Bücher von William Shakespeare

The New Oxford Shakespeare edition of As You Like It provides a friendly yet authoritative introduction to Shakespeare's beloved comedy.

King Henry V has suddenly died, and the kingdom is in chaos. In England, noblemen are fighting amongst themselves. Loyalties are divided into two factions: the White Roses (York) and the Red Roses (Lancaster). The Duke of Gloucester, Henry VI¿s Protector, is accused by Cardinal Beaufort of seizing the throne for himself.Meanwhile in France, the Dauphin Charles has been crowned the new king. English-held land once conquered by Henry V is quickly being recaptured by French forces. In one of these battles, the English hero Talbot is imprisoned. A French woman named Joan la Pucelle¿also known as Joan of Arc¿has been having visions that reveal to her how to defeat the English Army.The only thing that unifies the two countries is their pessimism towards the new English monarch. It is now Henry VI¿s turn to rule over England, or die trying.This Standard Ebooks edition is based on William George Clark and William Aldis Wright¿s 1887 Victoria edition, which is taken from the Globe edition.

King Henry IV¿s plan to lead a crusade to Jerusalem is put on hold after he hears about skirmishes along England¿s Welsh and Scottish borders. The Welsh rebel Glendower has fought off the English forces and has managed to capture Edmund Mortimer, Earl of March. Meanwhile, Harry Percy¿s fight is successfully keeping the Scottish rebels, led by Douglas, at bay. Meanwhile Harry Perry, better known as Hotspur, has taken numerous political prisoners, including Douglas¿s son Mordake.The king is also concerned about his son Hal. During this time of political unrest, Hal has been spending most of his time drinking with criminals and highwaymen in taverns on the poor side of London¿behavior unbefitting a future king. His closest friend and partner in crime is Sir John Falstaff, a fat old drunk and a charismatic thief. When the king calls for his wild son to return to court, Falstaff and his street-smart group of friends are ready to support their prince on the battlefront.This Standard Ebooks edition is based on William George Clark and William Aldis Wright¿s 1887 Victoria edition, which is taken from the Globe edition.

Written by William Shakespeare around 1599, The Life of Henry the Fifth, more commonly known as Henry V, chronicles the later history of King Henry the Fifth of England and his efforts during Hundred Years¿ War to reclaim disputed territories in France. The play starts with Henry¿s claims to be the rightful heir to the French throne and, after his invasion of France, culminates with his famous and improbable victory at the Battle of Agincourt and the negotiation of the Treaty of Troyes.Henry V is believed to have been first performed in 1599 and first appears in a ¿bad¿ quarto in 1600, so-called because it contains a shortened version, likely unauthorized and potentially just based on a performance. This quarto was republished again in 1602 by a different printer and again in 1619. The first definitive text is the version published in the 1623 First Folio.The play is the last part of a series of four history plays written by Shakespeare, including Richard II, Henry IV, Part 1, and Henry IV, Part 2 and many of characters like Henry (who appears as a wild young Hal in the Henry IVs), Pistol, Bardolph, and Mistress Quickly would have therefore been familiar to the audience. It contains some of Shakespeare¿s most memorable lines and is often held up as a powerful portrayal of inspirational leadership.This Standard Ebooks edition is based on William George Clark and William Aldis Wright¿s 1887 Victoria edition, which is taken from the Globe edition.

As the dust settles on the battlefield at Shrewsbury, news spreads that the rebel forces fighting against King Henry IV have suffered a terrible defeat. Their leader, Harry ¿Hotspur¿ Percy, was killed by Prince Hal. The rebel troops quickly abandon the fight after seeing their leader die. Two powerful cohorts, the Earl of Worcester and Douglas, are taken as prisoners by the King¿s men. The Earl of Northumberland vows to avenge his son¿s death and plans to seek support from the Archbishop of York.Meanwhile, the Archbishop has convened his group of allies¿Thomas Mowbray, Lord Hastings, and Lord Bardolph¿to plan the next battle against King Henry. If they want a chance of winning, they fight on three separate fronts: one to fight King Henry¿s forces, one to fight the Welsh rebels led by Owen Glendower, and one to maintain the fight in France. They decide to follow this plan regardless of whether or not Northumberland lends them his army.As the Prince¿s merry team of misfits return to London, Falstaff continues to create mischief wherever he goes. After hearing that his father has fallen sick, Hal starts to regret the days when he used to drink and steal with Falstaff. If he is to be the next king, he must leave behind his past along with his partners in crime.This Standard Ebooks edition is based on William George Clark and William Aldis Wright¿s 1887 Victoria edition, which is taken from the Globe edition.

