Written in 1948, 1984 was George Orwell's chilling prophecy about the future. And while 1984 has come and gone, his dystopian vision of a government that will do anything to control the narrative is timelier than ever...

"The Party told you to reject the evidence of your eyes and ears. It was their final, most essential command."

Winston Smith toes the Party line, rewriting history to satisfy the demands of the Ministry of Truth. With each lie he writes, Winston grows to hate the Party...

Romantic folly and false identites abound as an unusual love triangle takes the stage in this play about Orsino, the infatuated Duke of Illyria; Olivia, the countess he pursues; and Viola, the woman disguised as a man who comes between them.

This revised Signet Classics edition includes unique features such as:

- An overview of Shakespeare's life, world, and theater
- A special introduction to the play by the editor, Herschel Baker
- Selections from Barnabe Rich, Of Apolonius and...

When a trio of witches fortell that Macbeth will become King of Scotland, the brave general is consumed by ambition. Encouraged by his wife to seize the throne, their quest for power leads down a blood strewn path that ends in madness and death in this play that explores the consequences of guilt and corruption.

This revised Signet Classics edition includes unique features such as:

- An overview of Shakespeare's life, world, and theater
- A...

Featuring the tumultuous relationship of Petruchio and the headstrong Katherina, this popular comedy goes beyond courtship to explore what happens after a determined man marries a woman who refuses to be tamed.

This revised Signet Classics edition includes unique features such as:

- An overview of Shakespeare's life, world, and theater
- A special introduction to the play by the editor, Robert B. Heilman
- Sources from which Shakespeare derived The Taming of the Shrew
- Dramatic...

Tragedy takes hold as the cunning and hateful Iago drives the heroic Moor of Venice first to suspicion, then to homicidal rage against his love Desdemona, in one of the Bard's darkest plays.

This revised Signet Classics edition includes unique features such as:

- An overview of Shakespeare's life, world, and theater
- A special introduction to the play by the editor, Alvin Kernan
- Selections from Giraldi Cinthio's Hecatommithi, the source from...

"To be, or not to be: that is the question"

There is arguably no work of fiction quoted as often as William Shakespeare's Hamlet. This haunting tragedy of a troubled Danish prince devoted to avenging his father's death has captivated audiences for centuries.

This revised Signet Classics edition includes unique features such as:

- An overview of Shakespeare's life, world, and theater
- A special introduction to the play by the editor, Sylvan Barnet
- Sources from which...

Full of cruelty and betrayal, King Lear is the timeless and timely story of a kingdom held in the thrall of an aging ruler's descent into madness. Desperate for praise, he banishes those who would guide him with honesty and surrounds himself with sycophants--an action which leads to his ultimately tragic downfall...

This revised Signet Classics edition includes unique features such as:

- An overview of Shakespeare's life, world, and theater
- A special introduction to the play by the...

Prospero, sorcerer and rightful Duke of Milan, along with his daughter Miranda, has lived on an island for many years since his position was usurped by his brother Antonio. Then, as Antonio's ship passes near the island one day, Prospero conjures up a terrible storm...

This revised Signet Classics edition includes unique features such as:

- An overview of Shakespeare's life, world, and theater
- A special introduction to the play by the editor, Robert...

The Winter's Tale

Unique Features of the Signet Classic Shakespeare

-An extensive overview of Shakespeare's life, world, and theater by the general editor of the Signet Classic Shakespeare series, Sylvan Barnet

-Special introduction to the play by the editor, Frank Kermode, Fellow of the British Academy

-Source from which Shakespeare derived The Winter's Tale--a generous selection from Robert Greene's...

This edition features an overview of Shakespeare's works by Sylvan Barnet, former Chairman of the English Department at Tufts University, as well as a comprehensive stage and screen history, dramatic criticism from the past and present, and sources from which Shakespeare derived this great work.