Shakespeare The Playwright

The bard of Avon, as he is remembered, earned popularity and fortune during his lifetime more than four hundred years ago. Today, William Shakespeare is more famous than ever. He wrote or cowrote thirty-eight stage comedies, tragedies, and historical dramas. He also penned many romantic poems. Some of the world's best-known literary quotations come from his writings. Young readers will discover why many historians consider him the greatest playwright of all time.

Eminent literary critic Alvin Kernan takes us back to the court performances of some of Shakespeare's most famous plays, showing how the courtly setting influenced the bard's work. Kernan argues that Shakespeare was a great dramatist whose plays commented on political and social concerns of his patrons and who adjusted his own art to pander to court needs. 30 illustrations.

Profiles the life and work of William Shakespeare.

Presents the life of the famous English playwright and discusses some of his notable works.

Without William Shakespeare, we wouldn’t have literary masterpieces like Romeo and Juliet. But without Henry Condell and John Heminges, we would have lost half of Shakespeare’s plays forever! After the death of their friend and mentor, the two actors are determined to compile the First Folio and preserve the words that shaped their lives. They’ll just have to borrow, beg, and band together to get it done. Amidst the noise and color of Elizabethan London, THE BOOK OF WILL finds an unforgettable true story of love, loss, and laughter, and sheds new light on a man you may think you know.

"Describes the life and times of William Shakespeare, world-famous poet and playwright"--

Writing for a small troupe of men and boys who performed on an almost bare stage, William Shakespeare dramatized an unparalleled range of stories and emotions through his wizardry with words, his uncanny understanding of the human spirit, and his genius for maximizing the talents of his actors. Working under conditions that today we would consider primitive, he made himself into the supreme playwright. Exactly how does Shakespeare achieve his effects? Why does he continue to enthrall audiences performance after performance, night after night, century after century? Can we learn the secrets of his success? By concentrating on a dozen of his best-known plays (though others receive attention, too), and analyzing their structural and theatrical elements as well as their distinctive language, inventive plotting, and unique characters this book demystifies Shakespeare for all theater lovers. With its down-to-earth and jargon-free approach, Why Shakespeare enables us to step behind the curtain to learn why Shakespeare is considered the greatest dramatist of all time.