Prolific English dramatist and national poet William Shakespeare (1564–1616) was born in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, England. He lived in London for 25 years and wrote most of his plays there. The author of 37 plays and 154 sonnets, Shakespeare is considered the greatest writer in the English language and a dramatist without equal. Adept at both tragedy and comedy, the bard of Avon encompassed an incredible range of human emotions as well as mystery, magic, and romance in his plays. He wrote tragedies, comedies, and historical plays, and also performed on stage with the actors of the Lord Chamberlain’s Company. The wordsmith left an indelible mark on the English language and invented several words which are in use today. Shakespeare’s widely-adapted tragedies include Macbeth, Hamlet, King Lear, and Othello and his comedies include All’s Well That Ends Well, As You Like It, The Comedy of Errors, The Merchant of Venice, and A Midsummer Night’s Dream.
In the year 1807, The brother-sister duo of Charles and Mary Lamb wrote tales from Shakespeare, a retelling of the greatest plays of William Shakespeare. This children’s book was an attempt to make Shakespeare’s famous plays familiar to young people. The language used was simple and made the plays relatable to both adults and children. Charles and Mary Lamb divided the writing responsibilities between themselves. While Mary wrote comedies like ‘a Midsummer Night’s Dream’ and ‘as you Like It’, Charles took charge of tragedies like ‘Macbeth’ and ‘the Merchant of Venice’. sadly, Mary Lamb was only acknowledged as a co-author in the seventh edition of the book. The book received a wonderful response, and has been republished many times as an introduction to the amazing world of William Shakespeare. The plays have been carefully handpicked, keeping the young reader in mind. Delight, revel and bask in this unique rendition of the works of the world’s greatest dramatist!.
