Charles Lamb, a distinguished English essayist, collaborated with his sister, Mary, to create enthralling prose retellings for young readers of some of Shakespeare’s most beloved works. This selection from their 1807 publications features The Tempest;  A Midsummer Night’s Dream; As You Like It; The Merchant of Venice; King Lear; Macbeth; The Taming of the Shrew; Romeo and Juliet; Hamlet; and Othello.
“What these tales shall have been to the young readers,” Charles Lamb wrote, “that and much more it is the writers’ wish that the true plays of Shakespeare may prove to them in older years — enrichers of the fancy, strengtheners of virtue, a withdrawing from all selfish and mercenary thoughts, a lesson of all sweet and honorable thoughts and actions. To teach courtesy, benignity, generosity, humanity: for of examples, teaching these virtues, his pages are full.”
Simple and compelling, these vibrant retellings of the great playwright’s timeless tales will undoubtedly charm readers of all ages.

 

Unabridged tales from a standard edition.