Summaries and Customer Reviews are supplied by Amazon.com
Summary:
From the conjectured identity of the Dark Lady of the Sonnets to misprints in the First Folio, from Shakespeare's favorite figures of speech to the staging of Othello in South Africa, The Oxford Companion to Shakespeare offers the most comprehensive coverage available on all aspects of Shakespeare's life and works. Illustrated with more than 100 photographs and boasting contributions from a team of internationally renowned scholars (including such noted Shakespeare authorities as Helen Vendler, Park Honan, and Jonathan Bate), the Companion has more than 3,000 entries that offer succinct, stimulating, and authoritative commentary on Shakespeare's life and times, his plays and poems, and their interpretation around the world over the last four centuries. All Shakespeare's plays--from As You Like It and All's Well that Ends Well to King Lear and Hamlet--are covered in major articles. There are concise descriptions of allusions in Shakespeare (Ajax, Agamemnon), well-known critics (Samuel Johnson, John Dryden), great Shakespearian actors (Richard Burbage, Lawrence Olivier, Kenneth Branagh), characters in the plays (Mercutio, Ophelia), figures of speech (metaphor, metonymy, oxymoron), and much more. Longer articles explore topics such as Shakespeare's birthplace, censorship, the Chamberlain's Men, film, and Shakespeare's reception in such countries as China, Italy, and the United States. Bringing its readers up to date not only with the latest in Shakespearian scholarship and controversy but with the plays' most recent incarnations on stage, film, and in international popular culture, this is the perfect companion to Shakespeare's works, covering everything from Aaron to Zeffirelli, and from Shakespeare in schools to Shakespeare in Love.
Customer Reviews:
Average Customer Rating:
An Excellent Resource!
Customer Rating:
"The Oxford Companion to Shakespeare," is a terrific overview of Shakespeare's plays, and just about anything you can think of pertaining to our greatest playwright. The scholarship is up-to-date, the articles are clear and insightful, and the illustrations are plentiful. This user-friendly book is highly recommended for anyone wanting to better appreciate some of Western Civilization's greatest literature.
Great for general reference
Customer Rating:
This is an excellent source for any English major or literary scholar to have--a great supplement to any collection. But I bought this with the impression that it would contain more critical information on the works of Shakespeare so I was a bit disappointed when the critical summaries were just blurbs. If you are looking for a reference book that is more encyclopedic in nature, then this is an invaluable purchase.
A good elementary referece book
Customer Rating:
I bought this based on the Amazon.com reviews. I haven't been as impressed as others. It's written for a high school or a very general audience. As a high school reference, it's probably very good. At anything beyond a basic level, however, the book falls short. For example, the entries for many of the minor historical characters are so brief as to merely mention the play in which they appear -- even though I know these characters have relevant familial ties, particularly to royal families. I'm not sorry I bought it; I was just expecting a bit more depth considering its cost. It's fun to browse through (lots of interesting facts to stumble upon, and many beautiful illustrations) but the bottom line is that this book rarely provides sufficient answers to my specific questions. It doesn't really qualify as a reference book beyond an elementary level. I doubt this is the best source of its kind. I plan to do what I should have done in the first place, go to a library and compare the available Shakespeare handbooks. I'm certainly not going throw this book away, but I'm going to have to look for one that better suits my needs.
Weston Berg
Customer Rating:
This book I recommend to anyone who is well knowen to shakespear or some one like me who is just getting started. I bought the book to help me understand more about shakespear and things are becoming a lot less greek to me. The Author has done a excellent job with the book very easy to use and understand. A great insight to the history of Shakespearian Art and the theater.
Excellent !
Customer Rating:
A great service has been performed by the publication of this wonderful book. In case anyone is interested in the latest scholarship regarding the authorship question (which will greatly enhance your appreciation of Shakespeare), please visit these relatively new books: "Shakespeare by Another Name" by Mark Anderson; and "The Monument: "Shake-Speares Sonnets" by Hank Whittemore.
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