“A remarkably rich and stimulating volume...A unique blending of emotional and intellectual experience.”—Los Angeles TimesHere in one volume are the complete texts of eight of the world’s greatest plays, masterful examples of the comic view of life in drama. This outstanding treasury of great reading includes the bawdy humor of Machiavelli’s Mandragola; the poignant, searching wit of Chekhov’s Uncle Vanya; the ironic social comment of Shaw’s Arms and the Man; and five other influential works, including a new translation of Molière’s satire The Miser, which the editors have prepared especially for this book. Accompanied by provocative essays that define and explore the spirit, structure, and meaning of comedy, this unique volume is an ideal companion to the editors’ Eight Great Tragedies.