Paul Werstine Book order (chronological)

Contains the complete scripts, a running synopsis of the action, explanations of unfamiliar words, and a variety of classroom-tested activities.

This updated edition includes: *Newly re-edited play text and revised commentary notes *Scene-by-scene plot summaries *A key to the play's famous lines and phrases *An introduction to reading Shakespeare's language *An essay by a leading Shakespeare scholar providing a modern perspective on the play *Fresh images from the Folger Shakespeare Library's vast holdings of rare books *An up-to-date annotated guide to further reading

Renowned as Shakespeare's most boisterous comedy, The Taming of the Shrew is the tale of two young men, the hopeful Lucentio and the worldly Petruchio, and the two sisters they meet in Padua. Lucentio falls in love with Bianca, the apparently ideal younger daughter of the wealthy Baptista Minola. But before they can marry, Bianca's formidable elder sister, Katherine, must be wed. Petruchio, interested only in the huge dowry, arranges to marry Katherine -against her will- and enters into a battle of the sexes that has endured as one of Shakespeare's most enjoyable works.

One of Shakespeare's greatest comedies, from the rhetoric of Leonato's opening lines to Benedick's last pun. The variety ranges from Dogberry's anxiety to be writ down as an ass, to the sentiment in Claudio's penance - yet it is Beatrice and Benedick who carry off the prize in the end.

Dramatic and powerful in its scope, 'Othello' explores the perils of suspicion and jealousy and the ensuing breakdown of relationships and disaster that can arise from such emotions. Othello secretly marries Desdemona, but is led to believe that she has been unfaithful to him by his ensign, Iago, leading to tragic events.

The Arden Shakespeare has long been acclaimed as the established scholarly edition of Shakespeare's work. Now being totally reedited for the third time, Arden editions offer the very best in contemporary scholarship. Each volume provides a clear and authoritative text, edited to the highest standards; detailed textual notes and commentary on the same page of the text; full contextual, illustrated introduction, including an in-depth survey of critical and performance approaches to the play; and selected bibliography.