William Shakespeare (1564-1616) was an English dramatist, poet, and actor, generally regarded as the greatest playwright of all time.

This beautiful collection is based on the iconic 1623 First Folio: the original Complete Works lovingly assembled by Shakespeares fellow actors, and the version preferred by many actors and directors today. Along an excellent introduction and short essays, this collection includes a range of features such as on-page notes explaining unfamiliar terms, plot summaries and additional context.

Preface to Shakespeare: A Second Edition, JonathanBateThe First Folio after 400 yearsThe 'Second Folio' of the RSC ShakespeareGeneral Introduction, Jonathan BateShakespeare our Perennial ContemporaryShakespeare's Debut: The 'Upstart Crow'The Back Story: Shakespeare of StratfordThe PlayhousesPlague and PoetryThe Lord Chamberlain's ManThe Ensemble at WorkDangerous Matter: Politics and ReligionThe King's ManCult and HeresyThe Great Feast of LanguagesThe First Folio RestoredUser's GuidePreliminary pages of the First FolioForeword, Greg Doran, Artistic Director Emeritus, Royal ShakespeareCompanyPLATESWILLIAM SHAKESPEARE: COMPLETE WORKS withIntroductions and Key Facts, Jonathan BateCOMEDIESThe TempestThe Two Gentlemen of VeronaThe Merry Wives of WindsorMeasure for MeasureThe Comedy of ErrorsMuch Ado about NothingLove's Labour's LostA Midsummer Night's DreamThe Merchant of VeniceAs You Like ItThe Taming of the ShrewAll's Well that Ends WellTwelfth Night, or What You WillThe Winter's TaleHISTORIESThe Life and Death of King JohnThe Life and Death of King Richard the SecondThe First Part of Henry the Fourth, with the Life and Deathof Henry surnamed HotspurThe Second Part of Henry the Fourth, containing his Deathand the Coronation of King Henry the FifthThe Life of Henry the FifthThe First Part of Henry the SixthThe Second Part of Henry the Sixth, with the Death of theGood Duke HumphreyThe Third Part of Henry the Sixth, with the Death of theDuke of YorkThe Tragedy of Richard the Third, with the Landing of EarlRichmond and the Battle at Bosworth FieldThe Famous History of the Life of King Henry the EighthTRAGEDIESThe Tragedy of Troilus and CressidaThe Tragedy of CoriolanusThe Lamentable Tragedy of Titus AndronicusThe Tragedy of Romeo and JulietThe Life of Timon of AthensThe Tragedy of Julius CaesarThe Tragedy of MacbethThe Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of DenmarkThe Tragedy of King LearThe Tragedy of Othello, the Moor of VeniceThe Tragedy of Antony and CleopatraThe Tragedy of CymbelinePLAYS NOT IN THE FIRST FOLIOPericles, Prince of Tyre, William Shakespeare and GeorgeWilkinsThe Two Noble Kinsmen, William Shakespeare and JohnFletcherPOEMS AND SONNETSVenus and AdonisThe Rape of LucreceThe Passionate Pilgrim'To the Queen''Let the Bird of Loudest Lay' (also known as 'The Phoenixand Turtle')Shakespeare's Sonnets'A Lover's Complaint'A Scene for Sir Thomas More(introduction, transcription and modernized text by EricRasmussen)CHARTSShakespeare's Works: A Conjectural ChronologyThe Houses of Lancaster and York: A GenealogyKings and Queens of England: From the History Plays toShakespeare's LifetimeThe History behind the Histories: A ChronologyThe History behind the Tragedies: A Chronology

A stunning new edition of the bestselling Complete Works of Shakespeare from the Royal Shakespeare Company. Combining exemplary textual scholarship with beautiful design, this modern edition is based on the iconic 1623 First Folio: the version preferred by many actors and directors today. Featuring new colour photographs of a vibrant range of RSC productions, a foreword from RSC Artistic Director Gregory Doran, updated introductions and new references to staging choices in over 100 RSC productions, this highly collectable edition presents Shakespeare's plays as they were originally intended: as living theatre to be enjoyed and performed on stage.