One of the most magical and uplifting of Shakespeare's plays, A Midsummer Night's Dream is a celebration of love and all its joys. Escaping the Athenian court to marry, Hermia and Lysander take refuge in a nearby wood. There, too, are Helena and Demetrius and Oberon and Titania, the king and queen of the fairies. Oberon orchestrates a series of mischievous and magical tricks by which love is transformed, misplaced, deceived, revealed and, finally, restored.
"Hath not a Jew eyes? Hath not a Jew hands, organs, dimensions, senses, affections, passions?" Shylock's impassioned plea in the middle of The Merchant of Venice is one of its most dramatic moments. After the Holocaust, the play has become a battleground for those who argue that the play represents Shakespeare's ultimate statement against ignorance and anti-Semitism in favour of a liberal vision of tolerance and multiculturalism. Other critics have pointed out that the play is, after all, a comedy that ultimately pokes fun at a 16th-century Jew. In fact, the bare outline of the plot suggests that the play is far more complex than either of these characterisations. Bassanio, a feckless young Venetian, asks his wealthy friend, the merchant Antonio, for money to finance a trip to woo the beautiful Portia in Belmont. Reluctant to refuse his friend (to whom he professes intense love), Antonio borrows the money from the Jewish moneylender. If he reneges on the deal, Shylock jokingly demands a pound of his flesh. When all Antonio's ships are lost at sea, Shylock calls in his debt, and the love and laughter of the first scenes of the play threaten to give way to death and tragedy. The final climactic courtroom scene, complete with a cross-dressed Portia, a knife-wielding Shylock, and the debate on "the quality of mercy" is one of the great dramatic moments in Shakespeare. The controversial subject matter of the play ensures that it continues to repel, divide but also fascinate its many audiences.
One of the later plays, King Lear is such a powerful depicition of suffering and redemption it is now thought by many to be Shakespeare''s greatest creation. When King Lear abdicates his throne and divides his kingdom between his three daughters, he offends both the law of family and law of kingship. Spiritually blind and on the brink of madness he begins to recognize the faults that lie within his soul and as the drama reaches its cathartic conclusion, to make amends for them. The New Penguin Shakespeare offers a complete edition of the plays and poems. Each volume has been newly prepared from the original texts and includes an introduction, a list of further reading, a full and helpful commentary, and a short account of the textual problems of the play.
Julio César es una obra trágica escrita por William Shakespeare, probablemente en 1599. Recrea la conspiración en contra del dictador romano, su homicidio y sus secuelas, así como su lugar de desarrollo: la antigua Roma. Constituye uno de los varios trabajos shakespearianos basados en hechos historicos.A diferencia de muchos personajes principales en otras obras del genero, Cesar no es el centro de la accion, apareciendo tan solo en tres escenas, y muriendo al comienzo del tercer acto. La figura mas relevante de la historia es Bruto, y la trama gira en torno a la lucha psicologica entre las demandas en conflicto sobre el honor, el patriotismo y la amistad.
Con Mucho ruido y pocas nueces, Shakespeare hace una divertida incursión en la festiva sociedad de Messina, donde la ceremoniosidad exarcebada y el amaneramiento cortesano darán paso a la expresión abierta y sincera del amor. El caracter metateatral de esta comunidad queda en evidencia cuando asistimos a la preparacion escenografica, por parte de los personajes, de cada uno de los eventos que tendran lugar a continuacion. Los multiples equivocos producidos ante la erronea interpretacion de lo visto y lo oido solo se solventaran cuando nuestros protagonistas se despojen de sus mascaras linguisticas, aunque la estructura circular de la obra deja abierta la posibilidad de que se vuelva a tropezar con las perpetuas convenciones sociales.
Hamlet, príncipe de Dinamarca (cuyo título original en ingles es The Tragical History of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark), es una de las tragedias más famosas del dramaturgo ingles William Shakespeare. La historia se desarrolla en Dinamarca y sigue los eventos posteriores al asesinato del rey Hamlet (padre del principe Hamlet) a manos de su hermano Claudio. El espectro del rey le pide a su hijo que se vengue de su asesino. La trama gira en torno a la locura y como el profundo dolor se transforma en desmesurada ira. Tambien explora temas como la traicion, la venganza, el incesto y la corrupcion moral.
Truman
