- Wonderful collection of Shakespeare's tragedies

I'm fairly sure every English major has this on their bookshelf :P It's great for reference and also great for reading. Not very transportable I admit, but it's good for at home use. :)

I owned this for years, having read through it as part of a college course in my 20's. A solid anthology.

Greenblatt does a freaking amazing job of putting this together. The intros provide a fantastic historical perspective going into reading each play, especially for the histories. You'll know the families of the play and why they're beefing on each other before you go in. You'll know the real conversation Prince Hal and Bolingbroke had that formed the basis of Bolingbroke's death scene in 2 Henry IV. You'll know what Queen Elizabeth thought of Richard II ("I am Richard, know you not that?"), and you'll read Macbeth anew in the context of the failed Guy Fox terrorist attack. As an actor when you deliver the line "Two households both alike in dignity," you'll be grounded in real perspective. This is the perfect companion for the University student who wants to know his or her Shakespeare better, and for the actor who wants to know what the audience already knew when they first saw these plays performed.

In terms of studying the texts, Norton is the way to go. Arden is better for performing the text though, because of its concise footnotes, proper ellisions, and adherence to the folios. If you're serious about Shakespeare, get both. Norton and Arden are the way(s) to go.

read it. i think you'll like it.

FINALLY DONE

Can't say I've read everything in this book, but I've read a fair deal. Shakespeare is the master. He is also someone you, especially in this day and age, definately need to learn to read, but as someone with a degree in English lit I can say I've definately been taught to do so (sometimes the hard way, ha) and that I definately have a deep appreciation for his work.

This is THE definitive edition; introductory essays and notes are provided by the world's pre-eminent Shakespeare scholars, as well as the standardized complete text versions. Mutiple versions of some of the more disputed texts, such as King Lear, are also provided. This is definitely a must for anyone interested in Shakespeare. The only bad thing about the Norton Shakespeare is that it's not terribly portable; I own this as well as paperbacks of most of the individual plays.

This is, quite unequivocally, the ultimate collected works of William Shakespeare. I feel nothing more needs be said, other than 'Every bookshelf deserves this collection.'

This is your one stop shop for everything Shakespeare...awesome historical background information to add context to Shakespeare the man, his times, and the plays themselves. I had to buy this text to use for a few college Shakespeare classes, and I am now an English teacher myself. I break this out monthly and reread plays, read my annotations, and enjoy the myself thoroughly. If you suffered through Shakespeare in high school and some years have passed since then, you might want to pick up a play and see if it clicks for you this time through. In my opinion, Shakespeare is the best and most influential writer who ever lived.

This books been sitting on my floor for five years. I considered selling it numerous times. It was way too big. 3500 pages seemed impossible. This is hands down one of the most rewarding and amazing books I've ever read. Life changing, in fact. Easily in my top five most significant reads. It has ignited a massive spark to learn more about his work, to watch his plays, and observe the intricacies and absolute mastery of craft.

It's also a bit sad. I will never read a single text as long and difficult as this ever again in my life. This is the Mount Everest of literature. All other books now seem short by comparison.

Read it. Enjoy it. Get the BBC Shakespeare Collection and watch the works come to life.

Interesting, concise without losing depth of study, a perfect study guide for drama and literature enthusiasts.