An analysis of the ways in which Shakespeare's imagery functions to reveal literary and personal motives.

First published in 1951. The edition reprints the second, updated, edition, of 1977. When first published this book quickly established itself as the standard survey of Shakespeare's imagery considered as an integral part of the development of Shakespeare's dramatic art. By illustrating, through the use of examples the progressive stages of Shakespeare's use of imagery, and in relating it to the structure, style and subject matter of the plays, the book throws new light on the dramatist's creative genius. The second edition includes a new preface and an up-to-date bibliography.

The first fifty volumes of this yearbook of Shakespeare studies are being reissued in paperback.

In The Western Canon: The Books and School of the Ages the American critic Harold Bloom claims that Shakespeare drew on Chaucer's Pardoner when creating the villain Iago for his Othello. This book turns Bloom's observation of influences within the canon of Western literature into a more complex intermedial analysis of dramatic and literary traditions at the waning of the Middle Ages and the dawn of the Renaissance. The discussion of verbal and non-verbal codes in Chaucer's presentation of the Pardoner and Shakespeare's depiction of Iago sheds light on the various strands of the Vice's development, and shows that Chaucer's pilgrim, who descends obliquely from the stage Vices, stands at the very beginning of the Vice tradition, while Iago is a late development of him, who adapts his role to new dramatic challenges.

William Shakespeare Is Considered The Best Poet And Dramatist Of All Ages. His Tragic Drama Othello Has Been Popular Since Its First Perfor¬Mance At The Beginning Of The Seventeenth Century, With Both The Audience And The Readers. The Play Is Still Performed And Several Film Versions Have Also Appeared. The Play Generated Much Controversy And At The Same Time Created Some Genuine Interest In It. It Is, However, In The Theatre That We Can Fully Appreciate The Genius Of Shakespeare As A Dramatist. But In Order To Have A Proper Assessment Of A Play By Shakespeare, We Must Also Be Ready To Study It As Literature, Welcoming The Observations Of The Critics And Scholars, As They Help Us Come Closer To The Proper Meaning Of The Play.An Attempt Has Been Made In This Critical Study To Provide The Readers Of Othello With That Clear Insight Which May Help Them Comprehend The Play Properly, Enhancing Their Enjoyment Of The Play. Besides Discussing The Various Problems Connected With The Play, This Study Provides A Detailed Critical Analysis Of The Play, Scene By Scene, And Various Critical Approaches To The Play From The Seventeenth Century Upto The Modern Times. The Debates About The Real Identity Of The Dramatist, Continuing From The Beginning Right Up To The Present Time, Have Been Discussed And The Curious May Find In Them Enough Food For Thought. A Select Bibliography Has Also Been Provided For The Discerning Readers Who Want To Know More About The Play. A Number Of Questions Have Been Given At The End To Stimulate The Readers Interest In The Drama. As An Aid To The Smooth Reading Of The Play, A Glossary Of Difficult And Obscure Words And Terms Has Been Appended To The Book.It Is Hoped That The Present Book Will Prove Highly Useful To Both Students And Researchers Of English Literature. Even Those Engaged In Teaching Shakespearian Plays Will Find It Informative And Valuable.

The Present Book Aims At Making Shakespeare S The Merchant Of Venice More Comprehensible To The Common Reader. Beginning With The Life And Works Of Shakespeare, The Book Provides A Scene-Wise Critical Summary Of The Play So That, As The Reader Casts His Eyes Over Them, He Becomes Familiar With The Common Critical Views About The Individual Scenes Themselves. It Has Numerous Citations From The Text So That Even If The Reader Is Not Familiar With It, He Will Have A Chance Of Reading Shakespeare S Poetry. The Analyses Of The Different Elements Of Drama Are Accompanied With The Views Of Renowned Critics. This Latter Feature Makes The Book All The More Useful To Teachers As Well As Students. Along With The Recent Critical Views, The Classical Theories About Comedies As Well As Elizabethan Conventions Have Been Lucidly And Briefly Explained So That The Student May Not Find Any Difficulty In Understanding Them. A Brief Analysis According To Classical Sanskrit Dramaturgy Has Also Been Included. Important Questions Have Also Been Given So As Help In Further Consideration Of Literary Text. A Select Bibliography And Index Completes The Book.The Book Is Highly Readable, Self-Contained And Comprehensive; It Will Undoubtedly Prove An Invaluable Reference Book To Both Students And Teachers Of English Literature.

Shakespeare's tragedies are among the greatest works of tragic art and have attracted a rich range of commentary and interpretation from leading creative and critical minds. This Reader's Guide offers a comprehensive survey of the key criticism on the tragedies, from the 17th century through to the present day. In this book, Nicolas Tredell: - Introduces essential concepts, themes and debates. - Relates Shakespeare's tragedies to fi elds of study including psychoanalysis, gender, race, ecology and philosophy. - Summarises major critical texts from Dryden and Dr Johnson to Janet Adelman and Julia Reinhard Lupton, and covers influential critical movements such as New Criticism, New Historicism and poststructuralism. - Demonstrates how key critical approaches work in practice, with close reference to Shakespeare's texts. Informed and incisive, this is an indispensable guide for anyone interested in how the category of Shakespeare's tragedies has been constructed, contested and changed over the years.

First published in 1972. Shakespeare's God investigates whether a religious interpretation of Shakespeare's tragedies is possible. The study places Christianity's commentary on the human condition side by side with what tragedy reveals about it. This pattern is identified using the writings of Christian thinkers from Augustine to the present day. The pattern in the chief phenomena of literary tragedy is also traced

First published in 1980. This collection of essays by the first General Editor of the New Arden Shakespeare brings together the best of Ellis-Fermor's Shespearean criticism, in addition to outstanding essays on Coriolanus and Troilus and Cressida. Collected and edited by Kenneth Muir, the book is prefaced by an appreciation of Ellis-Fermor's work.