An Oxford Anthology of Shakespeare

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Clarendon Press, 1987 - 396 ページ
In this elegantly-crafted anthology, readers have at their fingertips over two hundred of the finest examples of Shakespeare's work, ranging from two-line aphorisms, to sonnets, to complete scenes. Ideal for browsing, it allows readers to revisit favorite passages--Hamlet's soliloquy, the balcony scene from Romeo and Juliet--or to discover unfamiliar gems. Above all, it permits readers to savor Shakespeare's unequalled capacity to portray the peaks and valleys of human experience.
Here readers will rediscover Shakespeare's extraordinary ability to capture in words the hearts, minds, and imaginations of kings and peasants, wise men and fools, warriors and page-boys, statesmen and common thieves. And hear quintessential expressions of admiration and vituperation, villainy and virtue, grief, joy, and despair. It is unlikely that a selection from the work of any other writer could represent so wide a range of human experience.
In creating this anthology, Stanley Wells--the General Editor of the Oxford Shakespeare--has tried to select those passages that are most attractive in their own right and that suffer least from being read out of context. For the reader's convenience, he has arranged the excerpts according to subject matter, under headings such as Friendship, Love, Hatred, Responsibility and Government, Time, Wisdom and Folly, and Death. For readers looking for a particular quotation, there is also a play-by-play index.
Highlighted by some of the most memorable and moving moments in world literature, this anthology is also a masterpiece of craftsmenship, with exquisite endpapers, excellent typography, and high quality paper. It is a perfect gift for the aficionado of Shakespeare or for anyone who loves fine writing.

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目次

A Villains CreedDesire for RevengeA Merry BondA
172
The Playwrights Plea 1The Playwrights Plea 2Seem
201
Playing the FoolA Fools WisdomA Fool in the ForestA
212
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著者について (1987)

William Shakespeare, 1564 - 1616 Although there are many myths and mysteries surrounding William Shakespeare, a great deal is actually known about his life. He was born in Stratford-Upon-Avon, son of John Shakespeare, a prosperous merchant and local politician and Mary Arden, who had the wealth to send their oldest son to Stratford Grammar School. At 18, Shakespeare married Anne Hathaway, the 27-year-old daughter of a local farmer, and they had their first daughter six months later. He probably developed an interest in theatre by watching plays performed by traveling players in Stratford while still in his youth. Some time before 1592, he left his family to take up residence in London, where he began acting and writing plays and poetry. By 1594 Shakespeare had become a member and part owner of an acting company called The Lord Chamberlain's Men, where he soon became the company's principal playwright. His plays enjoyed great popularity and high critical acclaim in the newly built Globe Theatre. It was through his popularity that the troupe gained the attention of the new king, James I, who appointed them the King's Players in 1603. Before retiring to Stratford in 1613, after the Globe burned down, he wrote more than three dozen plays (that we are sure of) and more than 150 sonnets. He was celebrated by Ben Jonson, one of the leading playwrights of the day, as a writer who would be "not for an age, but for all time," a prediction that has proved to be true. Today, Shakespeare towers over all other English writers and has few rivals in any language. His genius and creativity continue to astound scholars, and his plays continue to delight audiences. Many have served as the basis for operas, ballets, musical compositions, and films. While Jonson and other writers labored over their plays, Shakespeare seems to have had the ability to turn out work of exceptionally high caliber at an amazing speed. At the height of his career, he wrote an average of two plays a year as well as dozens of poems, songs, and possibly even verses for tombstones and heraldic shields, all while he continued to act in the plays performed by the Lord Chamberlain's Men. This staggering output is even more impressive when one considers its variety. Except for the English history plays, he never wrote the same kind of play twice. He seems to have had a good deal of fun in trying his hand at every kind of play. Shakespeare wrote 154 sonnets, all published on 1609, most of which were dedicated to his patron Henry Wriothsley, The Earl of Southhampton. He also wrote 13 comedies, 13 histories, 6 tragedies, and 4 tragecomedies. He died at Stratford-upon-Avon April 23, 1616, and was buried two days later on the grounds of Holy Trinity Church in Stratford. His cause of death was unknown, but it is surmised that he knew he was dying.

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