The necessary Shakespeare / edited by David Bevington.

Shakespeare's world : a visual portfolio -- General introduction. Life in Shakespeare's England ; The drama before Shakespeare ; London theaters and dramatic companies ; Shakespeare's life and work ; Shakespeare's language ; Editions and editors of Shakespeare ; Shakespeare criticism -- The comedies. The taming of the shrew ; A midsummer night's dream ; The merchant of Venice ; Much ado about nothing ; As you like it ; Twelfth night; or, what you will ; Measure for measure -- The histories. The tragedy of King Richard the Third ; The tragedy of King Richard the Second ; The first part of King Henry the Fourth ; The life of King Henry the Fifth -- The tragedies. Romeo and Juliet ; Julius Caesar ; Hamlet, prince of Denmark ; Othello, the moor of Venice ; King Lear ; Macbeth ; Antony and Cleopatra -- The romances. The winter's tale ; The tempest -- The poems. Sonnets -- Appendix 1: Canon, dates, and early texts -- Appendix 2: Sources -- Appendix 3: Shakespeare in performance -- Appendix 4: Films and videos as a guide to the study of Shakespeare -- The royal genealogy of England -- Glossary of Shakespearean words.

"The third edition addresses the two key issues confronted by students approaching Shakespeare today: a lack of knowledge about the historical period and difficulty with the language of Shakespeare's plays. A richly illustrated general introduction offers insight into Shakespeare's England and background on the literary, social, and cultural contexts in which Shakespeare wrote and produced plays. Each play is introduced by a descriptive essay designed to help students appreciate the historical contexts and interpretive issues raised by the play, without dictating students' interpretations. Completely revised and updated notes and glosses support student readers line by line, paraphrasing Elizabethan expressions in clear and accessible contemporary language."--Pub. desc.