Upon publication in 1997, The Norton Shakespeare set a new standard for teaching editions of Shakespeare´s complete works. Instructors and students worldwide welcomed the fresh scholarship, lively and accessible introductions, helpful marginal glosses and notes, readable single-column format, all designed in support of the goal of the Oxford text: to bring the modern reader closer than before possible to Shakespeare´s plays as they were first acted. Now, under Stephen Greenblatt´s direction, the editors have considered afresh each introduction and all of the apparatus to make the Second Edition an even better teaching tool.