14 minSummaryRead it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at cost
Audiobook editionPaperback · 6 × 9 in · printing soonHardcover · 6 × 9 in · printing soonAbout this book
A storm breaks near a lonely island, and a wronged magician prepares to face his enemies.
In Tales from Shakespeare, Charles Lamb and Mary Lamb retell twenty plays as clear prose stories. The book opens with The Tempest, where Prospero lives with his daughter Miranda. Elsewhere, Viola survives a shipwreck and takes on a disguise, while Romeo and Juliet fall in love across a bitter family feud.
Love, mistaken identity, jealousy and dangerous choices run through these tales. In The Merchant of Venice, Antonio borrows money so his friend Bassanio can court Portia. The Winter's Tale brings a king's groundless jealousy, while Macbeth faces a prophecy of kingship and Hamlet receives a terrible task from a ghost.
What you’ll discover
- An island after the storm Meet Prospero and Miranda as strangers arrive on the island where they live.
- Love behind a disguise Follow Viola into Twelfth Night, where dressing as a boy entangles her in others' loves.
- Money, friendship and quick thinking Meet Antonio, Shylock and clever Portia in a story where borrowing serves a friend's courtship.
- Choices shadowed by danger Encounter Macbeth's prophecy and Hamlet's terrible task in tales that bring their conflicts into focus.
- A path into the plays Discover the people, quarrels and choices behind plays you may want to explore next.
Who will love it
Readers who enjoy fairy tales and old stories will love this collection, as will those eager to meet Shakespeare's best-known plots. It also suits anyone who likes reading aloud to children.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- The tales open a doorway
- Prospero puts love to the test
- The fairy wood confuses love
- Jealousy turns a household against itself
- Friendship faces betrayal and debt
- Bad judgment threatens those in power
- Hidden identities unsettle love and judgment
- Trust becomes a point of danger
- Recurring ideas connect the tales
Who’s who
- ProsperoThe exiled Duke of Milan, who rules an island through magic and tests his daughter's suitor.
- PortiaA rich heiress of Belmont who dresses as a lawyer to save her husband's friend from a cruel bond.
- BeatriceA quick-witted lady of Messina who trades insults with Benedick and defends her cousin Hero.
- RosalindA banished duke's daughter who dresses as a shepherd boy in the Forest of Arden and teaches Orlando how to woo.
- ViolaA shipwrecked girl who serves Duke Orsino as a page named Cesario while loving him in secret.
- King LearAn aged king who divides his land among his daughters according to their words of love.
- HamletA grieving Danish prince who meets his father's ghost and pretends to be mad.
- IagoAn officer who resents Cassio's promotion and plots to make Othello doubt his wife.
Formats and delivery
- eBook
- On your phone, tablet, computer or Kindle, with the type as large as you like.
- Large-print eBook
- The same book in bigger, clearer type, from the first page.
- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas in about 14 minutes, to read today.
- Paperback
- 6 × 9 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Hardcover
- 6 × 9 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Large print paperback
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Large print hardcover
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
Every printed copy is made when you order it and shipped worldwide; shipping is shown at checkout. The eBook opens when the book texts go online.
How it works
- Start free. Nothing to pay today; the eBook of this book is yours to keep.
- Read and print. 200,000+ classics as eBook, large-print eBook and 15-minute summary, and any book printed at cost as a paperback, hardcover or large print, 5 accounts for the price of one.
- We remind you first. Free for 3 months, and we email you 7 days before your first payment. Then USD 0.14 a day in your first year on the yearly plan and USD 0.27 a day after, or USD 0.66 a day on the monthly plan. Cancel online in two clicks.
Bought on its own? Every eBook and printed book you buy without the plan carries our 30-day money-back guarantee.
25 languages, side by side
Tales from Shakespeare in 25 languages, side by side, paragraph by paragraph, once the book texts are online: the way to learn a language with a book you love.
Tales from Shakespeare
by Charles Lamb; Mary Lamb · 1807
Prospero conjures a storm, Portia argues in a lawyer's robes, and Hamlet meets a ghost in twenty short tales.
ChallengingUnder 2 hours to read20 languages
Learn a language with challenging classicsSpanishFrenchGermanItalianJapanesePortugueseEnglishHow we measure levels
Excellent
Free for 3 months · starts right away, on any device
Read free3 months free · cancel anytimeRenews every year · Cancel anytimeHow it works
- Read, large type too
- 25 languages, side by side
- Print and large print at cost
- 5 accounts for the price of one
“Lamb had the dramatic intellect and taste, perhaps in perfection; of the Epic, he had none at all.”
