Shakespeare für Dummies

by John Doyle, Ray Lischner

" Shakespeare For Dummies is exquisite."--from the Foreword by Dame Judi Dench, star of "Mrs. Brown" and "Shakespeare in Love" "What the film Shakespeare in Love has done to make Shakespeare the man accessible to a general audience, this book will do to make Shakespeare the writer enjoyable."--Charlotte J.Headrick, PhD, Professor and Director, Theater Arts, Oregon State UniversityDoes the thought of sitting through A Midsummer Night's Dream give you nightmares? Did Romeo and Juliet seem like a foreign film--without the subtitles? As John Doyle and Ray Lischner prove in this uniquely accessible guide, Shakespeare is not only the greatest writer who ever lived, he's also a great entertainer--once you get a handle on his wild plots and witty wordplay. Under their guidance, you'Go inside an Elizabethan theater--and find out how they managed with almost no seats, no roof and no women onstage Get a handle on Shakespeare's language--including all those racy puns and jokes Maximize your enjoyment of his plays and poetry Identify contemporary idioms and phrases that come from Shakespeare's plays Find Shakespeare festivals and performances in your area Catch ten of the best show ever made of the Bard's plays and meet ten of the greatest Shakespearean actors of all time In simple, straightforward language, this friendly guide eases you into the wild, wonderful world of Shakespeare. With the help of snappy summaries and scorecards that help you keep track of who's who, who's in love with whom, and who's killed whom in every play, it helps Understand Shakespeare the person, his life and times and what makes him so special Make sense of Shakespearean language and why it sounds the way it does Get the inside track on the kinds of stories, characters and settings found in Shakespeare's plays Appreciate Shakespeare's sonnets and other non-dramatic poetry A royal feast for the head and heart, Shakespeare's works have been thrilling audiences for four centuries, as they will four hundred years from now. Now let Shakespeare For Dummies help you to enjoy one the world's great literary treasures.

Genres: Nonfiction, Shakespeare, Reference, Classics, History, Plays, Literature

Unknown Binding

First published April 30, 1999

Reviews

[Jim Cook · Rating 5 out of 5]

Now that I have finished reading this introduction to Shakespeare’s life, times, and works I can vouch that it is a wonderful and surprising book. Surprising: it only cost 50 cents (at the thrift store). Wonderful: it was very well written, thoughtfully organized, and comprehensive.

It includes biographical and historical information about Shakespeare and the context of his writings. It also includes detailed comments about and summaries of all 37 plays. It includes interesting (and amusing) chapters explaining how to read aloud, and comprehend, Shakespeare’s English and how to actively watch his plays. The authors even provide detailed score cards for each performance you watch to help you “score” them, if that is what you would like to do. Wow!

In the past, I have only read (and observed) Shakespeare’s histories and tragedies, but I'm now reading one of his comedies, “All’s Well That Ends Well” written in c1600. Maybe I'll write about that very bizarre play about love when I finish reading it!

[Diana Long · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read my first Shakespeare play two years ago, at 65 and I have been flailing about trying to make sense of it all. I received this gem as a Christmas gift this year and have read it cover to cover. What a great resource this book is! The authors have such a great sense of humor and I am delighted with this book. In the year ahead I hope to tackle all of the works of Shakespeare in as many different forms as possible. So thank you authors for making this old lady one happy camper. I would highly recommend this for everyone of any age.

[Claudia · Rating 5 out of 5]

concise, clear & overall enjoyable to read

[Margaret Harris · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was an interesting read, although it turns out that by leaving out the poetry of Shakespeare, one is left with a lot of murder and mayhem. Even the love stories often come with tragedy. Nor do these Dummy summaries endear us to the long, long line of English kings, princes, dukes, earls, lords, sirs, and other royal whatevers. I nonetheless appreciate the cheat sheets, humbly accepting my literary ignorance in the interest of time saved from struggle through the poetry of the real thing. And the editors helpfully add explanations and summations of background about what is known about Shakespeare’s works in the context of 16th and 17th century English times. In summation, the book’s contents are very much what classroom teachers of literature should incorporate to help strengthen their students’ appreciation for Shakespeare’s works.

The volume is an excellent reference guide and a worthy publishing endeavor. I am grateful for it.

