Barbara A. Mowat

Believed to have been written between 1596 and 1598, William Shakespeare's "The Merchant of Venice" is considered by some critics as one of his "problem plays." The controversy over the work stems from its portrayal of the character Shylock, a rich Jewish moneylender. The stereotypical depiction of Jews as avaricious usurers was common to the drama of the Elizabethan period. The story centers on the love of Bassanio, a young Venetian nobleman, who...

It is entirely probable that the date of "The Tempest" is 1611, and that this was the last play completed by Shakespeare before he retired from active connection with the theater to spend the remainder of his life in leisure in his native town of Stratford-on-Avon. The main thread of the plot of the drama seems to have been some folk-tale of a magician and his daughter, which, in the precise form in which Shakespeare knew it, has not been recovered....

Shakespeare's dark comedy about human sexuality, in which a woman is forced to choose between her brother's life and her chastity. This volume includes the full text of the play, plus an introduction to the play, a scene-by-scene analysis, commentary on past and current productions, photographs of key RSC productions, and an overview of Shakespeare's theatrical career and chronology of his plays.

A pastoral comedy, William Shakespeare's "As You Like It," is the story of a Duke, who is unjustly deposed by his younger brother Frederick, and flees to the Forest of Arden. The Duke's daughter, Rosalind, remains behind at the court. When it is discovered that Orlando, the youngest son of the deceased Sir Rowland de Boys, has fallen in love with her, Orlando is forced to flee. Rosalind follows after him, with her cousin Celia, to the Forest of Arden...

Murder and madness, witches and war: My Ebook Publishing House presents a recording of Macbeth, perhaps Shakespeare's best known tragedy. Macbeth, a general in King Duncan's army, is given a prophecy by a trio of witches: he himself will become king. Fired by ambition and goaded by his ruthless wife, he murders Duncan and assumes the throne. More killings follow as Macbeth attempts to retain his crown, until he discovers that prophecies are not always...

William Shakespeare's "Twelfth Night," is a classic comedy of mistaken identities, a device employed in a number of the bard's plays, which is believed to have been written sometime between 1601 and 1602. When Viola is shipwrecked on the coast of Illyria she is separated from her twin brother Sebastian, who she mistakenly believes to be dead. With the help of the ship captain who rescues her, she enters into the service of Duke Orsino, who has fallen...

In The Tragedy of King Lear, the elderly King of England is ready to divide the kingdom among his three daughters. As a test, he asks them to proclaim their love for him. Goneril and Regan profess great love. Cordelia, the King's favorite daughter, refuses to put her love into words. Lear banishes Cordelia and divides the kingdom between Goneril and Regan. Goneril and Regan decide that their father is a nuisance and plot to get rid of him. His daughters'...

Powerful rebels are mustering their forces to topple the aging King Henry IV from his throne. Their success seems assured because the dying king cannot depend upon his son and heir Prince Hal. Instead, King Henry relies on the aid of the latest war hero Sir John Falstaff...and the kingdom is soon in for a big surprise.