Shakespeares Plutarch

This volume presents Sir Thomas North's sixteenth-century translation of Plutarch's Lives of Julius Caesar, Brutus, Marcus Antonius and Coriolanus, collating them with extracts from the Shakespeare plays for which they were the main sources. The translations, once described as 'worthy to stand with Malory's Morte d'Arthur on either side the English Bible', are in themselves a great read. Plutarch's understanding of character and North's vigorous use of the English language ensure that for anyone who has sensed the creative vitality of the great plays, this volume offers an exciting opportunity to explore their workmanship.