A storm has caused a terrible shipwreck off the Illyrian coast. Two siblings, Viola and her brother Sebastian, become separated, each believing the other has drowned. Viola washes ashore and meets a friendly sea captain who offers to help her find work for Duke Orsinöbut first she must disguise herself as a man named Cesario.There is news that Duke Orsino is planning to propose to Countess Olivia. As Viola, disguised as Cesario, meets them both, a love triangle quickly forms. Shakespeare¿s ability to weave love, confusion, mistaken identities, and joyful discovery shines through in this timeless romantic comedy.This Standard Ebooks edition is based on William George Clark and William Aldis Wright¿s 1887 Victoria edition, which is taken from the Globe edition.

Troilus and Cressida is one of Shakespeare¿s ¿problem plays,¿ characterized by its duality of tone as it jumps from bawdy comedic to dark tragedy. The plot was sourced from two epic poems: Homer¿s Iliad is the source of the play¿s Greek mythological references, the Trojan War, and the war¿s key figures, while Chaucer¿s Troilus and Criseyde is the source of Troilus¿s love affair with a Trojan woman.At the beginning of Troilus and Cressida, seven years have passed since the start of the Trojan war. Achilles refuses to fight due to his hurt pride, but one day, the Trojan hero Hector challenges the Greeks to one-on-one combat.On the other side of the city walls, the Trojan Prince Troilus is madly in love with Cressida, and his heartache makes it difficult for him to fight. Pandarus, Troilus¿s close friend and Cressidäs uncle, tries to bring the couple together, but Cressidäs father has plans to use her as a bargaining chip in the siege.This Standard Ebooks edition is based on William George Clark and William Aldis Wright¿s 1887 Victoria edition, which is taken from the Globe edition.

Titus Andronicus, a famous Roman general, has just returned to Rome after a war against the Goths. He brings with him five prisoners: Tamora, the Queen of the Goths, her three sons, and her lover Aaron the Moor. After losing two of his sons to the Goths, Titus kills Tamoräs eldest son as retribution, triggering a blood feud between the two families.Saturninus is elected as the new Emperor of Rome with the support of Titus Andronicus. He declares he will marry Titus¿s daughter Lavinia. Titus agrees, but she has already been promised to Bassianus, Saturninus¿s brother. A violent argument breaks out, resulting in Titus killing one of his sons and Tamora becoming the new empress.This Standard Ebooks edition is based on William George Clark and William Aldis Wright¿s 1887 Victoria edition, which is taken from the Globe edition.

Lord Timon is known by the whole city of Athens as a very generous man. He offers to bail his friend Ventidius out of jail, hires local artists for their talents, and invites his admirers to a feast and offers them gifts. Timon¿s closest friend Apemantus tries to warn him that these people are parasites, taking advantage of him. Flavius, Timon¿s servant, also tries to warn his master that his finances are in dire straits due to the lavish spending, and that he owes a lot of money. Both worries are dismissed¿until creditors that were once considered Timon¿s ¿friends¿ demand his debts be paid.Many scholars consider Timon of Athens an unfinished work: plot developments that go nowhere, random character appearances, and other inconsistencies make it feel incomplete, and it was never performed in Shakespeare¿s lifetime. If it had been, the production might have been considered too controversial because of its allusion to King James I and his lavish spending and debts.This Standard Ebooks edition is based on William George Clark and William Aldis Wright¿s 1887 Victoria edition, which is taken from the Globe edition.

