Tragedies, Volume 2: Introduction by Tony Tanner

By William Shakespeare

Book Overview

We read Shakespeare line by line for his supernatural mastery of all the poetic resources of the English language, and play by play for his utterly human, utterly intimate feeling for our condition as individuals and as social beings. Through these works, which deal with the transcendence and the corruption of love, the exigencies of power, the domination of fate, and the algebra of human need, an entire civilization has come to understand its character and its destiny. (Book Jacket Status: Not Jacketed)

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0679423060
• ISBN13: 9780679423065
• Release Date: October 1993
• Publisher: Everyman's Library
• Length: 904 Pages
• Weight: 1.57 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.5" x 5.3" x 8.3"

Customer Reviews

Nice to have these all in one volume.

I appreciated reading all the tragedies together like this. There were some that I had read many times before, but others that I had barely read. The Tragedies are what Shakespeare is most noted for, and with good reason. Each of these plays is a masterpiece in its own right, and each of them provides such a wide variety of quotes that we all have heard over and over. That is the most enduring thing about Shakespeare - his mastery of the English language was so great that his words are still remembered today (almost four centuries since his death). Shakespeare has written thirteen tragedies, and I will do individual reviews of three of my particular favourites. The ones that I will further review are "The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark", "The Tragedy of Macbeth" and "The Tragedy of King Lear". As much as I enjoy each of these the other ten should not be ignored either. Shakespeare could not keep some comedy out of his famous tragedies, and sometimes it is these comedic scenes that we remember the most. Who can forget the drunken porter in "Macbeth"? It is very difficult for me to pick a favourite out of these thirteen masterpieces, but I think if asked I'd have to admit to Macbeth. But read them all, they are well worth the time.

Great bindings, good commentaries

We all know about Shakespeare, so a review of his writing is not required. However, I would like to say that the Everyman's Library series are worth getting. Unlike omnibus editions (such as the Riverside Shakespeare), these are actually portable so you don't need a table to hold them up while you are reading. The Everyman's Library series have good hardbindings, are conveniently sized to carry around, and have illuminating and extensive introductions. The typeface used is old, but the letters are large and easily readable (something that is a concern with some other editions).Tragedies, Volume 2 contains: Titus Andronicus; Troilus and Cressida; Julius Ceaser; Anthony and Cleopatra; Timon of Athens; Coriolanus

Great bindings, good intro critique

We all know about Shakespeare, so a review of his writing is not required. However, I would like to say that the Everyman's Library series are worth getting. Unlike omnibus editions (such as the Riverside Shakespeare), these are actually portable so you don't need a table to hold them up while you are reading. The Everyman's Library series have good hardbindings, are conveniently sized to carry around, and have illuminating and extensive introductions. The typeface used is old, but the letters are large and easily readable (something that is a concern with some other editions).Tragedies, Volume 1 contains: Hamlet; Othello; King Lear; Machbeth