New to Shakespeare

[JDW89]

Hello all, new to the forum and for the most park Shakespeare. We had to read quite a few of his works in high school though I was hardly interested and never read anything of his out of really wanting too. Can someone recommend the best way to get all of his works in one volume including the poetry? There are quite a few different publications last time I looked so I am just looking for the best one. Thanks in advance!

[Bill 42]

I can't believe that I have to answer this - although I've read the complete works of Shakespeare, I can't stand his works - they're indefatigably indecipherable! There are lots of his fans on this forum, so if one chimes in take his/her advice over mine...

I have the "Complete Oxford Shakespeare (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Oxford_Shakespeare)", which is the complete works produced by Oxford University Press, and edited by Stanley Wells and Gary Taylor. It has a good general introduction, a one-page introduction for each play, and a glossary at the back. The plays are in chronological order, but there is a second index of plays in alphabetical order to make things easier. I have the first edition, but now there is a second edition available. In order to get all of the plays in one volume of 1,274 pages, it had to be printed on very thin paper with very small printing.

If you want something to read on the bus, you might look elsewhere because this one is heavy and the print is quite small. Since Shakespeare wrote about 40 plays, it might be expensive to buy a book of each play individually, but a book with just one play in it will be much more bus-friendly. The complete edition is $25 on American Amazon (ISBN 9780199267187), and the individual plays by Oxford are probably about $10 each ($400 to $450 total), so there's the cost issue as well.

[mona amon]

Right now I've got the RSC Complete Works from the library (wouldn't dream of paying for anything I can get free online). The introductions to each play are interesting, but it's got the footnotes at the end of the page - okay, where they are supposed to be, I guess, but it would be difficult for anyone who likes to look up the notes frequently.

[Jackson Richardson]

Looking up at the back is a pain. I need them on the page. The RSC editions (editor Jonathan Bate) explains many basic words and would be ideal for a beginner. http://tinyurl.com/l6wkke5

[Jackson Richardson]

A similar question is asked on this thread http://www.online-literature.com/forums/showthread.php?81478-Newbie-to-Shakespeare

[mal4mac]

Looking up at the back is a pain. I need them on the page. The RSC editions (editor Jonathan Bate) explains many basic words and would be ideal for a beginner. http://tinyurl.com/l6wkke5

I agree with Jonathan B - that's the edition I own. I would get the hardcover version (the version Jonathan links to...) It's nicely produced and should last a lifetime.

[Jackson Richardson]

And it weighs over 5 pounds on my kitchen scales and is the bulk of two cornflake packets. But I prefer it to other complete editions for three reasons:

A It has the notes at the bottom of the page.

B It is not in double columns, as Complete Shakespeares always have been since the First Folio.

C It includes all the introductory material to the First Folio, the poems and two and a bit attributed plays.

There is a view that Shakespeare didn't write to be read, he wrote scripts for acting and the best way to appreciate him is to see him acted either on the stage or on DVD. However that means that you miss the details of the language, which is one of Shakespeare's strength. Don't worry too much at the comic prose passages if you don't get the jokes. They are never going to be as funny as they were when first acted. Just read on and notice and enjoy the language and the characterization.

[Pompey Bum]

A similar question is asked on this thread http://www.online-literature.com/forums/showthread.php?81478-Newbie-to-Shakespeare

Yes, I advised JD to try posting here when people were a little slow to respond on the other thread--then later they/you/we posted on the first thread. So it's my bad for the double thread. Sorry. I want to politely dissent on the issue of prose jokes in Shakespeare, by the way. They tend to be the hardest passages to understand, but once translated (with the help of unabashed footnotes), I find them hilarious and well worth the effort. But read him, don't use recordings, so that your mind is working/playing along with his. Of course, you should see as many live plays as possible, but that's another matter.

[JDW89]

And it weighs over 5 pounds on my kitchen scales and is the bulk of two cornflake packets. But I prefer it to other complete editions for three reasons:

A It has the notes at the bottom of the page.

B It is not in double columns, as Complete Shakespeares always have been since the First Folio.

C It includes all the introductory material to the First Folio, the poems and two and a bit attributed plays.

There is a view that Shakespeare didn't write to be read, he wrote scripts for acting and the best way to appreciate him is to see him acted either on the stage or on DVD. However that means that you miss the details of the language, which is one of Shakespeare's strength. Don't worry too much at the comic prose passages if you don't get the jokes. They are never going to be as funny as they were when first acted. Just read on and notice and enjoy the language and the characterization.
So just to make sure I understand correctly, those that have produced his complete works since the first folio have had them in a double column format when they were originally in single column format?

[Jackson Richardson]

No. The First Folio was in double columns. Standard Complete Shakspeare's used to be all in double columns and most still are. (I looked through a number of the bookshelves of a local bookshop before I made my decision.)

