Shakespeare’s European Tragedies is a translation of those tragedies Shakespeare set in European countries other than Great Britain. The translations stand on their own without the original text so that they may be read quickly and easily, eliminating the need to search for the meaning of every second word. They are also supplemented by notes specifi c to each play about the world in which Shakespeare lived. Jeanne Arthur’s translations bring a lively, vivid, new approach to Shakespeare’s dialogue for twenty fi rst century people. The tragedies Shakespeare set in Europe reveal his audience’s interest in the ancient Greek and Roman world. They include The Tragedy of Troylus and Cressida, which is based in part on Homer’s The Iliad, The Tragedy of Julius Caesar and The Tragedy of Anthony and Cleopatra. They also include what would have been more contemporary plays for his audience such as The Tragedy of Othello, the Moor from Venice set in the war between the Turks and Venetians over Cyprus in the fi fteenth century and The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet set in Verona, a city in Italy that was full of warring families. Old plays set in the past written in sixteenth century English come alive in this new translation written for twenty fi rst century people.