Richard III

By William Shakespeare, Jonathan Bate and Eric Rasmussen

An exciting new edition of the complete works of Shakespeare with these features:  Illustrated with photographs from New York Shakespeare Festival productions, vivid readable readable introductions for each play by noted scholar David Bevington, a lively personal foreword by Joseph Papp, an insightful essay on the play in performance, modern spelling and pronunciation, up-to-date annotated bibliographies, and convenient listing of key passages.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Random House Publishing Group
• Release date: Jun 6, 2012
• ISBN: 9781588368300

William Shakespeare

William Shakespeare is widely regarded as the greatest playwright the world has seen. He produced an astonishing amount of work; 37 plays, 154 sonnets, and 5 poems. He died on 23rd April 1616, aged 52, and was buried in the Holy Trinity Church, Stratford.

Reviews for Richard III

[judithrs · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Romeo and Juliet. William Shakespeare. Folger Shakespeare Library. 1992. As I said above, this was a book club selection. Cannot remember when I last read this play, but I loved reading it this time. How can I forget how much I love Shakespeare?!! After I read the play, I found a BBC Radio production with Kenneth Branagh playing Romeo and Judie Dench playing Nurse! I really enjoyed reading along as I listened and got more out of the play the second reading. I sort of wanted to listen to it again, but instead decided to watch Zeffierlli’s movie and am so glad I did. A great way to enjoy Shakespeare!

[jonfaith · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

O teach me how I should forget to think

I was prepared to be underwhelmed by a jaded near fifty return to this plethora of love-anchored verse. It was quite the opposite, as I found myself steeled with philosophy "adversity's sweet milk" and my appreciation proved ever enhanced by the Bard's appraisal of the human condition. How adroit to have situated such between two warring tribes, under a merciful deity, an all-too-human church and the wayward agency of hormonal teens. Many complain of this being a classic Greek drama adapted to a contemporary milieu. There is also a disproportionate focus on the frantic pacing in the five acts. I can appreciate both concerns but I think such is beyond the point. The chorus frames matters in terms of destiny, a rumination on Aristotelian tragedy yet the drama unfolds with caprice being the coin of the realm. Well, as much agency as smitten couples can manage. Pacing is a recent phenomenon, 50 episodes for McNulty to walk away from the force, a few less for Little Nell to die.

Shakespeare offers insights on loyalty and human frailty as well as the Edenic cursing of naming in some relative ontology. Would Heidegger smell as sweet? My mind's eye blurs the poise of Juliet with that of Ophelia; though no misdeeds await the Capulet, unless being disinherited by Plath's Daddy is the road's toll to a watery sleep. The black shoe and the attendant violent delights.

[sdtaylor555 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

I'm not a big Shakespeare fan, so I won't rate any of his works very high

[gpangel_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Romeo and Juliet- Manga Classics – by William Shakespeare, by Stacy King, Crystal S. Chan (Adaptation), Julien Choy (Art), Akanovas (Lettering), Jeannie Lee (Lettering)There is no need to go into the synopsis or plot of one of William Shakespeare’s most famous plays. We all know the basics of this story by now. Many have read the play in school or have seen a stage or movie adaptation at one point. So, I think it is safe to skip the analysis. For me, Manga is something I flat out ignored for years because I presumed without ever giving it a fair chance that it would not be something I’d enjoy. Then I discovered it was often geared towards teens or young adults, which was yet another strike against it. But, by sheer accident, I discovered Manga covered a lot of areas, and was much more complex than I’d given it credit for. Having gotten to an age where I’ve dipped my toes in many different genres, and sub-genres, I find that the ‘I’ve outgrown this’ or ‘aged out of’ attitude closes off many unexplored avenues and because I like to think I’m open minded, I’ve begun to reconsider areas I’ve previously closed off. As a result, I’m having a lot of fun learning about Manga, Graphic Novels, and Comics. Much to my surprise, I’ve found a nice selection of classic stories, in Manga/Graphic Novel format. After recently reading a memoir by Olivia Hussey, the actress who portrayed Juliet in the famous Zeffirelli 1968 film, this play was on my mind quite a lot. So, when I noticed this Manga version on Netgalley, it grabbed my attention immediately. For anyone who may be thinking the dialogue is 'updated' with more modern dialect, you’d be wrong. This is the same script you’d find in the original play- except there are no stage directions. Instead, those are replaced by images, which works out much better than I’d have imagined. The artwork is spectacular, as is the adaptation. Obviously, a great deal of thought went into how to present this classic in Manga form, and I’d say it came off beautifully. Granted, I’m still a novice at this, but I was pleased with the presentation. I did have a few technical issues, since this one is not in Kindle/ MOBI format. I had to use Adobe Edition, which is a pain, and the scrolling was terrible, especially since, of course it’s back to front. Several times my screen jumped to the end of the book and caused a great deal of frustration.Shakespeare is still difficult to read and adjusting to this format made it an even bigger challenge. It took me a good long while to get through it. (If anyone has a suggestion on how to make this less daunting- please feel free to offer me some suggestions.) However, despite the heaviness of the drama, and the extra effort it required to read the book, I was impressed, and enjoyed reading this classic with the well-drawn illustrations and art work which certainly enriched and enhanced my experience.Despite the disdain of melodrama- I liked all the angst between Romeo and Juliet- but not that sad ending! It still makes a great cautionary tale- even after all these years. 4 stars

