William Shakespeare

After Henry V's death and while Henry VI is young, nobles rule England and fight the French, including Joan of Arc. As Henry VI becomes King, the noble houses begin to divide and take sides between York and Lancaster. The war with France winds down, and the nobles try to find Henry a wife and disagree about who Henry chooses.

Against the wishes of the nobles, King Henry marries the penniless Margaret who plots against him with her lover. As tensions between York and Lancaster build, the Duke of York gathers supporters for his claim to the throne. York secretly leads a rebellion, his supporters proclaim him king, and Henry is forced to flee.

William Shakespeare's shortest-but one of his most popular, tragedies features a man, who will do anything to fulfill a prophecy that will lead him to become the King of Scotland. Fresh from battle, Macbeth and his companion Banquo come across three witches who tell of great power that is in store for Macbeth. Driven by their prophecy and aided by his wife, Macbeth sets out on a journey that is, wrought with deceit, murder, and suffering to acquire...

The Henry VI trilogy concludes with the Yorks winning the battle of St. Albans, and thus forcing Henry from the throne. Margaret, however, captures and taunts York before having him killed. She is captured herself and forced to watch her son killed by the Yorkists. Richard, Duke of Gloucester, reveals, at the end, his plan to murder Henry VI.

Among the most studied, most read, and most admired works in world literature, the tragedies of Shakespeare constitute a body of work unrivaled in dramatic brilliance, beauty of language, and profundity of thought. This convenient and affordable volume-ideal for students and all lovers of literature-features four of the playwright's greatest works: Hamlet, the revenge drama centering on the introspective Prince of Denmark-one of literature's most...

Plays and sonnets of William Shakespeare in two volumes.