We rely on your support to help us keep producing beautiful, free, and unrestricted editions of literature for the digital age.Will you support our efforts with a donation?Two close friends, Proteus and Valentine, are saying their goodbyes in the streets of Verona. Valentine plans to travel to Milan and discover the world, but Proteus wants to stay with Julia, a woman he loves. While in Milan, Valentine falls in love with the duke¿s daughter, Sylvia, and plans to elope with her. Antonio, Proteus¿ father, later orders his son to join Valentine in Milan. Before leaving, Proteus exchanges rings and vows of undying love with Julia. When Proteus enters the aristocratic courts of Milan, he instantly falls in love with Sylia and forgets all about Julia. The love triangle between Sylvia, Proteus, and Valentine will test the loyalty of friendship.This Standard Ebooks edition is based on William George Clark and William Aldis Wright¿s 1887 Victoria edition, which is taken from the Globe edition.

The Two Noble Kinsmen is Shakespeare¿s final play written before his death in 1616. He collaborated on it with John Fletcher; later, Fletcher took over as playwright for the King¿s Men. The plot derives from ¿The Knight¿s Tale¿ in Chaucer¿s Canterbury Tales.Thebes and Athens are at war. The tyrant Creon of Thebes commands Arcite and Palamon to fight for him. After a battle against Theseus, they end up captured and imprisoned. From their cell window, they see a beautiful woman named Emilia. Arcite and Palamon¿s friendship turns into rivalry when they challenge each other to a fight to the death¿with the victor claiming Emilia.This Standard Ebooks edition is based on the 1894 Royal Shakespeare edition.

Shakespeare wrote Much Ado About Nothing towards the middle of his career, sometime between 1598 and 1599. It was first published in quarto in 1600 and later collected into Mr. William Shakespeare¿s Comedies, Histories, and Tragedies in 1623. The earliest recorded performance of Much Ado About Nothing was performed for the newly-married Princess Elizabeth and Frederick the Fifth, Elector Palatine in 1613.Shakespeare¿s sources of inspiration for this play can be found in Italian culture and popular texts published in the sixteenth century. Gossip involving lovers deceived into believing each other false was often spread throughout Northern Italy. Works like Ludovico Ariostös Orlando Furioso and Edmund Spencer¿s Fearie Queene also feature tricked lovers like Claudio and Hero. Besides these similarities, the idea of tricking a couple like Benedick and Beatrice into falling in love was an original and unusual idea at the time.The play focuses on two couples: upon the noblemen¿s return to Messina, Claudio and Hero quickly fall in love and wish to marry in a week; on the contrary, Benedick and Beatrice resume their verbal war, exchanging insults with each other. To pass the time prior to the marriage a plot to trick Benedick and Beatrice into falling in love has been set in motion. Unbeknownst to both our couples, a fouler plot to crush the love and happiness between Hero and Claudio has also begun to unfold.This Standard Ebooks edition is based on William George Clark and William Aldis Wright¿s 1887 Victoria edition, which is taken from the Globe edition.

Though mostly known for his plays, Shakespeare also published poetry during his writing career. From 1592 to 1593, an outbreak of the bubonic plague swept through England, killing almost 20,000 people. In January 1593 city officials ordered the theaters in London to shut their doors, and work for the famous playwright and actor came to a halt. Shakespeare turned to writing poetry to make ends meet during the closures. While the plague hindered his work in theaters, it provided source material for some of his most famous plays.He first published ¿Venus and Adonis¿ in 1593, followed by ¿The Rape of Lucrece¿ in 1594. While both narrative poems contain sexual themes, their views on love versus lust are in stark contrast. After the theaters reopened, Shakespeare continued to write poetry and went on to publish ¿The Passionate Pilgrim¿ and ¿The Phoenix and the Turtle.¿ The last of his poems were published in his 1609 quarto, containing 154 sonnets and ¿A Lover¿s Complaint.¿ The sonnets cover an array of themes: different types of romantic love, real beauty versus clichéd beauty, and the responsibilities of being beautiful.This Standard Ebooks edition includes all of his poems and is based on William George Clark and William Aldis Wright¿s 1887 Victoria edition, which is taken from the Globe edition.

