Three Roman plays: Julius Caesar, Anthony and Cleopatra and Coriolanus - William Shakespeare

‘My intent is not to write histories, but only lives...’

‘For the noblest deeds do not always show men’s virtues and vices, but oftentimes a light occasion, a word, or some sport, makes men’s natural dispositions and manners appear more plain than the famous battles won.’ So wrote the classical biographer Plutarch, and Shakespeare’s discovery of his Lives – the source of these Roman plays – marked one of the great turning points in his career.

While Julius Caesar and Coriolanus are concentrated on the city of Rome, the epic love affair of Antony and Cleopatra extends across the Empire. Each of these plays is profoundly concerned with political action, with the relation between the political and the personal. Shakespeare, like Plutarch, closely scrutinizes his heroes and compels us to question what sort of men they are.

In this collection each play is accompanied by notes and an introduction, making this edition of particular value to students and theatre-goers.