Understanding Shakespeare's Plays
eBook - PDF

Understanding Shakespeare's Plays

A Candid Companion to all the Drama

  1. 425 pages
  2. English
  3. PDF
  4. Available on iOS & Android
eBook - PDF

Understanding Shakespeare's Plays

A Candid Companion to all the Drama

About this book

'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.

Table of contents

  1. Cover
  2. Contents
  3. Acknowledgements
  4. Note on Texts
  5. Shakespeare Terms
  6. Understanding Shakespeare’s Plays
  7. The Birth of the Bard
  8. THE PLAYS
  9. 1 All’s Well That Ends Well
  10. 2 Antony and Cleopatra
  11. 3 As You Like It
  12. 4 The Comedy of Errors
  13. 5 Coriolanus
  14. 6 Cymbeline
  15. 7 Hamlet
  16. 8 1 Henry IV
  17. 9 2 Henry IV
  18. 10 Henry V
  19. 11 1 Henry VI
  20. 12 2 Henry VI
  21. 13 3 Henry VI
  22. 14 Henry VIII (All Is True)
  23. 15 Julius Caesar
  24. 16 King John
  25. 17 King Lear
  26. 18 Love’s Labour’s Lost
  27. 19 Macbeth
  28. 20 Measure for Measure
  29. 21 The Merchant of Venice
  30. 22 The Merry Wives of Windsor
  31. 23 A Midsummer Night’s Dream
  32. 24 Much Ado About Nothing
  33. 25 Othello
  34. 26 Pericles
  35. 27 Richard II
  36. 28 Richard III
  37. 29 Romeo and Juliet
  38. 30 The Taming of the Shrew
  39. 31 The Tempest
  40. 32 Timon of Athens
  41. 33 Titus Andronicus
  42. 34 Troilus and Cressida
  43. 35 Twelfth Night
  44. 36 The Two Gentlemen of Verona
  45. 37 The Two Noble Kinsmen
  46. 38 The Winter’s Tale
  47. Appendices
  48. Dating Shakespeare’s Plays
  49. Ranking Shakespeare’s Plays
  50. Index

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Information

Edition
1
Year
2026
eBook ISBN
9781350543270

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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.