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In Shakespeare's day, gaining greater access to his plays meant duking it out with the other "groundlings" for the best view of the stage. It took centuries for the modern printing press to bring plays like Hamlet to people all around the world – and for the Bard to become one of the most quoted writers in history.

Now Shakespeare's oeuvre is even more accessible. Search within Hamlet for "to be or not to be" to read the rest of his famous soliloquy. Find out who called the world his "oyster" and why. Browse through a familiar play – or follow your curiosity to discover a new one. And if you decide you want to buy a copy, "All editions" will show you every version in Google Book Search, many of which are available for purchase.


The Comedy of Errors
"Time is a very bankrupt, and owes more than he's worth, to season.
Nay, he's a thief too: have you not heard men say
That Time comes stealing on by night and day?"
All editions

Love's Labor's Lost
"O, they have lived long on the alms-basket of words.
I marvel thy master hath not eaten thee for a word;
for thou art not so long by the head as
honorificabilitudinitatibus: thou art easier
swallowed than a flap-dragon."
All editions

The Two Gentlemen of Verona
"O heaven! were man
But constant, he were perfect. That one error
Fills him with faults; makes him run through all the sins:
Inconstancy falls off ere it begins."
All editions

The Taming of the Shrew
"Content you, gentlemen. I will compound this strife.
‘Tis deeds must win the prize, and he of both
That can assure my daughter greatest dower
Shall have my Bianca’s love."
All editions

A Midsummer Night's Dream
"I know a bank where the wild thyme blows,
Where oxlips and the nodding violet grows,
Quite over-canopied with luscious woodbine,
With sweet musk-roses and with eglantine."
All editions

The Merchant of Venice
"The devil can cite Scripture for his purpose.
An evil soul producing holy witness
Is like a villain with a smiling cheek,
A goodly apple rotten at the heart:
O, what a goodly outside falsehood hath!"
All editions
Much Ado about Nothing
"That a woman conceived me, I thank her; that she
Brought me up, I likewise give her most humble thanks:
But that I will have a recheat winded in my forehead, or hang my bugle
In an invisible baldrick, all women shall pardon me."
All editions

The Merry Wives of Windsor
"Why then, the world's mine oyster,
Which I with sword will open.
I will retort the sum in equipage."
All editions

As You Like It
"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."
All editions

Twelfth Night; or What You Will
"Be not afraid of greatness.
Some are born great, some achieve greatness,
and some have greatness thrust upon 'em."
All editions

All's Well That Ends Well
"Moderate lamentation is the right of the dead,
excessive grief the enemy to the living."
All editions

Measure For Measure
"Some rise by sin, and some by virtue fall:
Some run from breaks of ice, and answer none;
And some condemned for a fault alone."
All editions

Troilus and Cressida
"They say all lovers swear more performance than they are able
and yet reserve an ability that they never perform,
vowing more than the perfection of ten
and discharging less than the tenth part of one."
All editions


Note that some print versions of Shakespeare's plays may not be in the public domain everywhere in the world. Where copyright status is in question, the publication will not appear in Full Book View. We hope you bear with us as we confirm the status and, whenever appropriate, change the display.

Other ways to explore Shakespeare:

Looking for more resources on Shakespeare? Try searching the web.
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To connect with fellow Shakespeare enthusiasts, visit Google Groups.
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To browse images, visit Google Image Search.
For the latest articles on Shakespeare, try Google News.

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