[libstaff2 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

4.25 StarsA fanciful retelling of Romeo and Juliet in Manga format. Emotive artwork and much of the dialogue is in true Shakespeare form. A nice addition to the Manga Classics series. Keep up the good work! For classics and adaptation fans.Net Galley Feedback

[michael_rose-1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Like most, I imagine, I was forced to read this in high school (freshman year, specifically). I was no fan of Shakespeare at the time, though I've since come around somewhat. While I've not read it since, I've no real desire to. They're just a couple of horny teenagers thinking they're experiencing true love and all that. For that reason, this work does not entertain me as one might want. However, I do appreciate what it's lent to our culture, and specifically to derivative works. Without this book, we would not have West Side Story, which I do happen to be fond of.

[heycaye · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I would've given a star for the crazy plot. But then again, that's what makes this unforgettable. The story's crazy. Also, Shakespeare's as smooth as usual, especially in the language of love. I can see why this has become a classic.

[df5b_roberts · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Ah, my favorite classic.

[katieloucks · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

great classic

[meditationesmartini · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

As long as you remind yourself that this is teen melodrama and not tragedy the essential vapidity of the central relationship and the frustratingly buried deeper and more complex relationships--actually all Romeo's, with Mercutio but also Benvolio, Tybalt, the priest--don't get in the way of good tawdry enjoyment. Now I think about it, Romeo's like a cryptohomoerotic sixteenth-century Archie.

[dukefan86 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Beautiful language, classic Shakespeare.

[katie1802 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I absolutely love this! Romeo can be an idiot sometimes, their families are jerks and the Friar seriously screwed up but you have to love it all.

Favourite Quote ;

Oh she doth teach the torches to burn bright, it seems she hangs upon the cheek of night
As a rich jewel in an Ethiop's ear, beauty too rich for use, for earth too dear.

[dinadansfriend · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

While designing a board game based in Verona, Italy in the 1400's, I ended up reading the play 14 times. It stands up very well. If you're looking for a brilliant treatment in a film, the Francesco Zefferelli version is near perfect. Try to get a version that doesn't edit the Tibault/Mercutio sword-fight, a magnificent dramatic sequence. But for reading aloud in an evening, this is a great experience as well. Should I tell you that the male brain isn't fully matured until the age of 26? It is germane to the plot.

[tiffanyak_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is a great romantic tragedy, which I had to read for my Intro. to Drama class. This is one of those works of Shakespeare that has been done in a multitude of forms and variations, so it is quite likely that everyone has a rough idea of the story. Still, you really cannot replace the original. There is a lot of unbelievable story to it, which can overdo it to the point of being distracting, but overall the language and story are so supremely memorable that it automatically qualifies as a must-read. As to the edition itself, I found it to be greatly helpful in understanding the action in the play. It has a layout which places each page of the play opposite a page of notes, definitions, explanations, and other things needed to understand that page more thoroughly. While I didn't always need it, I was certainly glad to have it whenever I ran into a turn of language that was unfamiliar, and I definitely appreciated the scene-by-scene summaries. Really, if you want to or need to read Shakespeare, an edition such as this is really the way to go, especially until you get more accustomed to it.

[newskepticx · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

This is a tragedy in the sense that Shakespeare did so much better with his other plays. This one is weak. The amount of coincidence is down right ridiculous, Shakespeare plays way too much into the "love" for a tale that is supposed to be cautionary(or so I think it might've been senseless fighting between two families led to tragic deaths, never really capitalizes on it til the end). It's also the standard for classic love story although it is nothing of the sort. I despised it.

