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Everything Shakespeare
This book is a comprehensive guide to understanding Shakespeare. Insights to is - comedies, tragedies and sonnets of Bard. A wonderful reference book.
- GenresShakespeare
309 pages, Paperback
First published August 1, 2002
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
July 20, 2023
The first part of the book provides general context to the plays by elucidating the life and times of Elizabethan England. There's also a brief introduction to the sonnets and poems.
*Note that mature references are treated with bluntness and therefore could be considered PG-13.
The latter part gives brief synopses of the plays. For the most part, they were helpful, but interpretation may be at variance with your prior studies and may fire you up a bit. For instance: In the summary of Othello, it claims that the "subplots are pretty inconsequential." Not so! I've learned from elsewhere (the Literary Life podcast in particular) that everything written in great literature is put there on purpose and serves a purpose. So I felt a tad grouchy that this idea of "inconsequential subplots" was being perpetuated in this book; perhaps the surface learner would agree with the idea and be content, but for the scholar who desires to delve deeply and understand, it was offensive. 😂
*Note that mature references are treated with bluntness and therefore could be considered PG-13.
The latter part gives brief synopses of the plays. For the most part, they were helpful, but interpretation may be at variance with your prior studies and may fire you up a bit. For instance: In the summary of Othello, it claims that the "subplots are pretty inconsequential." Not so! I've learned from elsewhere (the Literary Life podcast in particular) that everything written in great literature is put there on purpose and serves a purpose. So I felt a tad grouchy that this idea of "inconsequential subplots" was being perpetuated in this book; perhaps the surface learner would agree with the idea and be content, but for the scholar who desires to delve deeply and understand, it was offensive. 😂
September 11, 2014
Loving grandparents, uncles and aunties—if you want to bond with the ever-more-distant groundling in your life, don't gift this book. Unless, that is, you can imagine the two of you cattily tearing apart the "E-facts" presented herein: (Why E? Why "Facts?")
"In Juliet, Romeo finds a rare gift, a soul mate—a lover of such purity and passion that when he first learns she has died, he cannot endure life without her. At first blush this may seem an immature reaction. In fact, it can also be seen as a tragic sign of maturity."
"In Juliet, Romeo finds a rare gift, a soul mate—a lover of such purity and passion that when he first learns she has died, he cannot endure life without her. At first blush this may seem an immature reaction. In fact, it can also be seen as a tragic sign of maturity."
August 13, 2011
A very good introduction to Shakespeare for newcomers, with summaries, contextual discussions and critical points. Recommended for newcomers or intermediate fans who want to get a better understanding.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews