The Works of William Shakespeare [Cambridge Edition] [Vol. 8 of 9]

About this volume

This eighth volume of the Cambridge Shakespeare gathers Hamlet, King Lear, and Othello: three tragedies in which private loyalties become inseparable from public authority. A prince faces an unsettling demand, a king tries to arrange the future of his kingdom, and a military commander becomes vulnerable to manipulation. Their different situations lead into questions about evidence, judgment, trust, and the stories people choose to believe about those closest to them.

The volume offers more than a convenient grouping of famous plays. Its editorial apparatus records the difficulties of establishing a text from early printed witnesses, allowing readers to see how decisions about wording and structure affect interpretation. The inclusion of an early version of Hamlet is especially useful for anyone curious about the play’s publication history. Readers can approach the book as a collection of dramatic works, then return to its notes to explore the uncertain and sometimes surprisingly complicated route by which those works reach the page.

Things You May Not Know About The Works of William Shakespeare [Cambridge Edition] [Vol. 8 of 9]

• Three tragedies in one volume. The contents list Hamlet, King Lear, and Othello, with separate groups of notes accompanying the plays.
• An 1866 edition. The title page dates this volume to 1866 and names Macmillan and Co. in London and Cambridge as its publisher.
• Two named editors. William George Clark and William Aldis Wright prepared the volume, both identified on its title page through their Cambridge appointments.
• Another Hamlet is included. Alongside the familiar play, the edition prints The Tragicall Historie of Hamlet from the early 1603 quarto.
• Textual variants are visible. The notes compare readings from early editions, making this a resource for studying Shakespeare’s texts as well as reading the plays.