[richestgirls-3 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I give this book 5 stars because it uses creative and expresses a true form of writing that makes you want to read more until you've read the whole book!!

[lhlogan1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

It's a classic, but not really a favorite of mine.

[agdbk · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

I love Shakespeare. I simply detest this play.

[qquiet_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

"Romeo, Romeo, where for art thou, Romeo?"

*rolls eyes*

I've seen way too many skits/parodies for this, and I perfected the plot even before I read the unabridged manuscript. The 1968 movie version (which we were all forced to watch for English Class *cringe*) did feature two very good-looking leads, but basically, I didn't have any respect for two shockingly young idiots who killed themselves for [puppy] love.

Until...

We were forced to make a play for this. I wasn't a happy camper, especially since I was pushed into making our script. Why should we make a play for this, when we already know what's going to happen? Talk about milking it. I don’t think there’s a person who has never heard of Romeo and Juliet. Granted, we were given freedom to change the ending, but aside from that, there is no element of surprise.

What I didn't count on was that the element of surprise, was my new-found respect for Will Shakespeare.

I have to hand it to Shakespeare: he’s a brilliant writer, not only because of the things he writes of, but because of the way he writes them. The words flow wonderfully. It was then that I understood why we had to learn Shakespeare in school: reading his works is a celebration of words.

Taken out of context, Romeo falling in love with Juliet just after he was dumped by Rosaline, induces one to roll one’s eyes. But damn, did you read what Romeo says about Juliet?
“Did my heart love till now? forswear it, sight! For I ne'er saw true beauty till this night.”

A lot of people dissent: This is a romantic story; No, it is not. Whatever it may be, I do believe that Romeo and Juliet’s passion is touching, and in the first few acts, enviable. There are way too many lines between them that I love!

I also believe that it is a cautionary tale. That it was intended to be a tragedy, for R & J to act stupidly because we act stupidly in love, too. And so enter Friar Lawrence to deliver us a most important speech:
These violent delights have violent ends
And in their triumph die, like fire and powder,
Which, as they kiss, consume. The sweetest honey
Is loathsome in his own deliciousness
And in the taste confounds the appetite.
Therefore love moderately. Long love doth so.
Too swift arrives as tardy as too slow.

Thank God for sparknotes, seriously, for this interpretation: These sudden joys have sudden endings. They burn up in victory like fire and gunpowder. When they meet, as in a kiss, they explode. Too much honey is delicious, but it makes you sick to your stomach. Therefore, love each other in moderation. That is the key to long-lasting love. Too fast is as bad as too slow.


Romeo and Juliet made me look at Shakespeare in a whole new light. It made me realize that Shakespeare really is a writing genius. I have a long way into fully appreciating him, since R & J is the only play I’ve read. I do think there will come a time when I will finally muster up the motivation to read through another Shakespeare again.

[barb_h_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I listened to an audiobook version by the BBC. It was very well done and a pleasure to listen to. It was also very short, only about 3 hours long. I enjoyed the story and am glad that I have finally experienced it. Would like to see the play performed live some day.

[__lindsey__ · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I guess my love for this play was cemented back in the day before I could grow old enough to balk at the love in it based on nothing but physical appearance, when I was Juliet's age actually. I just listened to the dramatized audiobook tonight, and it still pulls at my heartstrings. One thing hasn't changed; I still love tragedy and the over-dramatic. No surprise that I went on to become a doom metal lover. This is the kind of stuff that musical genre is made out of...well it's actually a wide genre, so it's at least true of a lot of the bands I listen to, like My Dying Bride :) Actually, listening to the song, "For My Fallen Angel" (lyrics below) while reading the last part of this play would be awesome. I need to pair up music and reading more often.

As I draw up my breath,
And silver fills my eyes.
I kiss her still,
For she will never rise.

On my weak body,
Lays her dying hand.
Through those meadows of Heaven,
Where we ran.

Like a thief in the night,
The wind blows so light.
It wars with my tears,
That won't dry for many years.

"Loves golden arrow
At her should have fled,
And not Death's ebon dart
To strike her dead."

[eric_cheuk-1 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

overly compressed, beautifully-written play in which two teenagers fall in love, marry, fuck, and die, all in the span of three days. concessions should be made to late 16th century literary convention, but still...

[ajaygx · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Classic... what else is there to say?

