Shakespeare Complete Works (8 Volumes)

Author: William Shakespeare
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-11-01
Features: This book is divided into eight volumes and includes numerous plays by the great British playwright Shakespeare. It is characterized by its comprehensiveness, nearly encompassing all of Shakespeare's works. At the same time, the translation and editing incorporate the latest research findings from the international Shakespearean studies community, allowing readers to gain a comprehensive understanding of Shakespeare's exceptional dramatic art.
This revised edition of The Complete Works of Shakespeare has two key features: "completeness" and "newness." It is "complete" because it includes Shakespeare's 39 plays, his long poems, sonnets, and other lyric poems, including The Two Noble Kinsmen, which was added in 1974 as part of the Riverhead Edition, and Edward III, which was recently accepted in 1997, along with a long poem. Additionally, it includes fragments of Sir Thomas More, ensuring that all discovered works of Shakespeare are included. It is "new" because the translation and editing incorporate the latest research findings from the international Shakespearean studies community and restore words, phrases, and passages once deemed "coarse" and removed, striving to preserve the original form of Shakespeare's works.
The revised edition of The Complete Works of Shakespeare published by Linwen Press took nearly five years to complete. This collection is based on the translation by Master Zhu Shenghao and has two key features: "completeness" and "newness." It is "complete" because it includes all discovered works of Shakespeare. It is "new" because the translation and editing incorporate the latest research findings from the international Shakespearean studies community and restore words, phrases, and passages once deemed "coarse" and removed, striving to preserve the original form of Shakespeare's works.
The Comedy of Errors, which can also be read as The Comedy of Misidentification for better understanding, tells the story of a pair of twins who, along with their twin servants, are separated at sea and, upon arriving in different places, are mistaken for one another, leading to many jokes and misunderstandings. Shakespeare likely wrote this play around the age of 25, when he had been in London for only two years after leaving his hometown. He imitated the Roman comedy Menaechmi by Plautus and incorporated other materials, adding his own creative British elements. The play was very successful on stage. Syracuse (now the eastern coast of Sicily, Italy) and Ephesus (now the western coast of Turkey) are both late Hellenistic colonial cities, but they are merely fictional settings. The entire plot takes place in Ephesus, where inns like the "Head of the Horse," "Hedgehog," "Tiger," and "Phoenix" are used, reflecting the British custom of hanging images on doors as signs, which can also be utilized in the stage production. In this play, Shakespeare adhered to the "three unities" proposed by the ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle—consistency of plot, a single location, and a single day's duration. Later, he often broke these conventions.
The Taming of the Shrew is one of Shakespeare's early comedies, primarily about the male protagonist Petruchio taming the fiery-tempered noblewoman Katherina through his own boldness, eventually marrying her. Both characters are strong-willed, leading to intense conflicts. Katherina's younger sister Bianca is gentle and delicate, pursued by several young men, some of whom approach her by disguising themselves as music teachers. This part of the play about Bianca was inspired by the comedy The Courtesans by the Italian Renaissance playwright Ariosto. Additionally, there is a prologue before the main play, which has a story somewhat similar to The Dream of the Red Chamber, though Shakespeare seems not to have completed it. The Taming of the Shrew, nominally set in Italy, actually depicts the customs and culture of Shakespeare's hometown.
The Two Gentlemen of Verona is one of Shakespeare's early comedies about friendship, love, infidelity, and reconciliation. One of the two gentlemen is loyal to his love and friendship, while the other is fickle, greedy, and even attempts to steal his friend's lover, only to repent and return to his original beloved in the end. The two female leads include one who is the subject of the famous song Who Is Sylvia? and another who is a courageous woman disguised as a man in Shakespeare's works. The play also features two distinctly British elements: the clown Launce and his dog, and a group of Robin Hood-like bandits. These add unique flavor to the play, as the story of rival suitors was a common theme in Renaissance Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, and English comedies, making it prone to repetition. Shakespeare, young and ambitious, made some groundbreaking attempts in this play, revealing the early seeds of some of his later extraordinary ideas.
Love's Labour's Lost is a comedy that often fades with time, which is why over a century after its publication, when the poet Pope edited Shakespeare's collected works, he relegated large portions of its dialogue to footnotes, believing that the rustic poet from Stratford did not truly understand humor. Jokes, especially puns that rely on wordplay, are even less enduring when translated, which is why whenever we encounter such wordplay, we can't help but recall the commentary of the great lexicographer Johnson: "A pun, no matter how dull, delights Shakespeare, even to the point of disregarding reason and indulging in it recklessly. For him, a pun is the enchanting Cleopatra of Egypt, for whom he would willingly lose his kingdom." At the same time, the play is full of vitality. The playful banter between charming young nobles and witty female guests; the absurd disputes among the pedantic country sages, the clueless constables, and the foolish sisters in the village—all bring joy and a sense of spring. Though the characters are stereotypical, their colors are vivid, each lively and bright, reminding one of the depictions of all sorts of people in British cartoons. The plot may be simple and lacks psychological motivation and detailed descriptions, but it is not without brilliant moments that have always been praised in performances across generations and countries. It is an extremely stylized play, and its influence can still be seen in later light comedies.
Demanding that comedies be meticulous, detailed, and profound can sometimes be frustrating.