[Grehgarious · Rating 3 out of 5]

I hear Shakespeare cited in popular culture all the time (especially in comedy) but never read more than one of the plays in high-school. These "for dummies" books always intrigued me, and this one stuck out in my mind from my youth (it's 20 years old, yikes!). I assume this was some kind of midlife thing - going back to resolve "blind spots" from yesteryear. There wasn't as much analysis per story as I was expecting, but it was nicely written and I do feel more informed. If I don't get cultural references now, at least I tried :)

[Shannon · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have quite a few books on Shakespeare but this book is easily my favourite. It's been with me for over 6 years and I have read it cover to cover around 5 times. I love how this book is so full of humour and sarcasm - the perfect way to learn about Shakespeare in my opinion.
(Review is based on a newer edition than seen in the picture)

[Lynette Caulkins · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good little aid for folks who want to read or watch Shakespeare. Gives easily understood synopsis and explanation for each of the plays. Not what you're looking for if you want any in-depth discussion.

[Samuel Lingo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very helpful.

[K. · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a fantastic tool! I don't often go for "dummies" books, I slightly resent being called one; but in the case of Shakespeare, I can use all the help I can get. I am very pleased with the materials presented in this book.

The author really did a fine job here. There is quite a bit of information that will be very useful to me when teaching a Shakespeare/acting class this next school year (2012-2013). I recommend that any of you reading this, who have kids in the class, purchase this book as a reference (not only for class next year, but just for your own family education).

5 stars for all helpful material. I did not read the play summaries, so I can't rate them in truth.

There are several parts to this book useful to students or other interested parties:

-What Makes Shakespeare Special
+Meet Will Shakespeare
+Will's World
+Shakespeare in the Modern World
I appreciated that in this book the author mostly avoided controversy and speculation. Not that those things don't have their place when studying Shakespeare, but we didn't need it here in what is definitely an introduction and guide to better appreciation.

-You Call That English?
+Why Does Everyone Talk So Funny?
+Did You Hear The One About...?
+How to Read Shakespeare's English
This section is incredibly helpful, probably the most helpful of the book. I appreciated the advice for a better understanding and some of the activities to help you to "get it." I also appreciated that the author, although he explained what many of Shakespeare's jokes are about, didn't go into detail. This makes it a perfectly appropriate book for any age or level of primness.

-The Play's the Thing
+Once Upon a Time
+Shakespeare's People: Characters, Actors, & Audiences
+Use Your Imagination
+Reading a Play
+At the Theater
Again, some really nice information about the types of plays written by Shakespeare, about plays in general and how sometimes Shakespeare followed Aristotle's rules (which were fairly universally followed during the Renaissance) and how mostly he didn't. How best to get the idea of Shakespeare (reading aloud or seeing) etc. Good job!

The rest of the book was filled with play summaries, some information on the poems & sonnets and some trivia and such.

Definitely worth the time and money (which wasn't considerable in either case).

[M. Adela · Rating 5 out of 5]

The "for Dummies" books are awesome at putting things into layman's terms. This is especially true of Shakespeare, where the language barrier can be really intimidating to those first attempting to read the bard's many plays.

Short of actually seeing Shakespeare performed/read aloud, this is a great way to wrap your head around the many plays and sonnets. I particularly like how it's all broken down by genre, with great tables/charts (death sheets, character outlines, etc). It's a good way to wrap your head around some of the convoluted parts in Shakespeare's writing, so you can really focus on the works themselves.

[Samantha · Rating 4 out of 5]

I decided to read up on my Shakespeare, and this book turned out to be really helpful. There are summaries for all Shakespeare's plays (broken down into sections for Comedy, History and Tragedy). This was great, since I have to read Othello for college pretty soon.

Very useful book for understanding and enjoying Shakespeare.

To read a longer review for this book and other reviews, check out my blog:
The Real World According To Sam

[Catherine Jaime · Rating 5 out of 5]

While I'm not particularly a fan of the "...for Dummies" titles, I am certainly a fan of the series. I bought this book on a recommendation from a friend after reading and teaching Shakespeare for several years. It was great! John goes through each play, act by act, and explain who is doing what to whom! A very nice overview of each play.

[Selena · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a pretty nice tool for those who are interested in Shakespeare. It includes lots of useful material including "score cards" for each play (to keep tabs on the characters) and an explanation of the language conventions (thee & thow - why each is used and when.) As is often the case with books of this kind, it is not meant to be read straight through, but used as a reference.

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this before starting the Complete Works of Shakespeare. I think it was wise to get an idea of how to proceed. So here I go into the mass of great writing. "Tomorrow, and tomorrow and tomorrow...."

[Bill Pletke · Rating 5 out of 5]

I admit, the Bards work is sometimes a bit too much for my feeble brain. It's an fine introduction. If I ever make it to jeopardy I'll be prepared.

[Brent · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun, and informative. Everything you want from a book for dummies.

[Gwenette · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was co-copyeditor for this book. It was a fun project, considering how much I love the Bard.

[Lisa Daleiden-Brugman · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good reference book if you were not an English major and need the basics.