Publisher's Synopsis
Comprising the complete works of William Shakespeare, based on the Oxford edition, this book has been edited and annotated to provide a single-column text. Each play has an introduction aimed at encouraging a fresh approach to the work.;In the general introduction, the editor draws a picture of everyday life in Elizabethan England: the culture, the people, commerce, politics and religion. He describes Shakespeare's family life and his professional career as a working man of the theatre. He also discusses the printing and publishing of the plays, and recent developments in textual scholarship. Lastly, he considers questions affecting Shakespeare criticism.;An essay by Andrew Gurr (University of Reading), on the staging of Shakespeare's plays explains, for example, how the plays were performed at the "Globe" theatre.;An accompanying CD-ROM, "The Norton Shakespeare Workshop" is also available. This is the "International Student" edition.