‘The Philip Weller Annotated Shakespeare’ is a series of select plays by Shakespeare. The titles in this series have been edited and annotated by Professor Philip Weller of Eastern Washington University. Each of these plays is accompanied by a detailed critical introduction, summaries, questions, topics for discussion and a reading list. These texts are ideal for undergraduate and postgraduate students.

GENERAL EDITOR

Professor (Dr) Philip Weller has been teaching at Eastern Washington University in Cheney, Washington (USA), for almost four decades. He specialises in Shakespeare and Renaissance English literature. He also takes courses on the history of British literature and on masterpieces of the western world.

SPECIAL FEATURES

Each title in the PhilipWeller Annotated Shakespeare series contains—

• A general introduction to the series: an essay on the life and times of Shakespeare, placing the plays in the context of his era. The essay not only covers his life, his work, and his influence on English literature, but also looks at Renaissance theatre at the time.

• An introduction to the play: a critical introduction to the play written by an experienced Indian teacher. This essay looks at the play in detail, and analyses

  • plot

  • themes and ideas in the play

  • characterisation

  • stylistic and dramatic devices

• The unabridged and fully annotated text of the play: each play has been carefully edited by Philip Weller, based on his extensive expertise. Each play also contains annotations, explaining the meanings of archaic words, phrases, allusions, etc., in simple English. A list of dramatis personae has also been included.
• Act-wise summaries and questions: contains a summary of each act, followed by questions on it. These questions may be used for classroom discussions as well as in examinations.
• Topics for discussion: contains broader questions based on the entire play, which will help the student to understand every aspect of the play. These questions may be used for project work and assignments, in classroom discussions, as well as in examinations.
• Further reading: a detailed bibliography of useful books and articles that can be used by both teachers and students to learn more about the play as well as about Shakespeare and his plays in general.