Arden Shakespeare

The first general editor of the Arden Shakespeare was W. J. Craig, who served in the position from 1899-1906. Since the Arden's early days, scholars have continually revised, updated, and republished the various plays and works of William Shakespeare. The most recent Arden publication of As You Like It is as late as 2006. The Arden Shakespeare is the most complete and certainly the definitive scholarly text of the bard's work.

For a beginner, however, the introduction makes this edition the most valuable. The Introduction (Part II, The Play) of A Midsummer Night's Dream points out the distinct possibility that the play itself is meant to mimic a wedding, and all of the issues of love and love's relationship to marriage. After all, the play begins with discussion of Theseus' "nuptial hour," and by the time Puck is off to fetch the flower for Oberon, the many tangled issues of love and marriage are set. I will not, however, pretend to be able to do the Arden Shakespeare's explanation justice.

The Introduction continues to explore and explain vital categories to understanding the text: 1.Exposition, 2.Design and Plot, 3.Characters and Comedy, 4.Lyricism, Music, and Dance, 5.Setting: Woodland and Fairyland; Moon, and 6.The Principal Themes. For a student, this is a great section to refer back to as he or she reads the play for the first time.

Throughout the script of each play, references are footnoted to point out differences between the First, Second, Third, and Fourth Folio editions. The footnotes are also full of quotes and opinions of different scholars over the years.

For an experienced scholar, this work is complete and definitive. For a teacher, all of the possible themes to pick from to focus on in class are made available. And for directors and actors, the different historical contexts and various possible interpretations of the play are explained.

Othello (Arden Shakespeare: Third Series)

Macbeth (Arden Shakespeare: Second Series)

Hamlet (Arden Shakespeare: Third Series)

Romeo and Juliet (Arden Shakespeare)

The Arden Shakespeare Complete Works (Arden Shakespeare)

Arden Shakespeare.