Andrew Matthews

A lively retelling of Shakespeare's famous work about the foolish ways people behave when they're in love.

The course of true love never did run smooth. A magical retelling of Hermia, Helen, Demetrius and Lysander's classic story - and of the impish fairy Puck, who meddles in their tangled web of love with hilarious consequences.

Antony and Cleopatra is a brilliant drama of love and war by William Shakespeare. Hailed as one of his greatest tragedies, the play is set in ancient Rome and Egypt, and portrays actual events from Roman history. It revolves around its two main characters, Antony, a Roman General, and Cleopatra, the Queen of Egypt. Antony falls in love with Cleopatra, and throughout the play remains torn between his duty and his love for her.

Duke Senior, exiled from court, takes refuge in the Forest of Arden with a group of loyal lords. Here, life is simple and peaceful - unlike life back at court, where Ferdinand's daughter, Rosalind, is tormented by her uncle, Duke Frederick. She decides to seek out her father in the forest, disguising herself as a boy for safety, but this creates all sorts of problems when she runs into her love, Orlando!

Murder most foul... An action-packed retelling of Shakespeare's dark tale of revenge and murder.

King Henry V is new to the throne and declares war on France, England's old enemy, to prove his military strength. As the country prepares for battle, will the young king accomplish the unthinkable - victory on French soil, against an army that outnumbers his troops ten to one?

Rome's greatest general, Julius Caesar, returns to the city celebrating a glorious victory. But among the cheering crowds a group of conspirators are determined to prevent Caesar becoming king.

Foolish and bad-tempered, King Lear divides the kingdom between his two wicked daughters, disowns his honest youngest daughter and banishes his friends. As the kingdom falls apart and Lear's humiliation turns him mad, will he finally realise what he has done? With Notes on Shakespeare and the Globe Theatre and Chaos and Old Age in King Lear.
The tales have been retold using accessible language and with the help of Tony Ross's engaging black-and-white illustrations, each play is vividly brought to life allowing these culturally enriching stories to be shared with as wide an audience as possible.

Have you read all of The Shakespeare Stories books? Available in this series: A Midsummer Night's Dream, Macbeth, Romeo and Juliet, The Tempest, Hamlet, Twelfth Night, Antony and Cleopatra, Much Ado About Nothing, The Merchant of Venice, Henry V, Julius Caesar, As You Like It, Othello, The Taming of the Shrew, Richard III, and King Lear.

Out, damned spot! A brilliant retelling of this classic tale of witches, murder and madness.

I will wear my heart upon my sleeve for daws to peck at... A great retelling of this tragic tale of jealousy and human frailty.

Two royal families - the Yorks and the Lancasters - have been fighting for the right to rule England for many years. Finally, King Edward IV takes the throne for the House of York, but Edward's younger brother, Richard, is jealous. Malicious, power-hungry, and bitter about his physical deformity, Richard plans to take the crown for himself - and kill anyone who stands in his way.

But soft, what light through yonder window breaks? It is the east, and Juliet is the sun... A beautiful retelling of Shakespeare's most famous love story.

Lovely Bianca has a queue of admirers anxious to marry her. But her older sister, Katharina, must get married first. Katharina has such a fiery temper she is known as "the shrew", and no man is brave enough to propose. Can Petruchio tame her with his outrageous behaviour?

A charming retelling of this magical tale of power and justice.

Twins cause trouble in this classic Shakespeare comedy!