for the seventh edition, offers an annotated filmography and advice on how to use films and videos to study a play.
• Thoroughly revised and updated notes and glosses provide contemporary readers the support they need to understand Elizabethan language and idioms in accessible and clear modern language, line by line.
• A richly illustrated general introduction provides readers with the historical and cultural background required to understand Shakespeare’s works in context.
• “Shakespeare’s World: A Visual Portfolio” provides16 pages of full color illustrations to help readers visualize Renaissance life and culture and to trace the history of significant performances on stage and screen. Nearly one-third of these color images are new to this edition and are drawn from Shakespeare production from around the globe.
• Woodcuts and other illustrations from the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, depicting famous persons, animals, social customs, pastimes, hobbies, costuming conventions, themes, myths, and the like from the world that Shakespeare knew  are given throughout the volume.