Shakespeare's European Tragedies is a translation of those tragedies Shakespeare
set in European countries other than Great Britain. The translations stand
on their own without the original text so that they may be read quickly and
easily, eliminating the need to search for the meaning of every second word.
They are also supplemented by notes specifi c to each play about the world in
which Shakespeare lived. Jeanne Arthur's translations bring a lively, vivid,
new approach to Shakespeare's dialogue for twenty fi rst century people.
The tragedies Shakespeare set in Europe reveal his audience's interest in
the ancient Greek and Roman world. They include The Tragedy of Troylus
and Cressida, which is based in part on Homer's The Iliad, The Tragedy of
Julius Caesar and The Tragedy of Anthony and Cleopatra. They also include
what would have been more contemporary plays for his audience such as The
Tragedy of Othello, the Moor from Venice set in the war between the Turks
and Venetians over Cyprus in the fi fteenth century and The Tragedy of Romeo
and Juliet set in Verona, a city in Italy that was full of warring families. Old
plays set in the past written in sixteenth century English come alive in this
new translation written for twenty fi rst century people.
