Shakespeare

This book offers insight into the life of William Shakespeare and the writing of his plays through an analysis of the Elizabethan era, describing the religious and dynastic events that defined Tudor England.

This book contains the texts of all Shakespeare's plays, poems and sonnets, edited by leading Shakespeare scholars. A general introduction gives the reader an overall view of how and why Shakespeare has become such an influential cultural icon, and how perceptions of his work have changed in the intervening four centuries. The introduction summarises the known facts about the dramatist's life, his reading and use of sources, and the nature of theatrical performance during his lifetime. Brief introductions to each play discuss the date and contemporary context of the play, its position within Shakespeare's oeuvre, and its subsequent performance history. An extensive glossary explains vocabulary which may be unfamiliar to modern readers.

This book is a fascinating and wide-ranging exploration of Shakespeare's life and works focusing on often neglected literary and historical contexts: what Shakespeare read, who he worked with as an author and an actor, and how these various collaborations may have affected his writing. It is written by an eminent Shakespearean scholar and experienced theatre reviewer.

A new biography of William Shakespeare that explores his private life in Stratford-upon-Avon, his personal aspirations, his self-determination, and his relations with the members of his family and his neighbours. The book offers close readings of key documents associated with Shakespeare and develops a contextual understanding of the genres from which these documents emerge.

Demystifying and contextualizing Shakespeare for the 21st century, this book offers both an introduction to the subject for beginning students and an invaluable resource for more experienced Shakespeareans.

Under an alphabetical list of relevant terms, names and concepts, the book reviews current knowledge of the character and operation of theatres in Shakespeare’s time, with an explanation of their origins. Coverage includes the practices of Elizabethan actors and script writers: methods of characterization; gesture, blocking and choreography, including music, dance and fighting; actors’ rhetorical interaction with audiences; and use of costumes, stage props, and make-up. The author makes use of scripts and scholarship about original stagings of Shakespeare and suggests how those productions related to modern staging.