The Complete Works of William Shakespeare

The Alexander Text

William Shakespeare, Prof. Peter Alexander

• Publisher: Collins
• Year: 2011
• Print ISBN:
  9780007208319
• eBook ISBN:
  9780007386956
• Topic: Social Sciences
• Subtopic: Literary Biographies
• Index: Social Sciences

The Complete Works of Shakespeare contains the recognized canon of the bard's plays, and his sonnets and poems. The texts were edited by the late Professor Peter Alexander, making it one of the most authoritative editions, recognized the world over for its clarity and scholarship.

Described in the Guardian on its first publication in 1951 as 'a symbol in the history of our national culture', the Collins edition of the Complete Works of William Shakespeare, edited by the late Professor Peter Alexander, has long been established as one of the most authoritative editions of Shakespeare's works, and was chosen by the BBC as the basis for its televised cycle of the plays.

The book starts with two specially written articles – a biography of Shakespeare by Germaine Greer and a wide-ranging introduction to Shakespeare theatre by the late Anthony Burgess. Each play is also introduced by academics from Glasgow University, where Professor Alexander undertook his editing.

New to this edition is an internet resources section, providing details of the most useful Shakespeare websites. In addition, the invaluable glossary of over 2,500 entries explaining the meaning of obsolete words and phrases (complete with line references) has been expanded and redesigned to make it much easier to use.

Glossary

abate to shorten, Mid. N. Dr., 3.ii.432, to except, L. Lab. Lost, 5.ii.540; to lessen, Tam. Shrew, Ind. i.135.

abhor to disgust, Oth., 4.ii.163; shudder from, Mer. Wives Win., 3.v.14; to reject, Hen. 8, 2.iv.81.

abject adj., despised, Hen. 8, 1.i.127: servile, Mer. Ven., 4.i.92; noun, contemptible thing, Jul. Caes., 4.i.37.

abode to foretell, Hen. 8, 1.i.93.

abortives untimely births, John, 3.iv.158.

abram auburn, Cor., 2.iii.18.

abridgement what cuts short or passes the time, Ham., 2.ii.415; Mid. N. Dr.. 5.i.39.

abrook to tolerate, 2 Hen. 6. 2.iv.10.

abruption abrupt breaking off, Troil. and Cres., 3.ii.63.

Absey-book a book to teach the ABC of a subject, John, 1.i.196.

absolute perfect, Hen. 5, 3.vii.25; positive, Ham. 5.i.133; decided, M. Meas., 3.i.5.

aby to pay penalty for, Mid. N. Dr., 3.ii.175.

accite to summon, Titus, 1.i.27; to excite, 2 Hen. 4, 2.ii.56.

accommodate to furnish or equip, 2 Hen. 4, 3.ii.65.

accomplice comrade (but not in crime), 1 Hen. 6, 5.ii.9.

accomplish to arm completely, Hen. 5, 4. Prol. 12; to furnish, Rich. 2, 2.i.177.

ache pronounced ‘aitch’ at Much Ado, 3.iv.48, where it is represented by H.

Acheron one of the five rivers of the lower world, but called a lake at Titus, 4.iii.44; stands for hell itself at Mac, 3.v.15.

acknown be not acknown, admit no knowledge of, Oth., 3.iii.323.

aconitum poison from wolf s-bane, 2 Hen. 4, 4.iv.48.

action-taking sheltering behind the law, Lear, 2.ii.16.

acture action, Lov. Comp., 185.

Adam (i) the picture of old Adam, because the officer had a coat of strong leather, and Adam, after the Fall, wore skins, Com. Err., 4.iii.13.. (ii) Adam Bell, famous as an archer, Much Ado, 1.i.224; Rom. and Jul., 2.i.13.

adamant very hard substance, 1 Hen. 6, 1.iv.52; lode-stone, Mid. N. Dr., 2.i.195.

addiction natural inclination, Oth., 2.ii.5.

addition description or title acquired by habits or service, Troil. and Cres., 2.iii.241.

address to prepare, As You Like, 5.iv.150; to equip, Troil. and Cres., 5.x.14.

admiral flagship, Ant. and Cleo., 3.X.2.

advertisement information, warning, 1 Hen. 4, 3.ii.172; All’s Well, 4.iii.197.

advice thought, Two Gent. Ver., 2.iv.203, 204.

aedile Roman official responsible for public order and public works, Cor., 3.i.172.

aery nest and young of eagle, Rich. 3, 1.iii.264; applied to the young actors of the boys’ companies, Ham., 2.ii.335.

affect aim at, Cor., 3.iii.1; love, Tw. Night, 2.v.22.

affection affectation, L. Lab. Lost, 5.i.4.

affeer confirm, Mac, 4.iii.34.

affiance trust, Cym., 1.vi.162.

affront to meet, confront. Ham., 3.i.31.

affy to trust, betroth, Titus, 4.i.47; Tam. Shrew, 4.iv.49.

agate small figure like that cut on stone of seal-ring, 2 Hen. 4, 1.ii.16.

