Essential Shakespeare Handbook[ ESSENTIAL SHAKESPEARE HANDBOOK ] by Dunton-Downer, Leslie (Author ) on Apr-19-2004 Paperback

by Leslie Dunton-Downer

THE ONE-STOP, SINGLE-VOLUME COMPANION TO SHAKESPEARE'S GREATEST WORKS-HIS HISTORY PLAYS, COMEDIES, TRAGEDIA, ROMANCES, AND POETRYA portrait of Shakespeare's life and critics, contemporaries, patrons, and the era's vibrant theater.Full commentaries on all 39 plays including detailed plot summaries, a survey of dramatic interpretations on stage and screen, and an introduction to Shakespeare's sonnets and narrative poetry.Insight into Shakespeare's unique world, including his language, his sources of inspiration, and teh secret of his enduring universal appeal.

Genres: Shakespeare, Reference, Nonfiction, Classics, Literary Criticism, Literature, Biography

Paperback

First published April 1, 2004

Reviews

[♡ Lisa - Can't talk, reading... ♡ · Rating 4 out of 5]

For some reason I like this book much more than any other Shakespeare reference material I have come across, even though it is introductory and simply an overview. There is something very appealing and engaging about the layout that really makes me want to read it all the time. Each play is summarised along with lots of pictures, quotes and analyses, as well as visual representations with a comparison of prose to verse, and a comparison of the date and length of each play relative to the others.

[Georgi Marrapodi · Rating 5 out of 5]

A full guide of all the Shakespeare works

[Sue Ellen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Essential is right! This is a great resource for students studying Shakespeare for the first (or fiftieth) time, for actors needing a quick context refresher before going to that first read-through, for teachers, theater fans -- really anyone who knows and loves the Bard.

[Landon · Rating 5 out of 5]

You know I have always been a fan of Shakespeare, well more so any Shakespeare. This book is a great way to help you understand Shakespeare's works. This is also good for those in acting school. I think that this book does a good job, the book is a lot handy, compact, illustrated, general, knowledgeable guide to all things Shakespeare, from synopses to performance histories and interpretations to background. This book is excellent for learning about Shakespeare's work It doesn't take the place of reading the actual work, but it is a great book.

[Duncan · Rating 4 out of 5]

As always DK do excellent reference books. One to use again and again.

[Don · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this all the way through. It's not how it's meant to be read, but what the hell.
If you like or want to know more about Shakespeare I feel this invaluable.
It starts out with an overview of the man, the language, the time, and controversies. It's not in great depth, that would be impossible for a book this size. But it gives you an understanding.
The entire book is littered with asides (very Shakespearean, eh?) with tidbits of information.
The play categories are together. Like Comedies, tragedies, etc. and each category begins with an overview of what they are, background, history, etc. Each play has its own section.
Overview, cast descriptions, act summary, followed by "Reading the Play" and "Seeing the Play" where it talks about the text, stage, and film incarnations.
There's also a smattering of images, paintings, drawings, still from movies, plays and TV shows and giving credit to the artist and or actors.
It ends with an overview of his poetry and sonnets then finally the global impact of Shakespeare.

If you are looking for an overview or introductory, or even if you know a lot but you don't want to spend hours with an in-depth book, this is it. I plan on using this as an appetizer before getting into and studying each individual play.

[Galaxy · Rating 4 out of 5]

الكتاب مفيدجدا جدا جدا بيتكلم عن مختصر لحياه شكسبير وتاريخه الادبى وملخص عن اعماله المسرحية والشعرية وانتقاداتها الادبية واهم الاعمال الؤثرة بيها مسرحيا وسنمائيا الكتاب فعلا مفيد وم زى كتب كتير كانت بتتكلم عن اعمال شكسبير مش ممل ابدا والصور والاسلوب مش هيخلوق تزهق هو بس طويل شوية بس عادى عن نفسى قررت اضيفه لمكتبتى

[Anscar · Rating 3 out of 5]

A comprehensive, detailed-but-concise, and insightful summary of each of the plays, as well as some of the history behind their production over the centuries. Just what I was looking for.

[Greg Hamill]

Excellent to have while viewing the historical plays.

[Tatumn Carlisle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Did not finish this one, but I do have plans to come back to it when I have more time on my hands. Very informative, taught me many things I had never learned about Shakespeare in school.

[Grace MacLaine · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received this book as a gift when I was a child fresh from Shakespeare camp (I attended Shakespeare camp for many, many years, and received several Shakespeare related gifts at Christmases and birthdays). And I have to say that I was more into this book than I was into the actual plays. You could look at which female characters had the most lines, which plays had the highest body counts, check to see which Harry Potter actors played different parts (Petunia played Richard II?!?!). I spent hours upon hours poring over this thing throughout elementary and high school.

Then I stopped for awhile (I was too old for that, and watching way too much television besides). But then I started studying Shakespeare in college and found a whole new use for this book. I always use the summaries of the plays, which are clear and easy to use. And they have brief sections on the production history of each play, which was a fantastic starting point for a group project that I did on Othello. But my favorite thing in this book is that they give a percentage breakdown of prose vs. verse for each play (which lets you know what to expect) and they give you a number of lines per act breakdown. I have not been able to find this anywhere else on the vast world wide web and it is great for budgeting your reading. Now, whenever I start a play, I open this up, and it offers a wonderful sense of nostalgia and continuity, while reminding me of how much I've grown.

[David Gray · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an excellent overview of the works and world of Shakespeare. While trying to reduce each play to a 6 or 8 page synopsis is obviously a challenge, this book does a nice job of not just summarizing but also using visual elements and explanatory sections (such as "reading the play," "seeing the play" etc) to provide context for how the play has evolved as has our understanding of it. While some of the visual elements seem a bit contrived, or are more for atmosphere than anything specific to the play, overall not a bad reference.

[talyahbasit · Rating 5 out of 5]

It used to be that for my own part, it was Greek to me. Not so!
This one was a real find, handy packed with blessedly brief yet comprehensive information about the plays, Shakespeare's life, Elizabethan times, everything and anything! Side notes, summaries and yes, pretty pictures present a pleasing portrait.

[Kate · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great reference book -- for each play it offers a synopsis, a list of characters, plot summary by act and then goes on to offer historical analysis. I use it for every Shakespeare play I see; I read it before I go and take it with me to the production. I highly recommend it to anyone who loves Shakespeare but would like a guide. A great resource made by DK!

[Mike Talley Jr · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fantastic and helpful book and companion to the works of Shakespeare. A must have to learn in depth information on all his works.

[Iain Watson]

Essential Shakespeare Handbook by Leslie & Riding Dunton-Downer, Alan (2004)

[♥Xeni♥ · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the best choice for anything Shakespeare you need for school. It seriously has like all the information. And it's published by DK, so there can't be much better.

[Ann · Rating 3 out of 5]

A decent reference book if you just need the highlights.

[Mike · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well-organized, helpful art & photos.

[Lizzytish · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent resource for all things Shakespeare.

[Sue Shewkenek · Rating 5 out of 5]

It is a valuable tool for Shakespeare enthusiasts!

[Ahmed Abd El Nasser]

i want to read it