Acclaimed as a modern dramatic masterpiece, Rosencrantz & Guildenstern are Dead is the fabulously inventive tale of Hamlet as told from the worm’s-eve view of the bewildered Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, two minor characters in Shakespeare’s play. In Tom Stoppard’s best-known work, this Shakespearean Laurel and Hardy finally get a chance to take the lead role, but do so in a world where echoes of Waiting for Godot resound, where reality and illusion intermix, and where fate leads our two heroes to a tragic but inevitable end. Tom Stoppard was catapulted into the front ranks of modem playwrights overnight when Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead opened in London in 1967. Its subsequent run in New York brought it the same enthusiastic acclaim, and the play has since been performed numerous times in the major theatrical centers of the world. It has won top honors for play and playwright in a poll of London Theater critics, and in its printed form it was chosen one of the “Notable Books of 1967” by the American Library Association.

Accompanied by his aunt's Norwegian elkhound, Ibsen, twelve-year-old Samuel ventures into a weird forest filled with strange and dangerous creatures to rescue his younger sister, Martha, who has been mute since their parents' recent death.

(Book). Shakespeare was a man of the theatre to his core, so it is no surprise that he repeatedly contemplated the nuts and bolts of his craft in his plays and poems. Shakespeare scholar Nick de Somogyi here draws together all the cherishable set pieces including "All the world's a stage," Hamlet's encounters with the Players, and Bottom's amateur theatricals along with many other oblique but no less revealing glances, and further insights into theatre practice by Shakespeare's contemporaries and rivals. De Somogyi's commentary takes us through the entire process of Shakespeare's theatrical production, from its casting and auditions, via rehearsals, costumes, and props, to its premiere and audience reception. Shakespeare on Theatre eavesdrops on the urgently whispered noises-off in the "tiring-house" and inhales the heady aroma of the Globe's first audiences.

In this classic 1935 book, John Dover Wilson critiques Shakespeare's Hamlet.

More than four centuries have passed since Shakespeare wrote his glorious plays, and it is little wonder that the meaning of many of the references in them escapes modern audiences. That's a shame, because they are packed with cryptic allusions to the fascinating people, dramatic events, juicy gossip, lurid scandals, gripping court battles, treacherous conspiracies and outrageous acts of insolence he encountered during his lifetime. To know these background stories is to understand and enjoy his works so much more. In Secret Will, Paul Chapman peels back the curtain to reveal the real Shakespeare and the world that lies hidden behind those quill-scratched pages. He does so by examining key passages from the plays and then asking searching questions about how they relate to the tempestuous times in which he lived. Why, for instance, does A Midsummer Night's Dream contain clear references to the illicit love affair between Elizabeth I and Robert Dudley? How might one of the biggest earthquakes in the history of the British Isles have inspired intriguing lines in Romeo and Juliet? Has Shakespeare immortalised as Ophelia a young woman named Katherine Hamlett, who drowned when he was young? How is a speech in Hamlet connected to the brazen abduction of an Elizabethan schoolboy?Does Shakespeare pour out the raw grief he feels over the death of his young son in heartbreaking lines in King John? Should his most famous stage direction - 'Exit, pursued by a bear' - actually read 'Exit, pursued by a polar bear'? Is he teasing us with a veiled clue to the identity of the mysterious 'Dark Lady' of his desires in Twelfth Night? What do his plays tell us about London's sleazy sex industry, with its legions of prostitutes known as Winchester Geese? Why was the famous Globe theatre threatened by a courtroom drama alleging it was built using stolen timbers, and what led to it burning down? Did a rancorous legal battle between three feuding sisters over their senile father's estate inspire the towering tragedy that is King Lear? And what in the world was the dancing horse?These, and many more such questions, are answered in Secret Will. As well as being a fascinating work of biography, Secret Will has the flavour of a detective saga with all its hints and clues. Links to quotes from Shakespeare's works make the book a gripping page turner for both the aficionado and casual reader alike. 'All the world's a stage, ' Shakespeare once wrote. Secret Will reveals the astonishing story of how he really did put his world on the stage. Readers of this book may never watch a play by the Bard in same way again.

"To be or not to be" confounded by Shakespeare-that is the question. Hamlet is an action-packed thriller with apparitions, murder, revenge, deception, poisons, and diabolical traps. With timeless themes, it explores friendship, relationships, honor, fate, madness, and more. Now you can savor Hamlet in a modern, easy-to-understand translation that makes reading it quick and painless. Other aids make following the action and grasping the meaning a snap: A brief synopsis of the plot and action A comprehensive character list that describes the characteristics, motivations, and actions of each major player A visual character map that shows the relationships of major characters A cycle-of-death graphic that pinpoints the sequence of deaths and includes who dies, how they die, and why Reflective questions that help you understand the themes of the play With Shakespeare on the Double! Hamlet, you'll be enlightened instead of confounded.