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Summary
Author Notes
William Shakespeare, 1564 - 1616 Although there are many myths and mysteries surrounding William Shakespeare, a great deal is actually known about his life. He was born in Stratford-Upon-Avon, son of John Shakespeare, a prosperous merchant and local politician and Mary Arden, who had the wealth to send their oldest son to Stratford Grammar School.
At 18, Shakespeare married Anne Hathaway, the 27-year-old daughter of a local farmer, and they had their first daughter six months later. He probably developed an interest in theatre by watching plays performed by traveling players in Stratford while still in his youth. Some time before 1592, he left his family to take up residence in London, where he began acting and writing plays and poetry.
By 1594 Shakespeare had become a member and part owner of an acting company called The Lord Chamberlain's Men, where he soon became the company's principal playwright. His plays enjoyed great popularity and high critical acclaim in the newly built Globe Theatre. It was through his popularity that the troupe gained the attention of the new king, James I, who appointed them the King's Players in 1603. Before retiring to Stratford in 1613, after the Globe burned down, he wrote more than three dozen plays (that we are sure of) and more than 150 sonnets. He was celebrated by Ben Jonson, one of the leading playwrights of the day, as a writer who would be "not for an age, but for all time," a prediction that has proved to be true.
Today, Shakespeare towers over all other English writers and has few rivals in any language. His genius and creativity continue to astound scholars, and his plays continue to delight audiences. Many have served as the basis for operas, ballets, musical compositions, and films. While Jonson and other writers labored over their plays, Shakespeare seems to have had the ability to turn out work of exceptionally high caliber at an amazing speed. At the height of his career, he wrote an average of two plays a year as well as dozens of poems, songs, and possibly even verses for tombstones and heraldic shields, all while he continued to act in the plays performed by the Lord Chamberlain's Men. This staggering output is even more impressive when one considers its variety. Except for the English history plays, he never wrote the same kind of play twice. He seems to have had a good deal of fun in trying his hand at every kind of play.
Shakespeare wrote 154 sonnets, all published on 1609, most of which were dedicated to his patron Henry Wriothsley, The Earl of Southhampton. He also wrote 13 comedies, 13 histories, 6 tragedies, and 4 tragecomedies. He died at Stratford-upon-Avon April 23, 1616, and was buried two days later on the grounds of Holy Trinity Church in Stratford. His cause of death was unknown, but it is surmised that he knew he was dying.
(Bowker Author Biography)
Reviews (6)
Publisher's Weekly Review
Zwerger crafts a lovely and contemplative staging of Romeo and Juliet. Brief excerpts from the play introduce sections of original and readily accessible prose: "Friar Laurence was rather surprised to find that Romeo had changed his mind so soon, and was in love with someone else. Could this end well?" Zwerger's uncluttered illustrations, rendered in muted jewel tones and delineated with sharp edges, give the effect of peering into private moments not meant to be shared or seen. Spot illustrations of dying roses foreshadow the coming tragedy, yet Zwerger ponders a different ending in a closing note ("Might the story have taken a different turn?"), picturing Romeo and Juliet riding away together on horseback. Ages 5-7. (Oct.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Horn Book Review
Each Shakespearean play is retold as a short story with a condensed plot and thin characterizations, and ShakespeareÆs language is completely missing. Still, those seeking accessible summaries of the plays may find the books in this series a good place to start, and the black-and-white and color illustrations--delicate for [cf2]Romeo and Juliet[cf1] and cartoonish for [cf2]Twelfth Night[cf1]--are nicely suited to each volume. [Review covers these Shakespeare Collection titles: [cf2]Much Ado about Nothing, Twelth Night, Antony and Cleopatra[cf1], and [cf2]Romeo and Juliet[cf1].] From HORN BOOK Fall 2002, (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Booklist Review
