{"product_id":"four-comedies-william-shakespeare-9780553212815","title":"Four Comedies: The Taming of the Shrew, a Midsummer Night's Dream, the Merchant of Venice, Twelfth Night","description":"\u003ci\u003eThe Taming of the Shrew\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003eRobust and bawdy, The Taming of the Shrew captivates audiences with outrageous humor as Katharina, the shrew, engages in a contest of wills-and love-with her bridegroom, Petruchio, in a comedy of unmatched theatrical brilliance, filled with visual gags and witty repartee. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ci\u003eA Midsummer Night's Dream\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003eFairy magic, love spells, and an enchanted wood turn the mismatched rivalries of four young lovers into a marvelous mix-up of desire and enchantment, all touched by Shakespeare's inimitable vision of the intriguing relationship between dreams and the waking world.\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe Merchant of Venice\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThis dark comedy of love and money contains one of the truly mythic figures in literature-Shylock, the Jewish moneylender. The \"pound of flesh\" he demands as payment of Antonio's debt has become a universal metaphor for vengeance. Here, pathos and farce combine with moral complexity and romantic entanglements, to display the extraordinary power and range of Shakespeare at his best.\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cbr\u003eTwelfth Night\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003eSet in a topsy-turvy world like a holiday revel, this comedy juxtaposes a romantic plot involving separated twins and mistaken identity with a more satiric one about the humiliation of a pompous killjoy. The hilarity is touched with melancholy, and the play ends, not with laughter, but with a clown's plaintive song. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eEach Edition Includes: \u003cbr\u003e- Comprehensive explanatory notes \u003cbr\u003e- Vivid introductions and the most up-to-date scholarship \u003cbr\u003e- Clear, modernized spelling and punctuation, enabling contemporary readers to understand the Elizabethan English\u003cbr\u003e- Completely updated, detailed bibliographies and performance histories \u003cbr\u003e- An interpretive essay on film adaptations of the play, along with an extensive filmography\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e William Shakespeare\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-10:\u003c\/b\u003e 0553212818\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9780553212815\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Bantam Classics\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLanguage:\u003c\/b\u003e English\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 01\/01\/1988\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 736\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormat:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 0.76lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 6.96h x 4.56w x 1.26d","brand":"William Shakespeare","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":43920186835199,"sku":"9780553212815","price":7.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0662\/2982\/9887\/products\/img_be77631e-3664-476f-92b2-c7455a67ce8a.jpg?v=1680814016","url":"https:\/\/www.whiterainbookhouse.com\/products\/four-comedies-william-shakespeare-9780553212815","provider":"WR Book House","version":"1.0","type":"link"}