William Shakespeare, long hailed as the history's greatest dramatic writer, has been lauded for his mastery of poetic expression, his insight into the human condition and his deep exploration into the psyche and motivations of his characters.

These skills are perhaps best encapsulated in the monologues he gives his various protagonists, villains and bit players. From the murderous Lady Macbeth, planning to assassinate the king to advance her husband's career, to the droll, melancholy Jacques from "As You Like It" ticking off the Seven Ages of Man, to Edmund the Bastard in "King Lear," bemoaning his second class status as an illegitimate child to the young lover Helena, railing against the seeming cruelty of her bewitched friends in "A Midsummer Night's Dream," Shakespeare's monologues are short distillations of his larger themes - love and loss, fairness and inequity, power and envy, lust and purity.

Fort Raphael Publishing is proud to present, in this first volume, some of Shakespeare's greatest monologues, each of which captures a shining, brilliant moment from his plays that gives us a deeper understanding of each character, whether flattering, damning or inspiring. Enjoy this collection of monologues - performed by some of the finest classical actors in the world - from the greatest theatrical writer in the English language, William Shakespeare.