Shakespeare A Very Short Introduction

Past Masters (Oxford)

by Germaine Greer

This is a series of concise, lucid, authoritative introductions to the thought of leading intellectual figures of the past whose ideas still influence the way we think today.

Genres: Nonfiction, Shakespeare, Literary Criticism, Literature, Biography, Theatre, Essays

312 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 1986

About the author

Germaine Greer is an Australian born writer, journalist and scholar of early modern English literature, widely regarded as one of the most significant feminist voices of the later 20th century.

Greer's ideas have created controversy ever since her ground-breaking The Female Eunuch became an international best-seller in 1970, turning her overnight into a household name and bringing her both adulation and criticism. She is also the author of Sex and Destiny: The Politics of Human Fertility (1984), The Change: Women, Ageing and the Menopause (1991), and most recently Shakespeare's Wife (2007).

Reviews

[Moira · Rating 3 out of 5]

....well, this is terrible so far, about a quarter of the way through. Pretty much a rehash of stuff I already knew, plus unwelcome stuff like SURPRISE RIZZLEY PORTRAIT. With his demented-looking cat.

I bought a bunch of these a while back and I'm realizing now (I'm slow, I know) I did it mainly for the covers, which are delightful Rothko-esque lozenges of colour, so vivid it's as if your eye could taste them. Well-done job by the marketing department, anyway, someone definitely deserves a raise.


Finished and -- this had the tendency to really wildly swing from /0 to 60/ awesome to risible and back again. There were wonderful points on Hamlet, and ace comparisons of MND and The Tempest, but then a long section on how Lear suffers from atherosclerosis. A very thoughtful meditation on Macbeth, and then useless stuff on Othello - but then, much later, an analysis of how poor Desdemona is singing a "simple song" before she's murdered that took my breath away. I don't know if I would recommend this exactly....definitely not to beginners, actually. Maybe to more advanced Shakespeare courses who were comparing various theorists. It was the usual Germaine Greer stew - many ideas, most of them wrong, but some of them very original and well-thought-out. I'm glad I read it, but no, I don't think I'd press it upon people. It's sort of like a crabapple: not anything you'd want to eat straight off the tree, but excellent for pollinizing and rootstock.

[Incek Akim · Rating 1 out of 5]

Kalau ikut buku ni, William Shakespeare ialah seorang penyair puisi, pelakon pentas, penulis drama dan seorang penulis Bahasa Inggeris yang prolifik. 3 jenis kategori drama yang kerap ditulis oleh dia ni adalah: (1) Sejarah (History), (2) Komedi (Comedy), dan (3) Tragedi (Tragedy). Genre History, berkisar tentang sejarah (of course la kan) seseorang individu atau peristiwa yang pernah berlaku. Genre Comedy, bukan macam pentas raja lawak kita, tapi lebih kurang macam suatu pengkisahan yang ceria dan riang gembira. Manakala genre Tragedy pula merujuk kepada kisah-kisah sedih yang meruntun jiwa dan bermain dengan emosi penonton.

Pada zaman Elizabeth (sekitar tahun 1550-an hingga awal tahun 1600) kadar literasi rakyat England masih rendah, tetapi mereka mahukan hiburan seperti pementasan drama. Penduduk yang buta huruf perlu menyerap maklumat melalui perlambangan yang dizahirkan semasa pementasan sedang berjalan; semua pemegang pangkat, semua profesion, semua dagangan telah ditetapkan oleh sifat tertentu dan bertindak selaras dengan jangkaan kedudukan sosial mereka. Shakespeare mencerap dan meniru realiti persekitaran semasa dan mengorkestrakan segalanya dengan sesempurna mungkin di atas pentas supaya dapat dipasung dalam minda mereka (pelakon, penyair, dan penonton) dapat sebati bersama dalam karya beliau; dan hasil karya beliau akan menjadi saksi kepada sesuatu yang lebih kekal,melebihi pendapat semata-mata, dan berkembang menjadi sesuatu idea yang mantap.

Pementasan drama masa abad ke-16 ni, lebih kurang macam kita tengok TV / layan movie kat pawagam la zaman sekarang ni. Medium dan mesej berlaku serentak dalam karya Shakespeare ni. Sukar untuk kita memahami betapa imej teater ialah perkara utama kepada Welltanschauung (perspektif tentang kehidupan manusia dan alam semulajadi). [Fun Fact: Adolf Hitler banyak guna terma “Welltanschauung” dalam buku dia; Mein Kampf.]