Gr. 4-7. Delicate, romantic ink-and-watercolor illustrations in the style of some famous Renaissance artists accompany Kindermann's retelling of Shakespeare's eternally popular play about the passionate young lovers doomed by their families' feud. Close-ups of the main characters are set against sepia-tone crowd scenes showing the lovers meeting at the ball and the rivals fighting on the streets. The moonlit balcony scene is a cool gray blue, as is the illustration of Romeo finding Juliet's body. Although the book was translated twice, first from Elizabethan English into German, then into contemporary English, the simple prose is eloquent, and many of the play's famous lines are interwoven in the telling and printed in italics. True to the original drama, this version is a fine introduction for children. Older readers preparing for a theater visit might want it, too. --Hazel Rochman Copyright 2006 Booklist
Choice Review
Targeting novice readers of Shakespeare, "The Sourcebooks Shakespeare" series presents the Bard's plays as a ground for lively debate and discussion. Each release includes a general introduction; the text of the play itself; a series of essays on the play, written by scholars who eschew technical vocabulary; and an audio CD of various performers reading selected scenes and speeches from the play. In the case of the Othello volume the recordings include rare gems performed by Paul Robeson and F. Scott Fitzgerald; the Romeo and Juliet CD features performances by Joseph Fiennes, Claire Bloom, Albert Finney, Judi Dench, and Fiona Shaw. The text of both plays is presented in an appealing font size with lots of blank space surrounding the dialogue. Notes occupy a facing page, and they are helpful without being overwhelming. Scenes or speeches performed on the CD are marked with a text box that indicates how to locate the track. Neither volume clarifies how the editors arrived at "the text," which will be a drawback to teachers who want to engage students with questions of textual bibliography. Photos of past productions aim to help students visualize the scenes. With all this helpful commentary, however, student readers have little need to project the text imaginatively. For example, in narrating the Othello CD, Sir Derek Jacobi prefaces most tracks with a summary of the scene to follow and frames each with an interpretation. The quality of these two volumes differs somewhat. In happy contrast to the edition of Othello, the essays in the Romeo and Juliet volume do not lose sight of the fact that the play text requires active, critical reading. Facsimile pages from promptbooks of famous productions, e.g., J.P. Kemble's 1814 mounting of the play, point the reader to directors' revisions of the play as they produce it. Those with limited background in reading early modern plays will appreciate this very "friendly" Shakespeare series. ^BSumming Up: Recommended. Lower-division undergraduates; secondary students; general readers. M. A. Bushman Illinois Wesleyan University
School Library Journal Review
Gr 4-6-Shakespeare's immortal lovers are brought to life for tweens in this illustrated adaptation of the classic drama. Zwerger's text follows the original plot faithfully, and Bell's translation flows smoothly. Brief quotations from the original are interspersed throughout. The language is handled with delicacy, and the word choice is suited to the intended audience (this version downplays the tale's violence and lust without doing a disservice to the story). Watercolor illustrations in Zwerger's distinctive style are the real star of the book, though they do not grace every page. In one case (the death of Mercutio), an illustration falls on the page turn before the events depicted are described. A brief epilogue offers an alternate ending for those who are disappointed by the lovers' tragic demise. VERDICT Purchase where there is a demand for adaptations of Shakespeare's works.-Misti Tidman, Licking County Library, Newark, OH © Copyright 2016. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Library Journal Review
Another cool book-and-disc combo, these editions of the bard's beloveds offer the full illustrated text with an audio CD sporting numerous key scenes. A great idea. (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Excerpts
Excerpts
Performed by Michael Sheen • Kate Beckinsale and full cast Romeo Michael Sheen Juliet Kate Beckinsale Chorus Philip Madoc Prince Norman Rodway Capulet David Bradley Lady Capulet Frances Barber Montague Edward de Souza Lady Montague Judy Loe Nurse Fiona Shaw Friar Lawrence Heathcote WilliamsMercutio Anton Lesser Tybalt Jasper Britton Paris Ronan Vibert Benvolio Simon Harris Peter Yapp • John Paul Connolly • Jason Cheater John Summerfield • Hywell Simons THE COMPLETE TEXT ? FULLY DRAMATIZEDThis recording of Romeo and Juliet uses the New Cambridge Shakespeare text with kind permission from Cambridge University Press. © Cambridge University Press 1985. Excerpted from Romeo and Juliet by William Shakepeare All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.
