Introduction: Shakespeare in Print -- The Two Gentlemen of Verona -- Arden of Faversham -- The Taming of the Shrew -- King Henry VI, Part 2 -- King Henry VI, Part 3 -- King Henry VI, Part 1 -- Titus Andronicus -- King Richard III -- Venus and Adonis -- The Rape of Lucrece -- Edward III -- The Comedy of Errors -- Love's Labour's Lost -- King Richard II -- Romeo and Juliet -- A Midsummer Night's Dream -- King John -- The Merchant of Venice -- King Henry IV, Part 1 -- The Merry Wives of Windsor -- King Henry IV, Part 2 -- Much Ado About Nothing -- King Henry V -- Julius Caesar -- As You Like It -- Hamlet -- Twelfth Night -- Troilus and Cressida -- Sonnet 55 -- Sonnet 130 -- Sonnet 145 -- Measure for Measure -- Othello -- King Lear -- Timon of Athens -- Macbeth -- Antony and Cleopatra -- All's Well That Ends Well -- Pericles -- Coriolanus -- The Winter's Tale -- Cymbeline -- The Tempest -- King Henry VIII -- The Two Noble Kinsmen.

"William Shakespeare is one of the most quoted writers of all time. Many of his phrases have become well-known idioms and passed into general usage, transforming the history of the English language. This short, accessible collection of quotations is a perfect introduction to the works of William Shakespeare, covering each of his canonical plays and a selection of sonnets and poems. The quotes are accompanied by a short description giving context and date, and are illustrated with facsimile reproductions of the first printed edition of the work in the British Library. Some examples are the most celebrated and familiar of all Shakespeare's lines, while others have been chosen for the importance they hold within the play or the light they throw on a particular character."--Page [4] of cover.