Kekuatan kedudukan Shakespeare terletak pada keupayaan dia menahan diri daripada membuat sesuatu konklusi, tetapi membiarkan mereka sendiri (tenaga kerja produksi drama dan juga penonton yang menonton persembahan tersebut) yang melengkapkan ungkapan beliau dalam teater Elizabeth. Lebih kurang macam open-end film la tu kot. Dia nak semua orang memikirkan apa yang dia cuba sampaikan melalui drama yang dipentaskan.

Antara isu yang diketengahkan dalam karya-karya Shakespeare adalah seperti sifat kejahatan (Othello), keupayaan untuk perubahan diri (Henry V), kesangsian wira (Hamlet) dan juga perihal hukuman dosa dan balasan rahmat Tuhan (Macbeth). Ada jugak karya tersohor yang ditulis oleh Shakespeare yang aku biasa dengar: Romeo & Juliet, King Lear, A Midsummer’s Night Dream, Twelfth Night, Julius Ceaser, Much Ado About Nothing, The Merchant of Venice, As You Like It, dan Comedy of Errors. Tapi tu la, biasa dengar; tak pernah baca. Aku nak habiskan buku ni pun entah berapa kali terlelap. Not my cup of Pepsi la kot.

[Bernie Gourley · Rating 4 out of 5]

This series (Very Short Introductions [VSI]) put out Oxford University Press [OUP] features several books about William Shakespeare and his works. Most of these “Introductions” deal with a subset of Shakespeare’s work, (e.g. the tragedies, the comedies, or his sonnets and other poems.) However, the book most likely to be confused with the one under review is “William Shakespeare: A Very Short Introduction” by Stanley Wells. Greer’s theme involves how Shakespeare’s philosophy and worldview are reflected in his plays (and to a small extent, his poetry.) While I haven’t yet read Wells’ book, it seems to take a history-centric approach, examining who Shakespeare was and the interaction between the the man and the times in which he lived on the work he produced.

The reason that I open with this distinction is that this is the kind of book that leaves some readers feeling duped. The title and inclusion in the VSI series might suggest to a reader that they are getting a basic overview of the the works of Shakespeare, leaving them surprised to find they are diving into arcane philosophical discussions. If the reader has a background and interest in both philosophy and the literature of Shakespeare, this may be just the book for which one is looking. However, if one is truly looking to be introduced to Shakespeare and his work, it is unlikely to be the book one is seeking. The biggest criticism is therefore about the title and placement of the book in this series, and not about it’s content, which is interesting and insightful.

The six chapters of Greer’s book begin with a brief biographical sketch of the man’s life and times. (This is where Greer’s work presumable overlaps most significantly with that of Wells.) The five remaining chapters each consider an aspect of the Shakespeare’s thinking and philosophy: poetics, ethics, politics, teleology, and sociology, respectively. There are extensive discussions of a few of the Shakespearean works as they pertain to the discipline under discussion, and snippets of text are used throughout to make points, but – again – the presumption is that that the reader has a basic familiarity with Shakespeare’s work.

There are graphics throughout the book, mostly portraits, playbills, and block prints from the era. There is a Further Reading section that is more than the usual bibliographical list, including descriptions of what is covered by the various books. Some will find this approach beneficial, and others may find it needlessly dense.

If one is looking for a book that considers how Shakespeare’s personal philosophy influenced his works, this is a good overview. However, if one hasn’t read Shakespeare’s works, or one has little understanding of philosophy, it’s probably not the book for which one is looking.

[Blake · Rating 3 out of 5]

As go introductions, and to figures like Shakespeare whose shadows are lit in the shape of prominent others, this little volume is fine for seeking fineness and finding it modestly. But it’s just fine and perhaps it ought to have been very good or great. More than wanting light thrown on Shakespeare you want the lamp somehow to have Greer’s character in its curves. Now and then you see her craftsmanship, and especially in prose you feel a warm spark of that firework of spirit, but it’s sunk in damp scholarship. There’s just no festival made of Shakespeare’s variety. Nontheless, Greer is at her best here when her writing is continuous with his.

[Mike · Rating 5 out of 5]

Having only ever known Greer in relation to her feminist books this one was a complete surprise. Though short, it's one of the best books on Shakespeare I've come across. She covers different aspects of Shakespeare's thinking, and how it comes across in his plays.
Perhaps the biggest surprise was seeing how supportive she was of Shakespeare as a Christian writer in a Christian world. There's none of the usual excusing of his Christian approach by someone from 500 years or so years later.
A great book.