Here's what it looked like. As long as there was a ten syllable line fitted to each line in the columns, it took up far fewer pages than printing in singly.

http://www.aucklandcity.govt.nz/dbtw-wpd/virt-exhib/realgold/Images/william-shakespeare.jpg

Since a folio is only a bit smaller than a tabloid newspaper, it couldn't have been so hard to read. But it is a strain to read double columns in anything smaller. (Mind you up until the flood of new translations of the Bible from the 1960s, the Bible was usually printed in double columns.)

I've a feeling the Quartos were in a single column on a page.

[Jackson Richardson]

Right. I've done some googling to find a better illustration. Here's the opening of the first play, The Tempest with the list of plays opposite. (The text is all prose.)

http://commons.trincoll.edu/watkinson/files/2012/05/plays.jpg

Here's the opening of Hamlet in one of the Quartos

http://prodigi.bl.uk/TreasuresImages%5CShakespeare%5Cmid%5Cshahap%5C005 shahap32.jpg

It's also in prose, but not in columns.

[WICKES]

James Joyce wrote that Shakespeare's plays are "the happy hunting ground for all those whose minds have lost their balance" and when asked who was the greatest writer of all time he said "I hesitate between Dante and Shakespeare, but not for long...the Englishman gets my vote." He thought Shakespeare was supreme because in his works you find "a superabundance of worldly wisdom" and a "radiance of language". I just wanted an excuse to write those wonderful quotes down.

[russellb]

there are no happy hunting grounds for minds that have lost their balance. Joyce would know that better than many, I suspect, as his daughter was schizophrenic. Perhaps Joyce had an extremely strong sense of balance and this allowed him to dive into the ocean that Jung said his daughter was drowning in.

[JDW89]

Can someone post some pictures of the inside of the Royal Shakespeare Company complete works? I can't find any online

[JDW89]

Anyone?

[North Star]

Can someone post some pictures of the inside of the Royal Shakespeare Company complete works? I can't find any online

Here you go.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/ocwvfr7d4rhluus/_KJK0655.JPG?dl=0
https://www.dropbox.com/s/r94hzwelmmz01t7/_KJK0656.JPG?dl=0
https://www.dropbox.com/s/388uqlve9xrqmpc/_KJK0657.JPG?dl=0
https://www.dropbox.com/s/5mohzh410gdqtb9/_KJK0658.JPG?dl=0
https://www.dropbox.com/s/4jnn9wmuv0kmzwc/_KJK0659.JPG?dl=0

[JDW89]

Here you go.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/ocwvfr7d4rhluus/_KJK0655.JPG?dl=0
https://www.dropbox.com/s/r94hzwelmmz01t7/_KJK0656.JPG?dl=0
https://www.dropbox.com/s/388uqlve9xrqmpc/_KJK0657.JPG?dl=0
https://www.dropbox.com/s/5mohzh410gdqtb9/_KJK0658.JPG?dl=0
https://www.dropbox.com/s/4jnn9wmuv0kmzwc/_KJK0659.JPG?dl=0
Thank you so much, I really appreciate this. It does seem like a pretty hefty volume as well?

[North Star]

At 17.5 cm x 5.5 cm x 23.3 cm & 1.873 kg (4.13 lbs), it doesn't quite fit in a pocket, but it's not at all unwieldy to me.

[Pike Bishop]

I"m not trying to scare you away from buying the collection, Northstar, but you'll be spending a lot of money for some of Shakespeare's subpar plays--like A Winter's Tale, Henry VIII, and Titus Andronicus. If you want to save money, individual copies of his greatest plays might help. Here are the ones I'd suggest:

Hamlet
Macbeth
Othello
King Lear
Romeo and Juliet
Richard II
Richard III
Henry IV Parts I and II
Henry V
As You Like It
The Tempest
Much Ado About Nothing
A Midsummer Night's Dream
Julius Ceasar
Taming of the Shrew

Those would more than keep you occupied for awhile, and it could be the cheaper route

[North Star]

I already own the Complete RSC, as should be obvious from the fact that I posted my photos of it, and commented on its size (which I could do based on other similarly sized books, of course).
And, seriously - cheaper route? 23 € for the RSC vs. some fifteen individual plays? Where do you buy your individual copies? ;)

[Pike Bishop]

I'm sorry, North Star. Excuse me for trying to help you out. I had mistaken you for the OP and thought I could save you some money. When somebody does that, the appropriate response is to thank them, whether it's helpful or not. And your owning the book is not obvious; anybody can post somebody else's book. I'm sorry you weren't aware of that. And yes, you can buy cheap individual copies. Apparently, you haven't heard of Amazon and its used book service.

Again, I'm sorry my trying to help you offended you. I certainly won't do so again.

[Poetaster]

It's funny, everyone says As You Like It is among the best - I personally don't care much for it.

