Agostino Lombardo Livres

Divertente e allegro, Come vi piace è forse una delle commedie più brillanti di Shakespeare. La freschezza dei dialoghi e dell'ambientazione ricorda una di quelle composte e vivaci danze medievali, in cui ciascuno ha i propri passi da seguire e incrociare con quelli degli altri, solo ogni tanto interrotti da un improbabile e inatteso colpo di scena che confonde i movimenti e inverte il ritmo, per poi ripartire di slancio con la stessa colorata ed astuta eleganza.

"Non appartenne a un'epoca, ma a tutti i tempi", disse di Shakespeare Ben Jonson. William Shakespeare è considerato infatti da sempre il più grande autore teatrale mai esistito. La straordinaria energia creativa e la vastità della sua produzione suscitarono nei romantici l'immagine di una "forza immane della natura", di un "genio universale". Oggi, dopo oltre quattro secoli dalla nascita, Shakespeare non cessa di stupirci per la complessità, la bellezza, la varietà e la "modernità" dei personaggi e delle trame.

'A Midsummer Night's Dream' is perhaps Shakespeare's most popular comedy, & also a profound, archetypal play. In this new edition, the editor takes account of the number of important professional theatre productions & the large output of scholarly criticism on the plays which have appeared in recent years.

À sa publication en 1910, Howards End a été immédiatement et largement reconnu comme un classique. Ce roman explore les tensions entre les classes sociales en Angleterre à travers les destins entrelacés de plusieurs personnages. Il aborde des thèmes tels que la décadence des valeurs rurales, l'impact de l'urbanisation sur la vie humaine, et la suprématie de l'argent. Les préoccupations exprimées dans Howards End, comme la tyrannie croissante de la voiture et la superficialité des modes de vie modernes, résonnent encore aujourd'hui. La caractérisation subtile de Forster, son mélange d'ironie et de lyrisme, son humour, ainsi que sa richesse en symboles discrets, en font l'un des grands romans anglais. L'œuvre est une déclaration poignante des valeurs humaines et civilisées, toujours pertinente dans le contexte contemporain.

In this lively comedy of love and money in sixteenth-century Venice, Bassanio wants to impress the wealthy heiress Portia but lacks the necessary funds. He turns to his merchant friend, Antonio, who is forced to borrow from Shylock, a Jewish moneylender. When Antonio's business falters, repayment becomes impossible--and by the terms of the loan agreement, Shylock is able to demand a pound of Antonio's flesh. Portia cleverly intervenes, and all ends well (except of course for Shylock).

Measure for Measure is among the most passionately discussed of Shakespeare’s plays. In it, a duke temporarily removes himself from governing his city-state, deputizing a member of his administration, Angelo, to enforce the laws more rigorously. Angelo chooses as his first victim Claudio, condemning him to death because he impregnated Juliet before their marriage. Claudio’s sister Isabella, who is entering a convent, pleads for her brother’s life. Angelo attempts to extort sex from her, but Isabella preserves her chastity. The duke, in disguise, eavesdrops as she tells her brother about Angelo’s behavior, then offers to ally himself with her against Angelo.

The author offers a reappraisal of Shakespeare's bloodiest tragedy, Titus Andronicus. The text puts forward arguments regarding the date of the play, its sources and its early stage history.

"Representing the full richness of Shakespeare's writing, the World's Classics offer the best value critical editions of his plays. Authoritative and up to date, they are 'not simply a better text but a new conception of Shakespeare'." --Publisher description