Agenor King of Tyre and father of Europa, Tam. Shrew., 1.i.163.

aglet-baby small figure on lace-tag, Tam. Shrew., 1.ii.77.

agnize acknowledge, Oth., 1.iii.231.

a-hold directly into the wind, Tern., 1.i.46.

aim conjecture, Oth. 1.iii.6; term of encouragement, John, 2.i.196.

Ajax Greek hero before Troy with more brawn than brains, Troil. and Cres., 2.i.70; with pun (see jakes), L. Lab. Lost, 5.ii.572.

alderliefest dearest of all, 2 Hen. 6, 1.i.28.

Alecto one of the Furies, 2 Hen. 4, 5.v.37.

a-life dearly, Win. Tale, 4.iv.255.

All-hallond eve eve of All Saints’ day, M. Meas., 2.i.120.

All-haliowmas 1st Nov., Mer. Wives Win., 1.i.185.

All-hallown summer summer lasting into winter and so vigour of manhood in age, 1 Hen. 4, 1.ii.153.

all hid hide and seek, L. Lab. Lost, 4.iii.74.

allicholy melancholy, Mer. Wives Win., 1.iv.238.

Almain German, Oth., 2.iii.77.

alms drink taken on another’s behalf, Ant. and Cleo., 2.vii.5.

ames-ace both aces, lowest throw with two dice, All’s Well, 2.iii.77.

amort all amort, almost dead, Tam. Shrew, 4.iii.36.

anchor hermit, Ham., 3.ii.214.

ancient from ensign or standard-bearer, Oth., 1.i.33.

angel gold coin stamped with image of angel, worth about ten shillings, Mer. Ven., 2.vii.55–7.

Anthropophagi cannibals, Oth., 1.iii.144; Anthropopfwginian, Mer. Wives Win., 4.v.8.

antic odd, unusual, Ham., 1.v.172.

antre cave, Oth., 1.iii.140.

appellant challenger, Rich. 2, 1.iii.4.

apple-john a sound but wither’d-looking apple, 1 Hen. 4, 3.iii.4.

aqua-vitae whisky, Mer. Wives Win., 2.ii.271.

Aquilon north wind, Troil. and Cres., 4.v.9.

Arabian bird phoenix, Ant. and Cleo., 3.ii.12.

arch patron, Lear, 2.i.59.

argal, argo ergo, therefore, Ham., 5.i.12.

Ariachne Arachne, changed to a spider for pride in her weaving by Athene, Troil. and Cres., 5.ii.150.

arm-gaunt (doubtful), Ant. and Cleo., 1.v.48.

armipotent strong in arms, L. Lab. Lost., 5.ii.636.

aroint away! Mac, 1.iii.6.

Arthur (i) Arthur’s show, display of archery by London company called Prince Arthur’s Knights, 2 He...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title Page
• Contents
• The Contributors
• Reading Shakespeare Today
• William Shakespeare
• Shakespeare’s Theatre
• The Alexander Text
• Introduction to the 1951 Edition
• The Preliminary Matter to the First Folio (1623)
• The Tempest
• The Two Gentlemen of Verona
• The Merry Wives of Windsor
• Measure for Measure
• The Comedy of Errors
• Much Ado About Nothing
• Love’s Labour’s Lost
• A Midsummer Night’s Dream
• The Merchant of Venice
• As You Like It
• The Taming of the Shrew
• All’s Well That Ends Well
• Twelfth Night
• The Winter’s Tale
• King John
• King Richard the Second
• The First Part of King Henry the Fourth
• The Second Part of King Henry the Fourth
• King Henry the Fifth
• The First Part of King Henry the Sixth
• The Second Part of King Henry the Sixth
• The Third Part of King Henry the Sixth
• King Richard the Third
• King Henry the Eighth
• Troilus and Cressida
• Coriolanus
• Titus Andronicus
• Romeo and Juliet
• Timon of Athens
• Julius Caesar
• Macbeth
• Hamlet
• King Lear
• Othello
• Antony and Cleopatra
• Cymbeline
• Pericles, Prince of Tyre
• Shakespeare’s Poems
• Venus and Adonis
• The Rape of Lucrece
• The Sonnets
• A Lover’s Complaint
• The Passionate Pilgrim
• The Phoenix and Turtle
• Appendix
• Glossary
• Shakespearian websites
• Copyright
• About the Publisher