How to Read Shakespeare

by Maurice Charney

How to Read Shakespeare offers an approach to Shakespeare through reading and seeing his plays. The assumption is that Shakespeare's plays are fully comprehensible to modern readers and theater-goers and that they can be thoroughly enjoyed. The author approaches the plays creatively without the barriers of academic study. Some of the specific topics studied are Dramatic Conventions, The Poetry of the Theater, Shakespeare's Characters, Structure and Dramatic Scene, The Presented Text, and The World of the Theatrical Significances. How to Read Shakespeare encourages readers to develop their histrionic imagination.

Genres: Shakespeare

Paperback

First published January 1, 1971

Reviews

[Liquidlasagna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Introduction
1 Shakespeare's Career
2 The Presented Play Text and Subtext
3 Dramatic Conventions
4 The Poetry of the Theatre: Genre, Languag and Imagery
5 Shakespeare's Characters: Style and Morality
6 Structure and Dramatic Scene
7 The World of the Play: Theatrical Significances
Conclusion
Further Reading

[Tom Leland · Rating 5 out of 5]

I imagine that the more familiar you are with Shakespeare, the more you'll enjoy this book. I'm barely up on Shakespeare, yet enjoyed it a lot. So very well written, and makes me want to dive into Shakespeare...and I can see how a person could just devote their reading life to The Bard alone.

[David Withun · Rating 4 out of 5]

-

[Liquidlasagna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Introduction
1 Shakespeare's Career
2 The Presented Play Text and Subtext
3 Dramatic Conventions
4 The Poetry of the Theatre: Genre, Languag and Imagery
5 Shakespeare's Characters: Style and Morality
6 Structure and Dramatic Scene
7 The World of the Play: Theatrical Significances
Conclusion
Further Reading

[John Fredrickson · Rating 2 out of 5]

While this was a good introduction to Shakespeare, I believe it is best suited to someone with little background or knowledge of Shakespearean studies. There is good information about the structure and content of the plays overall, with lots of substantiating verses drawn from individual plays, but the book overall feels pretty stale and light in content.

[Robert Nagel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very insightful introduction into Shakespeare‘s works, motivation and the ways plays were produced for the stage not for publication. Fans of the Bard will obtain a bit more understanding of the play within the play.