In short
What would it take to hand Shakespeare to a child? Charles Lamb and his sister Mary Lamb answered by turning twenty of the plays into short prose tales.
Tales from Shakespeare at a glance
- Reading time
- About 3 min3 min fast, 4 min slow
- Length
- 754 words
- Library level
- Challenging long sentences, a rich vocabulary
- First published
- 1807by Charles Lamb; Mary Lamb
Reading time at 238 words a minute (fast 300, slow 200). How long the classics take to read · Updated
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
The Lambs keep Shakespeare's own words
Charles Lamb and Mary Lamb wrote these tales for young readers who could not yet take on the plays. Their preface states the rule they followed. Wherever possible, the words on the page are Shakespeare's own.
When they had to add words to join the scenes into stories, they chose carefully. They avoided words that entered the language after his time.
Renews every year · Cancel anytime
You looked at
Which edition is right for me
- eBook
- On your phone, tablet or computer. Your place follows you, and you can make the type as big as you like.
- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas of the whole book in about 14 minutes. A good first look, or a refresher.
Details
- First published
- 1807
- Language
- English
- Level
- Challenging
Cite this edition
Lamb, Charles, and Mary Lamb. Tales from Shakespeare. Library of Alexandria, 2026, libraryofalexandria.com/products/tales-from-shakespeare.
Lamb, C., & Lamb, M. (2026). Tales from Shakespeare. Library of Alexandria. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/tales-from-shakespeare (Original work published 1807)
Lamb, Charles, and Mary Lamb. Tales from Shakespeare. Library of Alexandria, 2026. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/tales-from-shakespeare.
@book{lamb2026tales,
author = {Lamb, Charles and Lamb, Mary},
title = {Tales from Shakespeare},
publisher = {Library of Alexandria},
year = {2026},
url = {https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/tales-from-shakespeare},
note = {First published 1807}
}
Free gifts
USD 580 in free gifts when you start
Every book in every format and in 25 languages, 5 accounts for the price of one. Nothing to pay today.
- 200,000+ classic eBooksIn 25 languages, side by side
USD 170FREE - Every eBookIn 25 languages, any device
USD 120FREE - 15-minute summariesRead in 25 languages
USD 60FREE - Print at cost, no markupPaperback, hardcover, large print
USD 60FREE - 5 accounts for the price of oneA shelf for everyone at home
USD 170FREE - A part in rebuilding the libraryNew languages and books for all
FREE
Questions about Tales from Shakespeare
Can I read it free?
Yes. The first key idea of the 15-minute summary is free with no sign-up. Start free and the whole book is yours for 3 months, with the eBook to keep, plus 200,000+ more classics and any book printed at cost as a paperback, hardcover or large print. Nothing to pay today: we email you 7 days before your first payment, and you can cancel online in two clicks.
Can I buy the printed book?
Soon. The paperback, hardcover and large print editions are being prepared. Choose Paperback or Hardcover above, leave your email, and we tell you the day you can order it, printed at cost.
How many accounts do I get?
Five, for the price of one: you and 4 more people, each with their own login, shelf and their own place in every book.
Can I cancel anytime?
Yes. Cancel online in two clicks at any time and nothing more is charged. Nothing is charged in your first 3 months, and we email you 7 days before your first payment.
What is Tales from Shakespeare about?
It retells twenty Shakespeare plays as short prose stories, from The Tempest to Pericles. Comedies, romances and tragedies appear in turn, each in a few pages, using many of Shakespeare's own words.
Who wrote Tales from Shakespeare?
Charles Lamb and his sister Mary Lamb wrote it. Mary is generally credited with the comedies and Charles with the tragedies. They meant it as an introduction to Shakespeare for young readers.
Which plays are in Tales from Shakespeare?
It covers twenty plays, including The Tempest, A Midsummer Night's Dream, The Merchant of Venice, As You Like It, King Lear, Macbeth, Romeo and Juliet, Hamlet, Othello and Pericles.
The author
Charles Lamb
1775–1834 · English essayist and poet
Charles Lamb (1775–1834) was an English essayist and poet. He was born in London and died in Edmonton, then in Middlesex. He worked as a clerk for the East India Company. With his sister Mary Lamb, he wrote Tales from Shakespeare, published in 1807. His Essays of Elia appeared in 1823.
“so shines a good deed in a wicked world”
More like this
Our mission
The library burned once. We are building it back.
Every great book, in every language and every format, for every family. Every plan helps pay for new languages and books for readers who have never had them. Join the movement.
Read our story- Every language25 languages today, side by side, and more every year
- No wastePrinted on demand: no warehouses, no unsold stock, no pulped copies
- For everyonePaperback, hardcover and large print at the cost of printing
