William Shakespeare's verses—illustrated in remarkable color paintings created especially for his edition—engage hearts and minds, and provoke laughter as well as deep feelings.

Read the immortal words:

"All the world's a stage,
And all the men and women merely players,
They have their exits and their entrances,
And one man in his time plays many parts."

Shakespeare's classic lines move us as much today as when he first wrote them, from "Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?" to "Double, double, toil and trouble."

From the back cover

He was the greatest poet and playwright who ever lived, the man who wrote many of the most famous lines in literature. Gathered together in this enchanting collection are Shakespeare's most electrifying scenes, his most fascinating characters, and his most thrilling words, brought to life in striking and breathtakingly beautiful color paintings by acclaimed artist Glenn Harrington. These paintings are spectacular works of art that will spark the imagination and give even richer meaning to Shakespeare's words.

Here is Cleopatra dressed in all her gold finery to dazzle Marc Antony and the white-robed spirit Ariel raising up a great storm at sea in The Tempest. Macbeth's cackling witches stir a pot with glowing flames rising up out of it, while Feste the clown sings a song in full costume at the end of Twelfth Night. And Mercutio—depicted against a bright red background as fiery and explosive as his personality—gently teases his lovesick friend Romeo.

Listen to Henry the Fifth exhort his troops to battle in one of the most stirring speeches of all time. Hear King Lear raging at a storm. From the gentle sonnets to the wisdom of the sorceror Prospero, these selections from Shakespeare's plays and poems are among the finest examples of his great art.

Though the words were written almost 500 years ago, they are every bit as compelling and relevant today as they were when the Bard first wrote them.

From the dust jacket