Wasatch County Library

A tightly constructed drama which is regarded as one of the William Shakespeare's finest; "Othello" is the story of its titular character, a Moorish general in the Venetian army. Othello secretly marries Desdemona, the daughter of Venetian senator Brabantio, who disapproves of the union. The marriage draws the contempt of Roderigo, a wealthy gentleman of low moral character who is in love with Desdemona and has asked her father for her hand in marriage....

Pygmalion both delighted and scandalized its first audiences in 1914. A brilliantly witty reworking of the classical tale of the sculptor who falls in love with his perfect female statue, it is also a barbed attack on the British class system and a statement of Shaw's feminist views. In Shaw's hands, the phoneticist Henry Higgins is the Pygmalion figure who believes he can transform Eliza Doolittle, a cockney flower girl, into a duchess at ease in...

A comedy revolving around the mistaken identities of a merchant's twin sons and twin slaves, separated in infancy and reunited as adults; includes the annotated play and information on Shakespeare's life, theater, and texts.

Believed to have been written between 1596 and 1598, William Shakespeare's "The Merchant of Venice" is considered by some critics as one of his "problem plays." The controversy over the work stems from its portrayal of the character Shylock, a rich Jewish moneylender. The stereotypical depiction of Jews as avaricious usurers was common to the drama of the Elizabethan period. The story centers on the love of Bassanio, a young Venetian nobleman, who...

The King of France gives Helena the hand of any man she wants in marriage, but the one she chooses, Bertram, flees to Tuscany, and she must use her wits to get him back. Includes an introduction, notes, and discussion of the theatrical world of Shakespeare.

Believed to be written in 1599, William Shakespeare's "Julius Caesar" is one of several plays that the bard would write that were based upon Roman history. Closely based on actual events as chronicled in Plutarch's "Lives", it is the story of the tragic downfall of Julius Caesar and of those who conspired against him. The play begins with the celebration of Caesar's return from defeating Pompey's sons at the battle of Munda. When it is learned that...

Classic Books Library presents this new beautiful edition of William Shakespeare's comedy, "Love's Labour's Lost". Featuring a specially commissioned new biography of William Shakespeare, it is a must for Shakespeare enthusiasts and newcomers alike. "Love's Labour's Lost", revolves around Ferdinand, King of Navarre, and his three companions, who enter a pact in which they swear to avoid women for three years. This oath is tested to its limits when...

An annotated edition of Shakespeare's comedy about young lovers, throne usurpers, and banishment in the Forest of Arden; also includes essays on Shakespeare's theatrical world and his texts, and a scholarly introduction.

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...

King Leontes unjustly accuses his wife Hermione of adultery with King Polixenes. He imprisons Hermione, who falls into a swoon he believes is death, and orders her infant daughter to be abandoned on the shore. Sixteen years later, their daughter falls in love with Polixenes's son and when they come to Leontes' kingdom, her identity is revealed. Leontes and Polixenes become friends again, and Hermione is found to be alive after all.