[Helen Arnold · Rating 3 out of 5]

This turned out to be a very long introduction Greer. I liked the biography bit, and half of the stuff about the plays i knew, and nothing of the plays i didn't. Ugh I always find writing about Shakespeare so dense. Ironically, way denser than just reading Shakespeare. Well, I did like the bit about the rural wife anyway.

[Smiley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reading this 6-chapter “Shakespeare: A Very Short Introduction” by Dr. Germaine Greer would be, I think, more appreciated by those keen readers who regularly study and enjoy reading the unabridged, complete plays of the great bard. Its first chapter on ‘Life’ is all right but Chapters 2-6 on ‘Poetics’, ‘Ethics’, ‘Politics’, ‘Teleology’ and ‘Sociology’ seem to focus on each theme as scholarly narrated from different plays with their extracted quotes. So I need time to reflect and recall what play(s) we were required to study in our college years, therefore, I should have some traces to think and write my ideas and understanding later.

However, I found this part interesting, possibly as a tip of thought or as an inception of one’s essay. The author has been narrating on As You Like It, and she says:

… A husband was more than a lover; in the words of The Bride’s Goodmorrow, one of the best known of Elizabethan ballads, a husband was

… a friend for to defend you
From sorrow care and smart.
In health and sickness, for thy comfort day and night
He is approved and brought,
Whose love and liking is most constant sure and light;
Then love him as ye ought.
There is no treasure which may be compared
Unto a faithful friend.
Gold soon decayeth and worldly wealth consumeth
And wasteth in the wind:
But love, once planted in a pure and perfect mind,
Endureth weal and woe;
The frowns of fortune, come they ne’er so unkind
Cannot the same o’erthrow. (pp. 137-138)

[C. Varn · Rating 4 out of 5]

This introduction to Shakespeare was much more subdued than I was expecting from Germaine Greer. Greer reads Shakespeare with a keen historical eye and a strong heuristic of charity. The biographical sketches in the book are thin but it is a brief introduction and the information of Shakespeare's is necessarily speculative. The close readings of the plays are nuanced analyzes and can be returned too and ruminated on over time. Greer's focus on gender relations in Shakespeare are remarkably fair and historicized. The reading is dense and difficult, but it is not obscurantist or impossible. It repays re-writing. The thematic approach to Shakespeare's play opens up all sorts of implicit but consistent themes in the play. It is fair to say this not entirely an introduction, but a brief exploration. Treating the book as such makes it much more useful and interesting.

[Enzo · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is USELESS as an intro to Shakespeare. This is a very specific scholarly book on Shakespeare that expects the reader to get many diverse references. It is more of a thematic exploration of his plays, and even then the writing gets bogged down in academese.

It's basically a book from the 80s or 90s repackaged for the VSI series and I hope they don't do that for a lot of their other books.

[Jules · Rating 2 out of 5]

A very short introduction shpuld not require pre-existing familiarity with the subject to make sense.

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

We went into the big closet to find the toolbox, and retrieved a box of Tom's books, in which I found this. Not sure why I felt compelled to read it (perhaps because it is not very long?). I'm pretty ignorant about Shakespeare, really, but this book is so good, it didn't matter. Highly recommended!

In honor of America's election day tomorrow, I am going to quote the final paragraph of the book:

"As long as Shakespeare remains central to English cultural life, it will retain the values which make it unique in the world, namely tolerance, pluralism, the talent for viable compromise, and a profound commitment to that most wasteful from of social organization, democracy. To an outsider such lack of system may seem amorphous, disorganized, and even hypocritical; from within it is evident that such an inclusive mode can be no more inconsistent than life itself. The puzzle is to discover the intrinsic ordering principle in apparent disorder. Perhaps the reason the principle eludes so many is that they are searching in the wrong place; in the theatre the beholder is the medium. The missing middle term in the Shakespearian proposition is our response. Without that there is and can be no argument."

[Jack Heller · Rating 5 out of 5]

I didn't know what to expect from this book. I bought it in 2010, read the first chapter in 2019, and spilled coffee on it. The book was first published in 1986. It was reissued as a Very Short Introduction, but is has since been replaced by other Shakespeare volumes in the series. I am unpersuaded that this is very short, but this is not a complaint. I read it slowly.

Why five stars? Chapter five, titled "Teleology," spends about ten pages examining foolishness, fools, and folly in KING LEAR. This is followed by reading back into Shakespeare's comedies, ranging widely through them, proposing that accounting for foolishness in Shakespeare is a road into wisdom.

