How To Quote Shakespeare In Everyday Life

by Michael Denomme

This is a playful book that is tailor-made for readers who want an unstuffy, unpretentious way of enjoying Shakespeare’s extraordinary words and imagery. The book demonstrates in a very practical way that Shakespeare, with his richness of language and psychological insight, is surprisingly adaptable to modern times. Writing in a breezy and humorous style, the author presents nearly 150 scenarios that depict modern life - from working for an odious boss to vacationing in an island paradise, from romancing till dawn to picking up after the kids. But now, rather than reacting to these experiences with trite expressions, the reader has a treasure-trove of over four hundred Shakespearean quotations to enrich these moments in amusing, poignant, even sublime ways. Accompanying every quotation in the book is an “everyday English” translation, a remarkable feature that makes it incredibly easy to understand and select the right quotation to fit the circumstance. In addition, a detailed table of contents and a comprehensive index enable readers to readily match scenarios and quotations with their personal life experiences. The book concludes with a tour de force entitled “Fifty Ways To Love Your Shakespeare,” which leaves readers thoroughly convinced that, rather than putting Shakespeare on a pedestal, they need to start putting him where he belongs – on the tip of their tongues.

219 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 24, 2016

Reviews

[Mills · Rating 3 out of 5]

Alas the amount of people appreciative of Shakespearean panache in my social network is very small and my attempts to change that have largely been met with blank stares. Is this a good place to throw in a "nevertheless she persisted?" We'll see.

The tone/language/humour used for the modern (ish) examples felt like something I'd expect to hear from my boomer father. Perhaps I would have found this more relatable and amusing if I fit this demographic - and its experiences - more closely. As it stands, I found How To Quote Shakespeare In Everyday Life interesting in its reminders of some Shakespeare I had forgotten or not come across, rather than particularly funny.

Still, I have a message for the author - I appreciate this idea and hope you enjoyed writing it as much as I suspect.