The Wicked Wit of William Shakespeare

by William Shakespeare (Compiler), Dominique Enright (Editor)

The Wicked Wit of William Shakespeare is a collection of quotations from one of the finest wits known to literary history, embracing not just wit and comedy, the ironic perceptions of his characters, but also great tragic speeches whose wit lies in the genius of their language. With a detailed introduction to Shakespeare's life and work, as well as notes on entries, this beautifully produced book is a must for all lovers of this greatest of all literary giants.

Genres: Shakespeare, Poetry

162 pages, Hardcover

First published June 1, 2002

About the author

William Shakespeare was an English playwright, poet, and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon" (or simply "the Bard"). His extant works, including collaborations, consist of some 39 plays, 154 sonnets, three long narrative poems, and a few other verses, some of uncertain authorship. His plays have been translated into every major living language and are performed more often than those of any other playwright. Shakespeare remains arguably the most influential writer in the English language, and his works continue to be studied and reinterpreted.
Shakespeare was born and raised in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire. At the age of 18, he married Anne Hathaway, with whom he had three children: Susanna, and twins Hamnet and Judith. Sometime between 1585 and 1592, he began a successful career in London as an actor, writer, and part-owner ("sharer") of a playing company called the Lord Chamberlain's Men, later known as the King's Men after the ascension of King James VI and I of Scotland to the English throne. At age 49 (around 1613), he appears to have retired to Stratford, where he died three years later. Few records of Shakespeare's private life survive; this has stimulated considerable speculation about such matters as his physical appearance, his sexuality, his religious beliefs, and even certain fringe theories as to whether the works attributed to him were written by others.
Shakespeare produced most of his known works between 1589 and 1613. His early plays were primarily comedies and histories and are regarded as some of the best works produced in these genres. He then wrote mainly tragedies until 1608, among them Hamlet, Romeo and Juliet, Othello, King Lear, and Macbeth, all considered to be among the finest works in the English language. In the last phase of his life, he wrote tragicomedies (also known as romances) and collaborated with other playwrights.
Many of Shakespeare's plays were published in editions of varying quality and accuracy during his lifetime. However, in 1623, John Heminge and Henry Condell, two fellow actors and friends of Shakespeare's, published a more definitive text known as the First Folio, a posthumous collected edition of Shakespeare's dramatic works that includes 36 of his plays. Its Preface was a prescient poem by Ben Jonson, a former rival of Shakespeare, that hailed Shakespeare with the now famous epithet: "not of an age, but for all time".

Reviews

[Matt J · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. Not the best of the collection, not the worst. Some great nuggets of wisdom in here, however they depend so much on the context that many fall flat when isolated.

Made me want to go back and read all the “No Fear, Shakespeare” books from high school. Othello is sitting on my shelf! (Thanks Jess!)

[Lawrence Patterson · Rating 4 out of 5]

A handy little reference book with a nice intro and detail of the playwright's life and times -being a reference book not read from page to page but delved into re-entries for plays I studied at school and have seen on stage and found references to in other books.

[Hilary "Fox" · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ah, who doesn't love William Shakespeare?

This concise book is a collection of well known quotations from his work, organized loosely by topic. The beginning features a nice biography of the author, although it does report some stories that are more likely inventions than truth. It does, however, quote some of the better Ben Jonson mentions of Shakespeare.

All in all this book, as previous reviewers have commented, is a bit too PG rated to be truly good fun. It is a good quick reference to various quotations, and a decent introduction to the life of the Bard.

All in all, quite fun, but a bit too whitewashed.

[Sladuna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great selection!

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

It does stay away from the more bawdy lines of the Bard. PG rated.