There is, if cost really is a major issue, the Wordsworth hardback edition. You can get one of those things for £5 if you shop around (and live in the UK) but I really recommend getting the plays individually for the scholarship. Especially if you can borrow them from a library, and keep notes of things you find interesting.

[North Star]

I'm sorry, North Star. Excuse me for trying to help you out. I had mistaken you for the OP and thought I could save you some money. When somebody does that, the appropriate response is to thank them, whether it's helpful or not. And your owning the book is not obvious; anybody can post somebody else's book. I'm sorry you weren't aware of that. And yes, you can buy cheap individual copies. Apparently, you haven't heard of Amazon and its used book service.

Again, I'm sorry my trying to help you offended you. I certainly won't do so again.

Oh geez, you didn't offend me. I know one can buy used books for cheap on Amazon, but the shipping, to Finland anyway, costs more than a fair amount.

[Lykren]

It's funny, everyone says As You Like It is among the best - I personally don't care much for it.

Aww, can't you feel the forest breeze around you when you read it?

[Lokasenna]

I already own the Complete RSC, as should be obvious from the fact that I posted my photos of it, and commented on its size (which I could do based on other similarly sized books, of course).
And, seriously - cheaper route? 23 € for the RSC vs. some fifteen individual plays? Where do you buy your individual copies? ;)

Back when I used to have an income, I splashed out on a Complete Works of Shakespeare AND lots of individual plays: my rational being that I would keep the CW as a 'clean' copy, and all my cheap Amazon/Bargain-bin individual copies could be filled with all my thoughts and annotations on the text. It's worked well - if I want to read a play, I have the option of reading it clean or with my original thoughts on it.

If you're after cheap individual editions of Shakespeare, try hitting a second-hand bookstore in a university town - might be a bit more tricky in Finland, but over here lots of students flog their textbooks once they've finished a course.

Sadly, I no longer have the money, or indeed the library space, to double-up on my books any more...

[Poetaster]

I don't actually know, I've not checked, but YouTube might be a good for finding information on Shakespeare. If anyone has a JSTOR account (and you should) there is great stuff on there too.


Aww, can't you feel the forest breeze around you when you read it?

Sadly no, but I do get that from Midsummer Night's Dream, so I hope that redeems me in some way. :)

[Poetaster]

[Double Post]

[Pike Bishop]

Oh geez, you didn't offend me. I know one can buy used books for cheap on Amazon, but the shipping, to Finland anyway, costs more than a fair amount.

Oh geez, then why did you get all rudely bent out of shape. And if you knew there was a cheaper route, you shouldn't have made your snarky comment: "And, seriously - cheaper route?" The appropriate thing to do at this point is to thank me for trying to help you; that's what polite people do. After your impolite response to my offered help, though, I'm not holding my breath.

[Pike Bishop]

It's funny, everyone says As You Like It is among the best - I personally don't care much for it.

I would argue As You Like It is Shakespeare's best comedy. It's one of his most brilliant analyses of gender, it has arguably his most complex female character in Rosalind, and it actually has a compelling plot...which not all of Shakespeare's masterpieces have.

[North Star]

If you're after cheap individual editions of Shakespeare, try hitting a second-hand bookstore in a university town - might be a bit more tricky in Finland, but over here lots of students flog their textbooks once they've finished a course.

'A bit more tricky' is quite the understatement! I'm sure they're easy to find over there, but you're probably more likely to find a sauna in a British apartment than a used Shakespeare play in a bookstore in Finland, especially since the students get their texts mostly from the uni libraries. But, I'll manage with the Complete for the time being, and might supplement it with some individuals later.

[Poetaster]

I would argue As You Like It is Shakespeare's best comedy. It's one of his most brilliant analyses of gender, it has arguably his most complex female character in Rosalind, and it actually has a compelling plot...which not all of Shakespeare's masterpieces have.

I might reread it, this has got me thinking I should anyway. I don't know why I didn't like it the first time around.

[North Star]

Oh geez, then why did you get all rudely bent out of shape. And if you knew there was a cheaper route, you shouldn't have made your snarky comment: "And, seriously - cheaper route?" The appropriate thing to do at this point is to thank me for trying to help you; that's what polite people do. After your impolite response to my offered help, though, I'm not holding my breath.
I value your offering of help. Thank you.

[Pike Bishop]

Your welcome, and I'll be glad to help in the future.

[JDW89]

Friends is this the correct link? http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0679642951/ref=ox_sc_act_image_1?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER

[North Star]

Friends is this the correct link? http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0679642951/ref=ox_sc_act_image_1?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER

Yes, that's the RSC Complete Works.

[JDW89]

Yes, that's the RSC Complete Works.

Perfect thanks, and where did you order it from, Amazon as well? I am just afraid it may arrive damaged as the past few book orders I have had have arrived that way.