It took me three summer vacations to read all of this, going chronologically (as best we can know) through the works and alternating with chapters of Harold Bloom's _Shakespeare: The Invention of the Human_. I read from the older 1974 edition, which lacks the Funeral Elegy (which, as it turns out, is likely by John Ford, and not by Shakespeare). This was a great experience; there are many hidden treasures among the lesser known plays, and those I was most familiar with gained by being read in proximity to the others.

Critically speaking, still the finest one-volume complete Shakespeare. Signet is refreshingly free of PC literary criticism. This edition is far superior to third-rate editions offered by Norton and other publishers that have been completely sold out to the dark side—namely, woke critical theory and noveau DEI frameworks.

N.B.: This review and rating will not include any commentary on the plays and poetry itself, as the work of William Shakespeare run the gauntlet from superb to mediocre and I feel it would deter from the purpose of this book. However, I have rated the plays individually if one cares to check. What this review would focus on the functionality of this particular edition of the text.

The Riverside Shakespeare collects forty plays, five poems, 154 sonnets, and one elegy that are attributed in full or in part to William Shakespeare. The plays are divided into five sections: Comedies (13 plays), Histories (10 plays), Tragedies (10 plays), Romances (5 plays), and the Apocryphal (Edward III and sections of Sir Thomas Moore that are attributed to Shakespeare). A Funeral Elegy by W.S. is also present under the Poems section.

Each play and poem has a wonderfully written and well researched essays proceeding them (plays in multiple parts have one introductory essay). The plays and poems are divided into two-column texted on each page with a nifty glossary of words in the footnotes of each column. At the end of each play are textual notes, which is a tad cumbersome flipping back and forth.

Included are a plethora of essay about Shakespeare and his times, his works, his criticism, and his legacy. Furthermore, there are four appendices, four indexes (indices (?)), two helpful Genealogy Tables for certain historical plays, illustrations, and maps. Additionally, there are thirty-nine colored plates throughout the text, which could be better placed as they pop up during mid-text or plays at times.

All in all, The Riverside Shakespeare is a wonderful anthology and reference to the works of William Shakespeare – it may be too bold of this reviewer to say that this edition of the text may be the definitive collection for the works of William Shakespeare.

Not trying to show off here, but I have literally read everything that Shakespeare wrote because a) I'm an English teacher, b) I'm a theatre dork, and c)I was like a total stalker for the stuff in college and read it for fun because I'm just that lame. Of course I like some of it better than others, but there's a reason the man is so famous. Favorite comedies: Midsummer Night's Dream, Taming of the Shrew, The Tempest, Twelfth Night, Merchant of Venice (in that order). Favorite tragedies: Hamlet, Macbeth, Othello. Favorite histories: Richard III, Henry IV. Favorite sonnets: too hard to choose. 18 is a classic.

This one will probably always be on my currently reading shelf. Right now I am working on scenes from Richard III and Twelfth Night and monologues from Cymbeline and Henry IV, part ii, also the sonnets. My least favorite play so far is the Merry Wives of Windsor - the opening scene makes no sense and if Shakespeare wrote it he must have been drunk.

Now I'm working on a new scene from Twelfth Night and one from All's Well That Ends Well. The latter one I have never read so more on what I think about it later this week.

All's Well is nice, not my favorite comedy but nice nonetheless. Interesting use of rhyming couplets between Helena and the king. This play is awkward for me because Bertram and Helena seem ill-matched but maybe that makes it more realistic than some of the other plays about love. There also seems to be a stronger female presence than in other plays but the women are not very three dimensional for the most part. I think this play succeeds or fails based on the vision of the director and cast more so than one like Twelfth Night.

Measure for Measure is interesting. The "virtuous" characters have serious flaws and the villains are charming. Especially Lucio. There is a very similar subplot to All's Well whose moral runs along the lines of "If you have a wife or fiancee who you are avoiding while pursuing a virtuous maiden, don't make plans to deflower the maiden at midnight in the garden because the woman you meet will probably be your wife."

