Shakespeare's Library: a Collection of the Ancient Novels, Romances, Etc. Used by Shakespeare as the Foundation of His Dramas. Now First Collected, and Accurately Reprinted from the Original Editions: Volume 2

Shakespeare's Library: A Collection Of The Ancient Novels, Romances, Etc. Used By Shakespeare As The Foundation Of His Dramas. Now First Collected, And Accurately Reprinted From The Original Editions" by T. Rodd. This early-edition anthology pairs The Tragicall Historye of Romeus and Iuliet (Brooke’s long verse) with Paynter’s Prose version The goodly hystory of the true and constant love betweene Romeus and Iulietta, both framed by scholarly introduction and notes on their sources and Shakespeare’s dramatic borrowings. The volume traces how the Romeo-and-Juliet story traveled from Bandello and Italian precursors through English renderings, arguing that Shakespeare drew more from Brooke’s lyric verse than Paynter’s prose. Editors compare Brooke’s lush, archaic verse with Paynter’s cleaner prose and explain Malone’s Shakespearean notes. In addition to the central tale, the collection surveys related Renaissance narratives and editorial discussions that illuminate Shakespeare’s sources for Macbeth, Cymbeline, and other plays, highlighting motifs of disguise, feigned death, fidelity, and the cross-cultural journey of these tales.