After the bloody battle at Tewksbury and the second dethroning of Henry VI, England and its citizens are finally able to enjoy peace under the reign of Edward IV. The remaining Lancastrian leaders are either killed or scattered to the four winds. Within the kingdom, not everyone is happy with their new king¿and when Edward falls ill, his power-hungry brother Richard, the Duke of Gloucester, sees his chance and prepares to kill anyone who stands between him and the throne.Richard puts into play numerous schemes to eradicate the line of succession and control the court. The first victim is King Edward¿s other brother, Clarence. Rumors lead to Clarence¿s imprisonment in the Tower of London, and Richard sends two murderers to stab him to death. This causes Edward¿s health to worsen, and the title of Protector falls to the remaining brother. Next on Richard¿s hit list is Lord Hastings, the loudest voice to object to Richard¿s accession, and who is promptly arrested and executed for treason. As Richard orchestrates murder after murder, the deaths start coming back to haunt him.This Standard Ebooks edition is based on William George Clark and William Aldis Wright¿s 1887 Victoria edition, which is taken from the Globe edition.

We rely on your support to help us keep producing beautiful, free, and unrestricted editions of literature for the digital age.Will you support our efforts with a donation?Not only was Hamlet one of William Shakespeare¿s most popular works during his lifetime, it is also considered among the most powerful and influential works of world literature. ¿To be, or not to be,¿ a line from one of Hamlet¿s soliloquies, is one of the most widely known quotes in modern English and has been referenced in countless works of literature, theater, film, and music.During a dark winter night Horatio and a pair of watchmen encounter a ghost that resembles the late King of Denmark, the father of Prince Hamlet. After failing to converse with the ghost, Hamlet is brought to the site of the encounter. The ghost tells the story of his death. He was murdered by King Claudius, the dead king¿s brother and Hamlet¿s new stepfather. Hamlet swears to avenge him and kill Claudius.This Standard Ebooks edition is based on William George Clark and William Aldis Wright¿s 1887 Victoria edition, which is taken from the Globe edition.

First published in 1602 by William Shakespeare, The Merry Wives of Windsor features the popular figure Sir John Falstaff, who first appeared in Henry IV, Part 1 and Part 2. Some speculate that Merry Wives was written at the behest of Queen Elizabeth I, who wanted to see Falstaff in love; and that Shakespeare was forced to rush its creation as a result, and so it remains one of Shakespeare¿s lesser-regarded plays.The play revolves around two intertwined plots: the adventures of the rogue Falstaff who plans to seduce several local wives, and the story of young Anne Page who is being wooed by prominent citizens while she has her sights set on young Fenton. The wives come together to teach Falstaff a lesson, and in the end love triumphs.The Merry Wives of Windsor is believed to have been first performed in 1597 and was subsequently published in quarto in 1602, in a second quarto in 1619, and then in the 1623 First Folio. Despite holding a lesser place in Shakespeare¿s canon, it was one of the first Shakespearean plays to be performed in 1660, after the reinstatement of Charles II and theatre once again was permitted to be performed in London.This Standard Ebooks edition is based on Sir Arthur Quiller-Couch and John Dover Wilson¿s 1923 Cambridge edition.

The Comedy of Errors is one of Shakespeare¿s earliest and shortest plays. This comedy utilizes slapstick humor, word play, and mistaken identities to create a series of farcical accidents. Over time, the play¿s title has become an idiom used to describe ¿an event or series of events made ridiculous by the number of errors that were made throughout.¿In Ephesus, the law forbids entry to any merchants from Syracuse, and if they are discovered within the city, they must pay a thousand marks or be put to death. Aegeon, an old Syracusian merchant, is arrested and Solinus, the Duke of Ephesus, listens to his story of coming to the city. Long ago, Aegeon was on a sea voyage. Traveling with him was his wife, his twin sons, and their twin slaves. The family becomes separated during a tempest; Aegeon, one son, and one slave were rescued together, and the others were never to be seen again. Years later his son Antipholus and his slave Dromio left to search for their long lost siblings; after the boys didn¿t return, Aegeon set out to bring his son back home. Moved by this story, the duke allows Aegeon one day to get the money to pay his fine and to find his family.This Standard Ebooks edition is based on William George Clark and William Aldis Wright¿s 1887 Victoria edition, which is taken from the Globe edition.

