Antony and Cleopatra

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View books by William Shakespeare.

Arden Shakespeare - Rated
In some respects I think it'd be rather presumptuous of me to attempt to review Shakespeare. Someone so well known and influential wouldn't benefit from my opinions on their work, plus there are more scholarly and concise reviews out there. But I can comment on these Arden versions. Of all the Shakespeare I've read I've always found the Arden copies to be well laid out and to have excellent commentary and notes on the text. They really add to your understanding of Shakespeares outstanding plays and introduce you to the depth in his work. They have superb paper quality and are bound well, withstanding repeated readings and intensive study. For your collection of Shakespeare you can't do much better than Arden publications, some are quite hard to get hold of but it's worth the effort.

Astonishingly powerful - Rated
To me, "Antony and Cleopatra" is up there with "Hamlet", "King Lear" and "As You Like It" at the peak of achievement. As a meditation on age, perception vs. reality and obsession it cannot be beaten, and the force and beauty of the writing (if you haven't read or heard Enobarbus' "The barge she sat in..." speech, then you have no idea how astounding our langauge is) is unparalleled. Do read it: it is simply magnificent.