Shakespeare: His Life and Works

by Leslie Dunton-Downer, Alan Riding

Overview

A comprehensive collection of the life and works of a literary great — William Shakespeare!

The beautifully illustrated guide unravels the life and works of Shakespeare and his plays, from language, history, and themes to plays, poems, and sonnets. Explore the art of this famous playwright and his enduring legacy through the stunning gift format.

Celebrate one of the theaters most influential contributors through his legendary works of comedy, tragedy, romance, and poetry. Inside this playbook, you’ll find:

   • A clear and accessible format.
   • Plot summaries of all 39 plays with lists of characters.
   • Guidance on how to read and interpret his great sonnets and narrative poems.
   • Plays ordered by time and genre, helping readers trace the development of Shakespeare’s topics, themes, and artistry.
   • Sidebars that clarify the mythological, geographical and historical context of each play and decode its language, dramatic action, and themes.
   • Illuminated guidance on how to approach reading the play and seeing it perform.

Shakespeare fans will revel in the marvelous depiction of the Stratford-upon-Avon born Bard himself! His drama book allows you to dive into famous works like Hamlet, Romeo and Juliet, and A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and explore Shakespeare’s sources and inspirations for each! Themes, plots, characters, and language are brought to life with act-by-act plot summaries, resumes of main characters, and in-depth analysis of Shakespeare’s use of the English language. 

Shakespeare: His Life and Works is a wonderful exploration of plays, poems, and sonnets in the context of his life and the Elizabethan and Jacobean theatre, further enriching your on the page (or stage, or screen!) experience.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780744035001
Publisher:	DK
Publication date:	12/14/2021
Series:	DK Ultimate Guides
Pages:	480
Sales rank:	631,871
Product dimensions:	7.80(w) x 9.00(h) x 1.40(d)

About the Author

Leslie Dunton-Downer received a PhD with Distinction in comparative literature from Harvard. She has served as a lecturer at her alma mater, and is a trustee of the Harvard Advocate and a member of the Society of Fellows. She was a 2014 fellow at the American Academy in Berlin. She is the coauthor, with Alan Riding, of DK’s Essential Shakespeare Handbook and Eyewitness Companions: Opera, and the author of The English Is Coming!: How One Language Is Sweeping the World.

For 12 years, Alan Riding was the European cultural correspondent for the New York Times. He was previously bureau chief for the Times in Paris, Madrid, Rio de Janeiro, and Mexico City. Riding is the author of And the Show Went On and Distant Neighbors: A Portrait of the Mexicans. He lives in Paris with his wife, Marlise Simons, a writer for the Times.

Table of Contents

How to Use This Handbook 6

The Life of William Shakespeare 8

Shakespeare in His Time 16

Elizabethan and Jacobean Theater 24

Shakespeare's Canon 32

Shakespeare's Language 38

Shakespeare: The Works 46

The History Plays 48

Henry VI Part I 54

Henry VI Part II 62

Henry VI Part III 70

Richard III 78

King John 88

Edward III 96

Richard II 106

Henry IV Part I 116

Henry IV Part II 126

Henry V 136

Henry VIII 146

The Comedies 154

The Comedy of Errors 160

The Taming of the Shrew 170

The Two Gentlemen of Verona 180

Love's Labour's Lost 188

A Midsummer Night's Dream 198

The Merchant of Venice 208

The Merry Wives of Windsor 218

Much Ado About Nothing 228

As You Like It 238

Twelfth Night 248

Troilus and Cressida 258

All's Weil That Ends Well 268

Measure for Measure 278

The Tragedies 288

Titus Andronicus 294

Romeo and Juliet 304

Julius Caesar 314

Hamlet 324

Othello 336

King Lear 346

Macbeth 358

Antony and Cleopatra 368

Coriolanus 378

Timon of Athens 388

The Romances 396

Pericles 402

Cymbeline 410

The Winter's Tale 418

The Tempest 428

The Two Noble Kinsmen 438

Nondramatic Poetry 446

The Narrative Poems 448

Venus and Adonis 449

The Rape of Lucrece 452

The Phoenix and the Turtle 454

A Lover's Complaint 455

The Lyric Poems 456

The Sonnets 457

Shall I Die? 464

The Epitaphs 465

Global Shakespeare 466

Index 474

Picture Credits & Acknowledgments 479