The four plays selected for this collection--The Taming of the Shrew, A Midsummer Nights Dream, Twelfth Night, and The Tempest--represent a significant stage in the development of the worlds greatest dramatist. nFour of the Bards most famous comedies--including The Taming of the Shrew, A Midsummer Nights Dream, Twelfth Night, and The Tempest. nComedies, as one of William Shakespeares contemporaries wrote, begin in trouble and end in peace. This is certainly true of the four masterworks selected for this collection, each of which represents a significant stage in the Bards development as a writer. Reading these plays, we sample the whole comic spectrum of the Elizabethan world. n nThis comedy collection in the Signet Classics Shakespeare series includes: n n- An overview of William Shakespeares life, world, and theater n- A special introduction by the series general editor, Sylvan Barnet n- Reliable texts by noted Shakespeare scholars n- Text, notes, and commentaries printed in the clearest, most readable format n- Recommended readingsn