The purpose of this edition is to help the student to read Shakespeare's comedy with as much as easy as possible and to understand it. With this purpose in mind the notes include brief comments on the historical and literary background of the play as it is referred to in the text, but concentrate on the actual language of the play, translating difficult passages into present-day English, drawing the reader's attention to Shakespeare's imagery, explaining difficult or archaic words, commenting on the numerous puns, so characteristic of the play, and of the period when it was written.
Throughout, the aim has been to enable students to read the play uninterrupted by lengthy explanations, and so to help them to follow comedy of mistaken identity, of true and imagined love, and to appreciate the sheer beauty of Shakespeare's language as well as his skill in creating wonderfully vived characters who speak to us across the centuries.