I like to be thorough when I research a subject. I greatly wish I had read this chapter before my recent article on MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING. Fortunately for me, Greer does not say a word about Dogberry, and not much about the play, but she very definitely offers a context for the reading I have of the play.

Good literary criticism offers a pleasure of itself. I thoroughly enjoyed this almost short introduction.

[John Fredrickson · Rating 4 out of 5]

As its title implies, this is a short book, but has quite a range in the viewpoints it offers on Shakespeare's life, culture, and art. On the whole, this book offered perspectives that felt fresh and insightful, though there were a few instances where the logic seemed wrong or far-fetched.

On of the gems of this book (for me) was the treatment of the Macbeth and Lear plays, particularly Lear. Lear has always felt wrong to me; the book explores the reasons for this, with some interesting thoughts on the dynamics of the play.

[M. Ashraf · Rating 2 out of 5]

It is an O.K book
Not what I expected though, it focused too much on Shakespeare works, plays, poems rather than the figure himself only the first chapter was about Life, which I liked and was my favorite chapter of the book, but after that; though the titles: Poetics, Ethics, Politics, Teleology and Sociology seemed it would follow, it didn't, it discussed them through the plays of: Hamlet, Macbeth, Lear, the Tempest, Midnight Summer...
A good read.
I think there is another title in the VSI series with "William Shakespeare" as a title that might be better than this one, we will see.

[Nima · Rating 4 out of 5]

بی بدیل است که بگویم کتابی شایسته برای خواهان آشنایی روان کاوی و شناسی با شکسپیر هستند،که آقای گریر استاد دانشگاه آکسفورد به طنازی تمام خود این امر رو فراهم کردند،و همچنین ترجمه درخشان استاد کوثری که بر قند این نبشته افزوده.

کتاب از اسمش که معلومه در باب شکسپیر نوشته شده،و بیشتر از آنجایی که اطلاعات کمی از شکسپیر در دست داریم سعی شده در قالب موشکافی آثار این شاعر بزرگ انگلیسی اطلاعاتی در باب افکار او به ما بدهد.

فقط این نکته رو ذکر کنم که سعی کنید آثار شهیر رو خوانده باشید بعد کتاب رو بخونید،برای درک آسان تر این تحلیل،هرچند نخوانید ام کار دشواری نیست کمی تامل بیشتر میخواهد.

[Bob Cat · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short and to the point, with few digressions. Very clear writing and a lot of facts about the life and times Shakespeare was writing in as well as his major themes and points of view. Great of you aren't a huge Shakespeare fan but want a bit of background above schoolgirl level.

[Gavin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Was expecting this to be theory-laden and partisan, but the keynote of its 80 pages is just love, context, facts. Deflating the man-myth while insisting on the highly modern philosophy of life to be read into him.

[bks · Rating 3 out of 5]

More about the author, less about the work.
The book is definitely a field of literature criticism that I'm not familiar with. That is probably why I feel this book is neither short or introductory.

[Mostafa · Rating 3 out of 5]

کتاب خوبیه برای آشنایی با اندیشه شکسپیر، و البته باید با آثارش آشنایی داشته باشی و این کتاب رو بخونی، حداقل آثار مشهورتر مثل شاه لیر، مکبث و اتللو رو خونده باشی!

[Rob · Rating 4 out of 5]

Because of the paucity of documented facts about him, Shakespeare remains maddeningly beyond the reach of researchers, something which allows a certain poetic licence to all those who choose to discuss the Bard and his incontrovertible importance in so many areas of modern life. Germaine Greer decides here to touch upon some of the key facts used as the basis for bardolatry, while offering up a fairly scholarly discussion of Shakespeare's ability to synthesise history and philosophy, while illuminating psychological themes, all through the telling of stories that avoid hinging on dated specifics.

Indeed, for Greer, the whole way we think of marriage comes from Shakespeare's treatment of the concept in its various forms (and through tragedy and comedy). Add to this the fact that rarely (if ever) have we seen a writer with this combination of comedy, tragedy, social comment and poetic facility, and we start to see that Shakespeare wove an irresistible web for our culture, one which has been exported easily into most of the other cultures of the world. His humanity is on display, his themes egalitarian even when focused on the obligations of nobility.

There is obviously a whole cottage industry based on writing about what Shakespeare achieved, but Greer's entry is a satisfying, if slightly overly donnish, addition to the field.

