Detailed summaries of great literature.

Detailed summaries of great literature.

The year is 1402, and King Henry IV sits uneasily on the throne that he wrested from his predecessor, Richard II. King Henry disapproves of his son, Prince Henry, and his habit of hanging around criminals like the witty but dishonest Falstaff. Meanwhile, young "Hotspur" Percy helps his family plot a rebellion to overthrow the king. Civil war is imminent, and the fate of the kingdom will be decided in a great battle at Shrewsbury. Faced with bloodshed, Prince Henry must find it within himself to be the son and heir his father has always wanted him to be. First published in 1598, this unabridged version of William Shakespeare's history play is the second in his tetralogy about the rise of the English royal House of Lancaster.

Shakespeare's history plays make up nearly a third of his corpus and feature iconic characters like Falstaff, the young Prince Hal, and Richard III--as well as unforgettable scenes like the storming of Harfleur. But these plays also present challenges for teachers, who need to help students understand shifting dynastic feuds, manifold concepts of political power, and early modern ideas of the body politic, kingship, and nationhood. Part 1 of this volume, "Materials," introduces instructors to the many editions of the plays, the wealth of contextual and critical writings available, and other resources. Part 2, "Approaches," contains essays on topics as various as masculinity and gender, using the plays in the composition classroom, and teaching the plays through Shakespeare's own sources, film, television, and the Web. The essays help instructors teach works that are poetically and emotionally rich as well as fascinating in how they depict Shakespeare's vision of his nation's past and present.

In this second part of Henry IV, the Battle of Shrewsbury is over, the rebels temporarily beaten but not defeated. Prince Henry defeated "Hotspur" Percy in single combat, but other rebel leaders have taken his place. King Henry, drained by the civil war, is deathly ill. Prince Henry, knowing he must soon assume the throne, tries to distance himself from the rowdy and reprobate friends of his youth, including Falstaff. As rebel forces gather at the Forest of Gaultree and King Henry grows sicker, will Prince Henry be able to prove to his father that he has become worthy of wearing the crown? First published in 1600, this unabridged version of William Shakespeare's history play is the third in his tetralogy about the rise of the English royal House of Lancaster.

This volume presents a fresh look at the military spouses in Shakespeare’s Othello, 1 Henry IV, Julius Caesar, Troilus and Cressida, Macbeth, and Coriolanus, vital to understanding the plays themselves. By analysing the characters as military spouses, we can better understand current dynamics in modern American civilian and military culture as modern American military spouses live through the War on Terror. Shakespeare's Military Spouses and Twenty-First-Century Warfare explains what these plays have to say about the role of military families and cultural constructions of masculinity both in the texts themselves and in modern America. Concerns relevant to today’s military families – domestic violence, PTSD, infertility, the treatment of queer servicemembers, war crimes, and the growing civil-military divide – pervade Shakespeare’s works. These parallels to the contemporary lived experience are brought out through reference to memoirs written by modern-day military spouses, sociological studies of the American armed forces, and reports issued by the Department of Defence. Shakespeare’s military spouses create a discourse that recognizes the role of the military in national defence but criticizes risky or damaging behaviours and norms, promoting the idea of a martial identity that permits military defence without the dangers of toxic masculinity. Meeting at the intersection of Shakespeare Studies, trauma studies, and military studies, this focus on military spouses is a unique and unprecedented resource for academics in these fields, as well as for groups interested in Shakespeare and theatre as a way of thinking through and responding to psychiatric issues and traumatic experiences.

Shakspere's history plays are more than dramatized history lessons. They explore contemporary dangers inherent in royal succession at a time when Elizabeth I decreed that mere discussion of who would inherit the throne was treason. The plays were political and therefore dangerous. Yet William Shakspere from Stratford-upon-Avon was never arrested for his writing nor spent time in prison, unlike his fellow playwrights Marlowe, Kyd and Jonson. In 1601 Sir Henry Neville was imprisoned and "Shakespeare" stopped writing history plays. The identification of Neville as an authorship candidate, put forward by James and Rubinstein (2005), urges reinterpretation of the plays. Neville enjoyed privileged access to the Holinshed Chronicles (1587), a primary source for the plays. He was ambassador to France and spoke French (see Henry V), knew the descendants of Jack Cade (Henry VI Part 2), was familiar with Crosby Place (Richard III) and lived in Blackfriars (Henry VIII). This book reveals new evidence of Neville's authorship, with examples of annotation found in books from Neville's library suggesting they were source material for the plays. Numerous anomalies in the plays indicate Shakespeare's consistent bias in portraying the Nevilles in a positive light, revealing the hidden author's political viewpoint and true identity.

'With a dazzling command of science and a relentless faith in people, George Monbiot writes about social change with his eyes wide open' Naomi Klein 'A manifesto for change ... The combination of practical detail and creative thinking is immensely impressive' P. D. Smith, Guardian We know that climate change is happening. We know that it could, if the worst predictions come true, destroy the conditions which make human life possible. Only one question is now worth asking: can it be stopped? In Heat, George Monbiot shows that it can. In every case, he supports his proposals with a rigorous investigation into what works, what doesn't, how much it costs and what the problems might be. He wages war on bad ideas as energetically as he promotes good ones. He is not afraid to attack anyone - friend or foe - whose claims are false or whose figures have been fudged. Heat also contains a breath-taking new exposure of the corporations trying to stop us from taking action.

The authoritative edition of William Shakespeare’s historic play Henry V from the Folger Shakespeare Library, the trusted and widely used Shakespeare series for both students and general readers. Henry V is Shakespeare’s most famous “war play”; it includes the storied English victory over the French at Agincourt. Some of it glorifies war, especially the choruses and Henry’s speeches urging his troops into battle. But we also hear bishops conniving for war to postpone a bill that would tax the church, and soldiers expecting to reap profits from the conflict. Even in the speeches of Henry and his nobles, there are many chilling references to the human cost of war. The authoritative edition of Henry V from the Folger Shakespeare Library includes: –Freshly edited text based on the best early printed version of the play –Newly revised explanatory notes conveniently placed on pages facing the text of the play –Scene-by-scene plot summaries –A key to the play’s famous lines and phrases –An introduction to reading Shakespeare’s language –An essay by a leading Shakespeare scholar providing a modern perspective on the play –Fresh images from the Folger Shakespeare Library’s vast holdings of rare books –An up-to-date annotated guide to further reading –An essay by Catherine Belsey The Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington, DC, is home to the world’s largest collection of Shakespeare’s printed works, and a magnet for Shakespeare scholars from around the globe. In addition to exhibitions open to the public throughout the year, the folder offers a full calendar of performances and programs. For more information, visit Folger.edu.