[currerbell-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Romeo and Juliet is fairly far down on my list of Shakespeare's plays (compared, say, with The Tempest, Macbeth, and Twelfth Night at the top), so my five***** rating of this book (ISBN 978-0786447480) is not for the play itself but for the editorial work. I snagged Demitra Papadinis's "Frankly Annotated First Folio Edition" as an Early Reviewer, and after browsing it I've definitely wish-listed her similar edition of As You Like It (ISBN 978-0786449651, which I didn't win as an Early Reviewer) as well as her pre-order edition of Macbeth (ISBN 978-0786464791).I was particularly curious to see how Papadinis's "Frankly Annotated" editions would stack up versus the Norton Critical Editions (generically, that is, because there is no NCE of Romeo and Juliet to the best of my knowledge). There is simply no comparison between the two, and I say this in praise of both Papadinis and NCE. The strength of NCE is in its supplementary materials, which are completely lacking to Papadinis, while the strength of Papadinis is in her highly detailed line-by-line annotation. Papadinis and NCE, in other words, complement rather than compete with each other.Papadinis's annotation is highly detailed and presented in facing-page format, with the play's text on the left-hand page and the corresponding annotation on the right. What this means is that some left-hand text pages may contain only four or five lines while a corresponding right-hand annotation page will be completely filled, so that Papadinis's "Frankly Annotated" editions are not for a newcomer or casual reader, who will most likely find the design cumbersome and the trade paperback edition's price higher than a beginner would like. (Leaving out introduction and bibliography, both quite short, Papadinis's text/annotations for Romeo and Juliet run from pages 28 through 447 inclusive.)Another Early Reviewer has expressed some objection that these annotations represent a "tendentious study of the vulgar in Shakespeare's play." In reality, though, Romeo and Juliet (like Twelfth Night) in fact is one of Shakespeare's most bawdy plays, so I have to object to such a criticism. On the other hand, I also have to admit that I have not studied Papadinis's annotations that comprehensively, considering the time limit in posting an Early Review. In fact, this is not the kind of book that you are likely to read cover-to-cover, but rather one that you'll browse through, maybe just a scene (or even a few lines) at a time to savor the wealth of annotation that Papadinis provides. For that matter, I'm not such a Shakespeare specialist that I'd necessarily pick up on small annotational glitches anyway, so here's hoping some other ER can comment with more specificity on this subject.Papadinis's "Frankly Annotated" editions are available in both trade paperback and Kindle, but this does not seem like the kind of text that could be properly formatted for eBook reading, given the need for facing-page capability. I did download a Kindle sample, but it was too short (it included only some of the introduction, with none of the facing-page text/annotation) to be sure of this, but I'd definitely recommend the trade paperback edition. It's a bit pricey but worth it, though not recommended for a first-timer to the play.

[emilyrb · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

William Shakespeare's epic tale of comedy, tragedy, and love is a staple for romantic literature. When two adolescents from feuding families fall in love, their destinys' suddenly become intertwined, with neither able to live without the other.

[lisamaria_c · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Just cultural literacy alone demands you read this play; which I actually think is among Shakespeare's most readable and lyrical, with indelible, lovely lines. It ranks among my favorite of his because of the way he both expresses the beauty of young love as well as the potential destructiveness of adolescent passions in which, unfortunately, Romeo and Juliet are well-matched. I remember a teacher once explaining how character propels plot through Shakespeare plays. If Othello had been inserted into Hamlet's plot and vice versa there would have been no tragedy. Othello wouldn't have hesitated to destroy Claudius and Hamlet would have thoroughly investigated before killing Desdemona. In this play Romeo and Juliet each pull each other towards the tragedy, their immaturity and overwhelmed emotions as much the linchpin as their family's feuds. Of course, there's nothing like seeing this dramatized. I rather love the 1968 film directed by Franco Zeffirelli. A traditional approach with actors of the right ages to fit their roles.

[junesong · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Such a beautiful and tragic story. One of Shakespeare's best.

[brettjames · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

You know, it's a play written in the sixteen hundreds. Not a bad read as far as these things go, but only the sort of thing you read in school or when you're going to put on the play

[borg6mx5 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The classic play. Some of the finest dialogue in the English language. This is a student edition with additional materials and illustrations.

[06nwingert · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Underage, star-crossed lovers, gangs and drugs. What more can you ask for? I read Romeo and Juliet as an 11-year-old and fell in love with the aforementioned themes.