# William Shakespeare Complete Works Second Edition - Hardcover

by **William Shakespeare** (Author), **Jonathan Bate** (Editor), **Eric Rasmussen** (Editor)

**The newly revised, wonderfully authoritative First Folio of William Shakespeare's _Complete Works,_ edited by acclaimed Shakespearean scholars and endorsed by the world-famous Royal Shakespeare Company  
**  
Skillfully assembled by Shakespeare's fellow actors in 1623, the First Folio was the original _Complete Works_\--arguably the most important literary work in the English language. But starting with Nicholas Rowe in 1709 and continuing to the present day, Shakespeare editors have mixed Folio and Quarto texts, gradually corrupting the original _Complete Works_ with errors and conflated textual variations.

The second edition of the _Complete Works_ features annotations and commentary from Jonathan Bate and Eric Rasmussen--two of today's preeminent Shakespeare scholars--as well as cutting-edge textual design, on-page glossaries for contemporary readers, stage directions from RSC directors, a sixteen-page insert of photographs from RSC production shorts, a timeline of the plays and poems, and family trees for the Histories.

Combining innovative scholarship with brilliant commentary and textual analysis that emphasizes performance history and values, this landmark edition is indispensable to students, theater professionals, and general readers alike.

### Author Biography

**William Shakespeare (1564-1616),** often referred to as the Bard of Avon, was a poet, playwright, and actor who is widely regarded as one of the most influential writers in the history of the English language. Shakespeare's vast body of work includes comedic, tragic, and historical plays; poems; and 154 sonnets. His dramatic works have been translated into every major language and are performed more often than those of any other playwright.

**Jonathan Bate** is professor of Shakespeare and Renaissance literature at the University of Warwick. Widely known as an award-winning biographer, critic, and broadcaster, Bate is the author of several books on Shakespeare, including _Shakespeare and Ovid_ and _The Genius of Shakespeare_, which was described by Sir Peter Hall, founder of the RSC, as the best modern book on Shakespeare.

**Eric Rasmussen** is professor of English and director of graduate study at the University of Nevada. He is a co-editor of the _Norton Anthology of English Renaissance Drama_ and of the forthcoming New Variorum Shakespeare edition of _Hamlet._ He has edited a number of works for the Arden Shakespeare series, Oxford's World's Classics, and the Revels Plays series, and is the general textual editor of the Internet Shakespeare Editions Project_._

**The Royal Shakespeare Company** is a world-renowned ensemble theatre company in London and Stratford, dedicated to bringing Shakespeare and his contemporaries to a modern audience.

**Number of Pages:** 2532

**Dimensions:** 2.95 x 10.31 x 8.19 IN

**Illustrated:** Yes

**Publication Date:** May 03, 2022

## Details

- **Price:** 85.0 USD
- **Vendor:** Books by splitShops
- **Type:** Books
- **Tags:** Books by splitShops, Shopify Collective

## Variants

| Variant | Price | Available |
|---------|-------|-----------|
| Default Title | 85.00 USD | In stock |

## Images

- William Shakespeare Complete Works Second Edition - Hardcover

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