The Narrative Poems

'Love surfeits not; lust like a glutton dies.Love is all truth, lust full of forgèd lies.'Love, lust, greed, grief, envy, ecstasy—Shakespeare's Venus and Adonis and Lucrece map and exhibit the full spectrum of emotion (human, divine, animal, and even vegetal). Written early in his career, these narrative poems were box-office sensations that defined Shakespeare as an author; in his lifetime, Venus proved to be his best-selling work, and Lucrece his most quoted. As well as exploring the poems in their literary and cultural contexts, this Oxford World's Classic edition highlights issues of environment, gender, sexuality, violence, and art that made these works so popular among their earliest readers, and which make them feel timely still.The New Oxford Shakespeare offers authoritative editions of Shakespeare's works with introductory materials designed to encourage new interpretations of the plays and poems. Using the text from the landmark The New Oxford Shakespeare Complete Works: Modern Critical Edition, these volumes offer readers the latest thinking on the authentic texts (collated from all surviving original versions of Shakespeare's work) alongside innovative introductions from leading scholars. The texts are accompanied by a comprehensive set of critical apparatus to give readers the best resources to help understand and enjoy Shakespeare's work.ABOUT THE SERIES: For over 100 years Oxford World's Classics has made available the widest range of literature from around the globe. Each affordable volume reflects Oxford's commitment to scholarship, providing the most accurate text plus a wealth of other valuable features, including expert introductions by leading authorities, helpful notes to clarify the text, up-to-date bibliographies for further study, and much more.