The first battle of St. Alban¿s is over and the White Rose faction is victorious. They have captured Henry VI and, after having threatened him with violence, secured the king¿s promise of passing the crown to Edward Plantagenet after his death. Not willing to accept her son¿s disinheritance, Queen Margaret decides to take matters into her own hands and declares war on the Yorkists.Margaret¿s forces invade Wakefield Castle, home to the Duke of York and his sons, and successfully capture York. The queen and Clifford taunt York and eventually stab him to death. York¿s sons Edward and Richard receive news of their father¿s death, vow to get their revenge, and plan to place Edward on the English throne.This Standard Ebooks edition is based on William George Clark and William Aldis Wright¿s 1887 Victoria edition, which is taken from the Globe edition.

Henry VIII is one of the few of Shakespeare¿s plays thought to have been written with a collaborator. It was initially published in the First Folio under Shakespeare¿s name only, but in 1850 James Spedding, an English author and expert on the works of Francis Bacon, suggested that the play was a collaboration with John Fletcher, a playwright who later replaced Shakespeare in the King¿s Men acting company. Modern scholars mostly tend to agree, though the theory is still controversial as it¿s based on textual analysis and not any historical mention of a collaboration. The play is also famous for having burned down the Globe Theatre in 1613 during one of its early performances, when a cannon shot special effect lit the theater¿s thatched roof on fire.In the play, King Henry¿s closest advisor, Cardinal Wolsey, is hated by the citizens of England. Wolsey has imposed unfair taxes and unpopularly executed the Duke of Buckingham for treason. While at a party, the King falls madly in love with Anne Bullen and plans to divorce his current wife, Katherine of Aragon. Wolsey is asked to help his King in this endeavor, all the while becoming even more hated by the English and their Queen.This Standard Ebooks edition is based on William George Clark and William Aldis Wright¿s 1887 Victoria edition, which is taken from the Globe edition.

King Lear is a tragedy by Shakespeare, written about 1605 or 1606. Shakespeare based it on the legendary King Leir of the Britons, whose story is outlined in Geoffrey of Monmouth¿s pseudohistorical History of the Kings of Britain (written in about 1136).The play tells the tale of the aged King Lear who is passing on the control of his kingdom to his three daughters. He asks each of them to express their love for him, and the first two, Goneril and Regan do so effusively, saying they love him above all things. But his youngest daughter, Cordelia, is compelled to be truthful and says that she must reserve some love for her future husband. Lear, enraged, cuts her off without any inheritance.The secondary plot deals with the machinations of Edmund, the bastard son of the Earl of Gloucester, who manages to convince his father that his legitimate son Edgar is plotting against him.After Lear steps down from power, he finds that his elder daughters have no real respect or love for him, and treat him and his followers as a nuisance. They allow the raging Lear to wander out into a storm, hoping to be rid of him, and conspire with Edmund to overthrow the Earl of Gloucester.The play is a moving study of the perils of old age and the true meaning of filial love. It ends tragically with the deaths of both Cordelia and Lear¿so tragically, in fact, that performances during the Restoration period sometimes substituted a happy ending. In modern times, though, King Lear is performed as written and generally regarded as one of Shakespeare¿s best plays.This Standard Ebooks edition is based on William George Clark and William Aldis Wright¿s 1887 Victoria edition, which is taken from the Globe edition.

An ambassador sent by King Philip of France delivers an ominous threat: King John must relinquish his throne to its rightful heir, his nephew Arthur of Bretagne, or France will declare a ¿fierce and bloody war.¿ John refuses. After receiving this news, Philip orders his forces to prepare an attack on the English-controlled French town of Angiers, and the citizens must then swear allegiance to Arthur or die.King John also must deal with a dispute over land ownership between the Faulconbridge brothers. Their father knew that the older son was not his, and before his death, he bequeathed all of his lands to the younger son. John rules that the bastard son rightfully owns the lands regardless of who is his true father. John¿s mother, Elinor, sees that the bastard son resembles Richard the Lionheart and proposes that he renounce his claim to the Faulconbridge land in exchange for a knighthood. He agrees and becomes Sir Richard Plantagenet.This Standard Ebooks edition is based on William George Clark and William Aldis Wright¿s 1887 Victoria edition, which is taken from the Globe edition.