Tempest: Just revisited for the first time since a production in college (cast as Miranda turned it down to play a spirit in an ugly mustard leotard...) It is surprising to me what language stuck and what didn't. I have part of a song that often runs through my head that evidently comes from this play but I had forgotten where I learned it. It is much shorter than I remembered. Prospero is by far the most dimensional character but the other characters are nice archetypes. Love the comedy between Stephano, Trinculo, and Caliban. I think it is interesting that Caliban speaks in verse I would have expected prose from him. Anyway. lovely play. I hope I have the chance to play Miranda before I get too old.

Twelfth Night: Just revisited this for an audition. It is a wonderful comedy that holds up with few alterations in the modern world. Also three great characters for women. I was surprised by how much of the play is in prose but I suppose it makes sense because it is a comedy and so much of the action takes place between the servants. I remember seeing a wonderful production of this show at UCSB when I was in high school. I feel badly about how the audition went and I just realized it is making me reluctant to spend much time thinking about the play so maybe I will return and review it more objectively at a later date.

Coriolanus was a wonderful surprise. I wanted to read it because we were going to the opening night of OSF's production of it. In general I am not much of a history person and despite the fact that this is considered a tragedy I was pretty sure it was Roman history cleverly disguised. Anyway, I found the play to be very accessible, if rather long. The language, perhaps because so much is spoken by and with commoners, is very visceral. Lots of land and animal imagery (is a dragon an animal?) that I found to be particularly appealing. I also found the play to be philosophical particularly about the role of government and tension between classes, certainly a relevant discussion in any society and time period. I didn't find Caius Marcius, later Coriolanus, to be particularly likable, but he does say some wonderfully inflammatory things and his journey was interesting. The real revelation for me was Volumina, his mother. She is incredibly powerful and interesting, right down to her intriguing child-rearing philosophies. What a role. Can't wait until I am old enough to use her monologues as audition pieces. Also lots of humor in the play. Class tensions makes for some funny disagreements. I look forward to being surprised by other works in the canon.

Henry V: I chose the love scene in Act V as my final in Shakespeare class this year. I ADORE this scene. It is so sweet and romantic since the Henry doesn't speak much French nor Katherine much English but they both want it to work. It would be a thankless role in actuality since it is one of exactly two scenes that Katherine has in the play but it was perfect for in-class work. I enjoyed the play as a whole too. I know this is very dense of me, but this was the first play where I really began to understand how the histories are inked. It is really fun to watch characters (like Henry V) grow and develop throughout the plays. If I were actually in this one, I would probably want to be Pistol for all of the comic scenes. Speaking of the comedy, I think the French insult of sending Henry tennis balls when he wants to fight them is silly and delightful. I also like the pervasive use of dialects throughout.

Henry VI, Part 2: I'm working on a monologue from this play - Queen Margaret (who shares my exact birthday and exact wedding anniversary). It's actually quite interesting so far, perhaps one of the most delightful aspects is the number of insults. Virtually all of I.3 is a volley of viciousness. Fantastic. And then the play takes a turn for the bloody. I am really looking forward to seeing this staged.

Cymbeline: I had been planning on reading all of the plays set in Italy before my trip, but I don't think it's going to happen somehow. I am starting work on a monologue from this play so expediency trumps lofty aims.

Richard III: I just got cast as Lady Anne so I've read this play twice recently and will be reading it lots more in the New Year. I'm drawn to the number of roles there are for older women in this play. I think it will be fun to work with a group of accomplished actresses. I also love the two murderers and the constant wordplay. Richard seems to be having the most delightful time being rotten person. I hope our performance conveys the deliciousness of his actions. Lots about fate and prophecy in this, a feeling for the truth of the curse"may you receive everything your wish for".

Two Gentlemen of Verona: This is the summer show for SF Shakes. I think I want to audition for it but I need to read it first. Just finished and it's fine, lots and lots of plot similarities to other plays, some "All's Well", a touch of "Romeo & Juliet", a little hint of Arden forrest. My favorite character was Launce, a servant who has lots of clever dialogue and a priceless monologue about the trials and tribulations of being a dog owner.

