Shakespeare's plays are famous all over the world in the theatre, in film and in the classroom. What do we know about the man? What kind of life did he have? Who were his friends? Why can we still laugh and suffer with his characters 400 years after his death?

Penguin Readers are simplified texts designed in association with Longman, the world famous educational publisher, to provide a step-by-step approach to the joys of reading for pleasure. Each book has an introduction and extensive activity material. They are published at seven levels from Easystarts (200 words) to Advanced (3000 words)

Introduction
Chapter 1 Stratford Childhood
Chapter 2 A Wife and Children
Chapter 3 The Lost Yeats
Chapter 4 Plague, Poems and a Patron
Chapter 5 Great Success and a Personal Tragedy
Chapter 6 The Globe Theatre
Chapter 7 Hamlet, the Last Comedy and a Lucky Escape
Chapter 8 Towards Tragedy
Chapter 9 Romans, Greeks and a Wedding
Chapter 10 Return to Stratford
,etc.

- level 4 Intermediate (1700 words)
- Originals
- British English