After defeating enemies in battle, Roman citizens celebrate in the streets as Julius Caesar and his entourage make their way through the city. As Caesar passes a soothsayer, he receives an ominous warning: ¿Beware the ides of March,¿ which he immediately disregards. Meanwhile, some of his closest followers are convinced their leader has become too powerful and plot his removal. Plutarch¿s Lives of the Noble Grecians and Romans was Shakespeare¿s primary source for Julius Caesar.This Standard Ebooks edition is based on William George Clark and William Aldis Wright¿s 1887 Victoria edition, which is taken from the Globe edition.

The authorship of Edward III has been up for debate ever since it was first published in 1596. Its publisher, Cuthbert Burby, published it without listing an author, and any records that might have shed light on the author¿s name (or names) were destroyed in the Great Fire of London in 1666. In the 1760s, the acclaimed scholar Edward Capell was one of the first to claim that William Shakespeare might have been the author.Many other academicians support this claim, or at least suggest Shakespeare partially wrote it, as certain archaic or obscure words and phrases found in the canonical Shakespearean plays also appear in this one. Others argue that Shakespeare would never write something so historically inaccurate; suggestions of possible alternative playwrights include Thomas Kyd, Christopher Marlowe, Michael Drayton, Thomas Nashe, and George Peele. While the legitimate authorship may never come to light, Edward III has become accepted as part of Shakespeare¿s canon of plays.After the King of France passes away, a new heir must take the throne; without any brothers or sons in the direct line, the crown falls to his nephew, King Edward of England. French nobles refuse to hand over France to the English, claiming that the right of succession should never have passed through his mother Isabel, and order Edward to acknowledge King John as the rightful successor. These disputed claims to the kingdom of France launch the Hundred Years¿ War.This Standard Ebooks edition is based on G. C. Moore Smith¿s 1897 edition.

" On dit qu'à la première représentation des Euménides, tragédie d'Eschyle, la terreur qu'inspira le spectacle causa des fausses couches à plusieurs femmes; je ne sais quel effet eût produit sur un auditoire grec la tragédie de Titus Andronicus; mais, à la seule lecture, on serait tenté de la croire composée pour un peuple de cannibales, ou pour être représentée au milieu des saturnales d'une révolution. Cependant la tradition nous apprend que cette pièce, aujourd'hui repoussée de la scène, a excité à plusieurs reprises les applaudissements du parterre anglais. On ajoute même qu'en 1686, Ravenscroft la remit au théâtre avec des changements; mais qu'au lieu d'en diminuer l'horreur, il saisit toutes les occasions de l'augmenter: quand, par exemple, Tamora massacre son enfant, le More dit: «Elle m'a surpassé dans l'art d'assassiner; elle a tué son propre enfant, donnez-le-moi... que je le dévore.» Titus Andronicus, tel que nous l'imprimons aujourd'hui, n'a déjà que trop de traits de cette force, et plusieurs fois, nous l'avouerons, un frémissement involontaire nous en a fait interrompre la révision. Hâtons-nous de dire que presque tous les commentateurs ont mis en doute que cette pièce fût de Shakspeare, et quelques-uns en ont donné des raisons assez concluantes. Le style a une tout autre couleur que celle de ses autres tragédies; il y a dans les vers une prétention à l'élégance, des abréviations vulgaires, et un vice de construction grammaticale, qui ne ressemblent en rien à la manière de Shakspeare. Qu'on lise, dit Malone, quelques lignes d'Appius et Virginia, de Tancrède et Sigismonde, de la bataille d'Alcazar, de Jéronimo, de Sélim, de Locrine, etc., et en général de toutes les pièces mises sur la scène avant Shakspeare, on reconnaîtra que Titus Andronicus porte le même cachet..."