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Title: The Complete Idiot's Guide to Shakespeare by Alpha Group, Laurie E. Rozakis, Charles Boyce ISBN: 0-02-862905-1 Publisher: Alpha Books Pub. Date: 12 April, 1999 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $16.95 |
Average Customer Rating: 5 (4 reviews)
Rating: 5
Summary: Better than Cliff's Notes!
Comment: Even people who aren't idiots may appreciate this book. It's funny, cute, informative, and gives lots of easy-to-understand tips and translations. This is way better than Cliffs' Notes, especially since it gives you plenty of reasons to read the actual plays.
The first few chapters are devoted to Shakespeare's life, the who-was-Shakespeare-really? debate, his theaters, and some stuff about Elizabethan slang terms. Then it goes to the plays themselves. It gives background info on the time period and how it shaped the plays (for example, views on marriage for "Taming of the Shrew"), a cast list, a pretty good plot summary, and then some mild literary analysis.
Sprinkled on every page are bits of trivia about the plays, the writing, and the time period -- they're not really part of the reviews, just side tidbits. Additionally, they include a chart of Shakespeare's dirty language, a lot of funny jokes, and even reviews of the various movie adaptations (all the major ones -- good, bad, and really, really weird!). There are also pics from various movies/plays, featuring major actors like Patrick Stewart, Elizabeth Taylor, and the all-star cast of the fantastic recent "Much Ado About Nothing."
This is a must-read for Shakespeare buffs and newbies (especially if you don't understand what's going on). Even glaze-eyed schoolkids may be suckered in by the promise of learning some exotic dirty words!
Rating: 5
Summary: Destroys Shakespeare's Pompous Mystique
Comment: To put this in perspective, I'm a 47-year-old professional totally unconnected to the literary world, but reading is my favorite hobby. I have made many attempts over the years to "get into" Shakespeare and reading The Compete Idiot's Guide to Shakespeare is part of my latest (and possibly most successful) attempt.
The Guide is just what I needed. It frames Shakespeare's world perfectly giving historical background, addressing the Shakespeare myths (e.g., who really wrote the Shakespeare plays?), explaining the poems and Sonnets and, finally, giving a succinct and amusing rundown of all the plays by type (tragedy, history, comedy, romance and "problems"). I love Dr. Laurie Rozakis' writing style. Not only is the book extremely easy to read, her clarity and humor make it great fun. I also think she really knows her stuff. Dr. Rozakis is a prolific wonder (check out her website at http://www.members.aol.com/Rozakile/).
I read the book cover to cover and intend to use it as a reference as I read the plays. It sure helped destroy Shakespeare's pompous mystique for me!
Rating: 5
Summary: A Fun Way to Learn About the Bard!
Comment: This book is the ultimate way to get acquainted with Shakespeare's works while having fun every step of the way. The author comes off not only as very knowledgeable about the topic, but as a wit who would have given Shakespeare himself a laugh or two. Her coverage is comprehensive and insightful, and the book provides a wonderful way for young and old alike to gain access to Shakespeare's meaning and beauty.
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Title: Shakespeare for Dummies by John Doyle, Ray Lischner ISBN: 0764551353 Publisher: For Dummies Pub. Date: 16 April, 1999 List Price(USD): $19.99 |
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Title: The Complete Idiot's Guide to Classical Mythology by Kevin Osborn, Dana Burgess, Michael B. Poliakoff ISBN: 0028623851 Publisher: Alpha Books Pub. Date: 23 July, 1998 List Price(USD): $16.95 |
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Title: The Complete Idiot's Guide to American Literature by Laurie E. Rozkis, Laurie E. Rozakis, Timothy Murphy ISBN: 0028633784 Publisher: Alpha Books Pub. Date: 28 August, 1999 List Price(USD): $16.95 |
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Title: The Friendly Shakespeare: A Thoroughly Painless Guide to the Best of the Bard by Norrie Epstein ISBN: 0140138862 Publisher: Penguin USA (Paper) Pub. Date: October, 1994 List Price(USD): $16.95 |
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Title: Shakespeare A to Z : The Essential Reference to His Plays, His Poems, His Life and Times, and More by Charles Boyce ISBN: 0385313616 Publisher: Delta Pub. Date: 10 November, 1991 List Price(USD): $21.95 |
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