This major new complete edition of Shakespeare's works combines accessibility with the latest scholarship. Each play and collection of poems is preceded by a substantial introduction that looks at textual and literary-historical issues. The texts themselves have been scrupulously edited and are accompanied by same-page notes and glossaries. Particular attention has been paid to the design of the book to ensure that this first new edition of the twenty-first century is both attractive and approachable.

A dramatic retelling of the Wars of the Roses, as the Lancastrian and Yorkist factions struggle for control of England's throne in the late medieval period. This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work is in the "public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.

In The Third Part of King Henry VI, Shakespeare brings the story of Henry's reign and eventual fall to Richard, Duke of Gloucester, to its unhappy close.

Henry VI, Part 2 presents a kind of story that was popular before Shakespeare began writing, tracing the fall of powerful individuals to their untimely deaths. The first to go is the Duke of Gloucester, Lord Protector of England and the most powerful man in the kingdom, who is murdered after his wife goes into exile. Next to meet a bad end is the Duke of Suffolk, the queen's lover, who rules England through her. After Suffolk conspires with the cardinal of Winchester to kill Gloucester, he is banished and assassinated. The cardinal dies raving of his own guilt. Ultimately, the king's weakness lies behind these events. Preferring spiritual contemplation, he has left others to contend for power. Now his liberty is at risk as Jack Cade, and then the Duke of York, rise against him. The play leaves us in suspense about Henry's fate by ending with the start of the Wars of the Roses--a conflict setting the white rose of the Duke of York against the red rose of King Henry, of the House of Lancaster.

This valuable introduction to Henry IV Part Two as a performance text draws on traditional methods of performance analysis as well as theatre semiotics, historical analysis, feminism and cultural materialism. Barbara Hodgdon demonstrates how each intersects with sociocultural circumstances, producing a dialogue between a transhistorical 'Merrie England' and the historically local circumstances of present-day theatrical and political cultures. The key stagings discussed include those of Michael Redgrave, Terry Hands, Trevor Nunn and Michael Bogdanov. Ranging beyond the bounds of the conventional theatre, Barbara Hodgdon also looks at Orson Welles' film adaptation, Chimes at Midnight, and at David Giles' production for the BBC/Time-Life Shakespeare series.

Henry IV, Part Two as a sequel to or continuation of Henry IV, Part One is disappointing. The resolution of the uprising is anticlimactic, and the Falstaff scenes are not comparable to those of Part One. The bawdy is substantially increased with, unfortunately, a lessening of the actual comedy. Falstaff lovers probably are not disappointed, but those of us with higher expectations may experience a letdown. Perhaps this points us toward The Merry Wives of Windsor, itself less than totally satisfying.