'A brilliant book with absolutely everything you'd want to know about all of Shakespeare's plays, from someone who really knows their stuff.' – Matthew Nichols, Manchester Grammar School, UK.
Are you curious about why Shakespeare's plays remain so popular four centuries since they were written? Could you use a companion to plays you'll be studying or seeing? This guide will accelerate your comprehension, sharpen your insight, expand your vision and improve your experience of Shakespeare's dramatic works.
Understanding Shakespeare's Plays is an easy-to-use reference that gives you a way into every play in the canon through a combination of enriching information, eye-opening analysis and frank discussion. You'll be introduced to each play's history and use of sources, gain an overview of the dramatic action and offered an exploration of key moments and choices that define the work.
Whereas other guidebooks present the plays neutrally, or only comment on a small selection of favourites, this one provides an accessible introduction to every single play and acknowledges that not all of them are perfect gems. Understanding Shakespeare Plays is unique – and uniquely helpful – in offering not only a sophisticated understanding of each play but also a candid review of its accomplishments and challenges, enabling you to make informed decisions about what to read or see and what to look for when you do.
This is the book to get if you want to get Shakespeare.

- 425 pages
- English
- PDF
- Available on iOS & Android
eBook - PDF
About this book
Table of contents
- Cover
- Contents
- Acknowledgements
- Note on Texts
- Shakespeare Terms
- Understanding Shakespeare’s Plays
- The Birth of the Bard
- THE PLAYS
- 1 All’s Well That Ends Well
- 2 Antony and Cleopatra
- 3 As You Like It
- 4 The Comedy of Errors
- 5 Coriolanus
- 6 Cymbeline
- 7 Hamlet
- 8 1 Henry IV
- 9 2 Henry IV
- 10 Henry V
- 11 1 Henry VI
- 12 2 Henry VI
- 13 3 Henry VI
- 14 Henry VIII (All Is True)
- 15 Julius Caesar
- 16 King John
- 17 King Lear
- 18 Love’s Labour’s Lost
- 19 Macbeth
- 20 Measure for Measure
- 21 The Merchant of Venice
- 22 The Merry Wives of Windsor
- 23 A Midsummer Night’s Dream
- 24 Much Ado About Nothing
- 25 Othello
- 26 Pericles
- 27 Richard II
- 28 Richard III
- 29 Romeo and Juliet
- 30 The Taming of the Shrew
- 31 The Tempest
- 32 Timon of Athens
- 33 Titus Andronicus
- 34 Troilus and Cressida
- 35 Twelfth Night
- 36 The Two Gentlemen of Verona
- 37 The Two Noble Kinsmen
- 38 The Winter’s Tale
- Appendices
- Dating Shakespeare’s Plays
- Ranking Shakespeare’s Plays
- Index
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Yes, you can access Understanding Shakespeare's Plays by Kent Lehnhof in PDF and/or ePUB format, as well as other popular books in Literature & Literary Criticism of Shakespeare. We have over 1.5 million books available in our catalogue for you to explore.