Introduces Shakespeare's plays, sonnets, and narrative poems, and discusses major themes, characters, and dramatic techniques

Here Art Thou, True Shakespeare! This accessible new guide to Shakespeare's major plays focuses on the essence of the spoken word and the benefits of watching the plays in performance - on the stage or screen - whenever possible. You'll find tips about plot, theme, famous passages and soliloquies, and how to hear the music within the Bard's verse and wordplay. Remember - Shakespearean theatre is a social art form, and in its earliest days, it was highly commercial. This book brings you closer to the heady world of freelance playwriting and the London playhouses of the 1590s. As a playwright and sharer in the Globe theatre, Shakespeare was at the forefront of Western show business. This book highlights Shakespeare's career, his dramatic influences, and what 16th-century playgoers in London would have experienced inside the theatre. In The Complete Idiot's Guide to Shakespeare's Plays, cultural and historical contexts for the major plays are explored, offering perspectives of the director and actor, in addition to that of the scholar and close reader. In particular, the book takes you behind the scenes with Shakespearean directors, who offer commentary about key challenges presented by the plays, famous roles, and a host of other production concerns. Professional actors also discuss how they've tackled lead roles in A Midsummer Night's Dream, Much Ado About Nothing, The Merchant of Venice, King Lear, Antony and Cleopatra, and The Tempest, among others.You'll find: - Twenty (20) major plays explored in depth, explaining literary terms, and Elizabethan English, with attention to language and verse - A look at how the plays have been staged, from the earliest playhouses to contemporary auditoriums - Appendices spotlighting Shakespeare's likely collaborations, a glossary, suggested further reading, and tips about acclaimed film and audio versions. Perfect for English and drama students, general readers, theatergoers, and actors.

Despite the reshifting of values that has affected every aspect of life in the 21st century, William Shakespeare still stands as the greatest writer the English language has ever produced. Even so, many people have never read him. If you have never read “the Bard”—or if you’ve tried and given up in frustration—you need Shakespeare For Beginners. Author Brandon Toropov opens with the observation that Shakespeare’s genius is not in his (or England’s) history, it’s in his words, most notably, his plays—in his brilliant stories, unforgettable characters, and the impossible beauty of his language. So, Shakespeare For Beginners skips the historical foreplay and goes straight to Shakespeare’s plays. The book offers clear, concise descriptions and plot summaries of each play; it lists key phrases and important themes, explains the main ideas behind each work and features excerpt of important passages (with explanatory notes on tough words.) And it is the only ‘entry level’ book available outside Great Britain that covers all of Shakespeare’s plays.

Deciphering Shakespeare's Plays brings William Shakespeare's dramas alive in a new introduction that illuminates how the works are experienced in performance. It is a reference tool for high school and university students, actors, teachers, playgoers, drama critics, and casual readers.

The Shakespeare Book of Lists catalogs Shakespeare's life, his times, his use of language and choice of words, the best and most insulting lines from his plays and poems, the actors who have performed his plays, the theaters where they have been performed, and the videos, films, and spin-offs we have all grown to love. The book contains every imaginable topic relating to Shakespeare, including: --Facts and myths about Shakespeare's life. --The top 10 songs from the plays. --Female Hamlets. --How to watch a Shakespearean film. --Some words first used by Shakespeare. --The most insulting lines found in his plays. --The bawdy plays.

Mosaic is the most popular, graphical, front-end tool available for accessing resources on the Internet--and it can be downloaded from the Internet free. This tutorial teaches users how to use Mosaic. The book's friendly format combines solid instructions with a lighthearted style full of wit and humor that takes the fear out of learning.

This is a unique reference book about the ancient and modern British Royal Family and all the extrarordinary trappings and quaint customs that surround it.

Quick and easy guidance for connecting to the Internet and exploring the World Wide Web. Down-to-earth advice for when the going gets tough.