Macbeth: Had an audition for an incredible production of this yesterday. Just re-read it. There's a reason this is a classic. Love all of the opposites ("fair is foul and foul is fair"). I was surprised by the relationship between the Mackers, there's a lot of love there. My impression going in was that Lady Mac was pure evil and Mac was weak, but they're so much more and I can totally see how things got out of hand. Reading this was like a treasure hunt because there are so many famous lines and I have seen so many pieces of this show in class. I'd read this again in a minute.

The Winter's Tale: I just re-read an edited version of this play for an audition I am attending. Still some lovely monologues and charming scenes. I have a hard time with some of the character's choices, they seem illogical to me but I think that means they are well written because they are behaving in that messy way things happen in real life. with such a large time span between the beginning of the play and the end, it is a challenge to know what character to try for. Will the characters be cast as they are at the start and aged for the second half or the other way around? i would really, really love the chance to work with this play in greater depth.

Shakespeare ROCKS!!

Now to figure out if he really is that bumbling illiterate of Avon, or Christopher Marlow, THAT is the question!

I can't imagine how much this incredible volume must cost poor college kids nowadays at their textbook stores. This was the compilation we used back at Marquette in the 1980s; I still have my hardcover edition---bigger than the city phone book---always at the ready. An amazing work of scholarship, annotation, etc. No, I have not read all the plays and poems, far from it. But there is not category for "partially read" is there? The pages are so delicate and thin, and still the thing is huge. The paper used, though, is so beautiful and white.

I used this text while at UCLA-- the book, the professor, and the atmosphere were so well combined that I fell in love with Shakespeare in no time. Not only did I get lost in his words (in a positive way), but I also learned that as much as I love my happy endings, I will love any ending that Shakespeare ever gives me.

This is an excellent compilation of Shakespeare's famous plays and works. Volume 1 contains introductory remarks, illustrations and maps as well as Shakespeare’s comedies and histories. Volume II contains his tragedies, romances and poems. I highly recommend purchasing additional aids (I use Asimov’s Guide to Shakespeare) as a companion to help understand the milieu and language of his plays and works.

Love this comprehensive compilation and own it. This volume was required for my college Shakespeare class many years ago. My brother borrowed it and, due to the fact that we grew up attending many EXCELLENT Niagara University theatre productions of Shakespeare, fell in love with Shakespeare - and he held on to my Riverside! He still has it and I didn't have the heart to make him give it back. So I had to search the internet 25 years later to get my own copy of this great compilation! Almost didn't get one, as it is now out of print. I do not understand how a compilation this good, this comprehensive, from a major publisher, was let out of print.

My Riverside Shakespeare is one of my most prized possessions. All battered and marked up* and with all kinds of ephemera jammed down into it. I don't really read from it anymore - it's much easier for me to buy a $3 used edition with just one play in it; Riverside is very large. But when I re-read Shakespeare I usually revisit the Riverside intros, which are excellent.

* I should note, it's marked up with the dumbest shit. I don't understand any of the notes I took in college.

Anyway, a while back Jason challenged me to rate Shakespeare from best to worst; because I want that list to live somewhere, here it is.

Hamlet
Lear
Tempest
Cardenio
Henry IV 1 and 2 and Henry V, as a trilogy
Macbeth
Othello
As You Like It
Winter's Tale
Philip Marlowe, just in general
Merchant of Venice
Midsummer Night's Dream
Richard II & III
Julius Caesar
Antony & Cleopatra
Most of the comedies / the shittier of the tragedies
Titus
Henry VI
King John
Anything co-written with anyone
Henry VIII

My ninth grade English teacher, Mrs. Robinson, was the first to tell me that Willy must be read aloud. Over the years, I've slowly read plays and sonnets to myself and others. Thanks Mrs. R!! Thanks, Willy!