[Jeff Crompton · Rating 3 out of 5]

I bought this book, which is part of series called "A Brief Insight," on impulse when I saw it in the bookstore. It seemed to be about the right level for me, but I didn't get as much out of it as I expected. To be fair, I think that has to do more with me than this book, which, looked at objectively, seems excellent. My lack of familiarity with many of the plays discussed was a liability for me; I realized that I'm shockingly ignorant when it comes to Shakespeare's history plays.

Ms. Greer, probably better known as a feminist author, divides the book into chapters titled "Life," "Poetics," "Ethics," Politics," Teleology," and "Sociology." One of her main points is that much of what seems strange or inexplicable to 20th- and 21st-century critics is based on conventions of Elizabethan entertainment, and would pose no problems to the groundlings watching the plays at the Globe theater.

In spite of my three-star rating, I recommend this book to anyone who wants to dig deeper into Shakespeare. I was torn between rating it to reflect my actual level of enjoyment or what I objectively think its value is - the latter rating would be considerably higher. It did make me want to re-read "King Lear."

[J · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've read a lot of books about Shakespeare over the years and I find this one is a good introduction.

There is a chapter on Shakespeare's life, thankfully devoid of the authorship question. This is mentioned, briefly, but Greer puts it to the side, for further reading if one wishes.

The rest of the chapters are an introduction to the topics of Poetics, Ethics, Politics, Teleology and Sociology as depicted in the works. There are quotes, of course, but you don't need to have read the plays or have a deep understanding on literary criticism in any of these fields to understand what is being said.
I enjoyed that a lot. It's good to get a general idea behind the thoughts in the writing, interspersed with some commentary on the times that they were written in and the people they were for.

The book is short, but it made me want to read more. There's a good list for further reading, too.

Certainly recommended reading - not just for the novice, but also for someone like me who has focused more on the individual works and Renaissance England so far.

[Ilia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Perhaps understandable why Oxford had Stanley Wells have another go at a more conventional and authoritative Very Short Introduction, but Greer’s idiosyncratic take is more interesting. Any exposition of what Shakespeare may have thought will end up reflecting the interpreter more than the man himself. The last line of Greer’s book feels like concession to that: our response is the ordering principle of the work, rather than something that can be pieced together within it. So what is Greer’s response? That Shakespeare was a Christian sceptic on the side of the common man who championed marriage. I think Greer may be right on the first, I’m doubtful on the second (Greer’s treatment of the king-obsessed histories is the weakest part of the book), and the third is a bold claim given Shakespeare’s probable infidelities in London and the less than warm treatment of his wife in his will. It doesn’t matter – Shakespeare contains multitudes and can certainly encompass Greer’s gutsy interpretations. That’s what’s fun about reading him and his many readers.

[Crawford · Rating 5 out of 5]

Having never got into Shakespeare, this explanation of Shakespeare was inspiration; the language was clear and the concepts were kept simple. It lent support for the idea that there are no original thoughts as the breadth and depth of Man, first expounded by the ancient scholars of Greece and Rome, are honed by Shakespeare for Elizabethan audiences and continued to be adapted to this day; but Shakespeare's repertoire had a depth and breadth unmatched by single person both before and since. Like other books in the OUP series, this is masterful description that grabs one's imagination.
CJHD 07-Feb-15

[Daniel Wright · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm guessing that OUP decided to get Germaine Greer to write this, not because she was a particular expert on the subject but because name recognition would do wonders for the sales figures, and I suppose they weren't wrong (not that I've actually seen the sales figures!). In spite of this, I don't have any particular complaints with this book; Greer's analysis is judicious and insightful, although some other author's might have done better to both communicate to and instill in the reader the passion for Shakespeare's work which ensures his continuing immeasurable influence.

[David]

Let's be honest; Shakespeare is a lot to tackle when you are not getting college credit. This book offers some fresh perspectives which will inspire you to think about the Bard and his work in new ways. Unless you are a complete numbskull. And even if you are it is very small.

[Kathleen O'Neal · Rating 1 out of 5]

This was not the introduction to Shakespeare I was hoping for. The VSI editors should have found a new writer to fill this task instead of repackaging a book that had previously been written as a VSI when it isn't in keeping with the tone of the series as a whole.

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Refreshing and inspiring, Greer provides a smart, sure, swift study of many things Shakespeare. While familiarity with the plays would probably boost enjoyment, there are more than enough insights into Shakespeare unadorned and Elizabethan thinking to make this a worthwhile read.

[Susan Rose · Rating 4 out of 5]

Like every Very Short Introduction- this is a brilliant well written academic introduction which really kick starts extended reading on the subjects.

[Jesse Richards · Rating 2 out of 5]

Unnecessarily academic.