Print Materials

Life and Times



 

101 Things You Didn't Know About Shakespeare:

 His Secret Loves! His Artistic Feuds His Biggest Flops!

By: Janet Ware and Al Davis

ISBN: 978-1-59337-295-8

Have fun learning little-known facts about William Shakespeare's life and times. For example, did you know that Shakespeare never attended a university? Or how about the fact that some people doubt he ever even existed?! A fascinating read for those who want to learn more about the great William Shakespeare!


 

 

The Age of Shakespeare

By: Frank Kermode

ISBN: 978-0-8129-7433-1

This book will be great for students who want to learn more about Shakespeare and his work within the context of the time period from which he wrote. The Age of Shakespeare provides information about the Globe theater, the King's Men, Shakespeare's famous works, and life in the Elizabethan and Jacobean times. A comprehensive overview of Shakespeare and the society he came from.


 

Shakespeare's England: Life in Elizabethan and Jacobean Times

By: R.E. Pritchard

ISBN: 978-0-7509-3211-0

This book provides a primary-source view of England during the 16th Century. Using poems, essays, plays, letters, and pamphlets from various Elizabethan and Jacobean writers, readers can get a realistic depiction of the political and social climate in which William Shakespeare wrote.


 

 

Voices of Shakespeare's England: Contemporary Accounts of Elizabethan Daily Life

By: John A. Wagner

ISBN: 978-0-313-35740-4

Much like Shakespeare's England: Life in Elizabethan and Jacobean Times, this book offers a glimpse at life in the 16th Century, except in a more user-friendly way. The book is set up into various thematic sections and offers readers strategies for interpreting and evaluating primary sources. Each section is then supplemented with various letters, diary entries and other texts to help the reader understand a variety of social and political topics ranging from the British criminal underworld to accounts of performances of Macbeth.


 

Critical Analysis



 

The Cambridge Companion to Shakespeare and Popular Culture

By: Robert Shaughnessy

ISBN: 978-0-521-60580-9

This book examines the ways in which Shakespeare's works have interacted with and been interpreted by popular culture throughout four centuries. It discusses the positives and negatives to popularizing Shakespeare's works and staying true to the original texts.The book addresses Shakespeare's influence on music, TV, theater, movies, and other mass media.



 

 

 

Distracted Subjects: Madness and Gender in Shakespeare and Early Modern Culture

By: Carol Thomas Neely

ISBN: 978-0-8014-8924-2

This book takes a feminist critique of the subject of madness in Shakespeare's works. It examines the ideas of lovesickness, sexual desire, and power, and looks at the differences between the ways each are represented by both men and women in Shakespeare's plays. Some plays covered in this book include Hamlet, As You Like It, and more.


 

Domination and Defiance: Fathers and Daughters in Shakespeare

By: Diane Elizabeth Dreher

ISBN: 978-0-8131-1557-3

This book explores the relationships between fathers and daughters in Shakespeare's plays. It illuminates the changing attitudes toward women and marriage in Elizabethan England, and uses examples from Shakespeare's plays to support the idea that Shakespeare promoted a progressive view of the role of women. References to many of Shakespeare's plays are present.


 

How Shakespeare Changed Everything

By: Stephen Marche

ISBN: 978-0-06-196553-1

This book explores little known factoids about Shakespeare, his life, and the people he influenced across the centuries. From Nazi Germany, to Freud's ideas about sexuality, to the 1,700 words that Shakespeare coined, this book covers it all! A very interesting read for those concerned with Shakespeare's influence on modern society.


 

William Shakespeare: Tragedies

By: Harold Bloom

ISBN: 978-1-60413-637-1

Contemporary essays and criticisms of Shakespeare's tragedy plays. Included in this book are: Macbeth, Othello, Hamlet, and Julius Ceasar. A great resource for those writing critical analysis essays on Shakespeare's plays.

Companions to Shakespeare's Works

 

 

 

All the Words on Stage: A Complete Pronunciation Dictionary for the Plays of William Shakespeare

By: Louis Scheeder

ISBN: 978-1-57525-214-8

This dictionary provides character names, places, and pronunciation of unfamiliar terms that appear in Shakespeare's plays. It even provides explanations of how a word's pronunciation is impacted by iambic pentameter. A great technical companion for those reading Shakespeare's plays.



 

 

 

The Bedside, Bathtub and Armchair Companion to Shakespeare

By: Riley Dick

ISBN: 978-0-8264-1250-8

A humorous yet intelligent overview to William Shakespeare and his works, this book provides plot summaries, notable information, and historic production information for all of Shakespeare's plays and some of his sonnets. The book also covers 16th Century issues of authorship, women's roles, and other historical context issues.


 

A Brief Guide to William Shakespeare Without the Boring Bits

By: Peter Ackroyd

ISBN: 978-0-7624-3854-9

This very accessible book is great for students who may struggle with or avoid reading Shakespeare. The book provides commentary on each of his plays, addresses his sonnets, and exposes students to some of his best speeches. A great introduction and supplement to Shakespearian studies!


 

How to Read a Shakespeare Play

By: David Bevington

ISBN: 978-1-40511-395-3

This book is designed to help students develop strategies for reading Shakespeare's plays. Six plays are used as examples, including: A Midsummer Night's Dream, Romeo and Juliet, Hamlet, Henry IV Part 1, King Lear, and The Tempest. The book also recommends supplemental materials like DVD's and audio recordings, as well as successful stage reproductions of the texts.


 

Coming of Age in William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet

ISBN: 978-0-7377-4614-3

This book provides a variety of articles that analyze the theme of "coming of age" in Romeo and Juliet. This would be an ideal companion for students who are writing literary analysis essays on Romeo and Juliet


 

Everybody's Shakespeare: Reflections Chiefly on the Tragedies

By: Mack Maynard

ISBN: 978-0-8032-8214-8

This book is a collection of 21 essays representing 40 years of analysis of Shakespeare's tragedy plays. It would be an excellent companion for students studying the tragedies, or for those who will be writing a literary analysis of one of more of these plays. The essays span across seven of Shakespeare's plays, including: Hamlet and Macbeth.


Having a Ball with the Bard!

 

 

 

 

All Things Shakespeare: An Encyclopedia of Shakespeare's World

By: Kirstin Olsen

ISBN: 978-0-313-31503-9

This encyclopedia defines and describes items and ideas from 16th Century England. The encyclopedia is broken up into topical sections like "Clothing" and "War and Peace." This would be a great companion for students who are looking to learn more about Shakespearian life.



 

 

 

The Arden Dictionary of Shakespeare Quotations

By: William Shakespeare and Jane Armstrong

ISBN: 978-1-40812-897-8

A comprehensive dictionary of Shakespeare's quotes, The Arden Dictionary of Shakespeare Quotations is an ideal book for those interested in exploring Shakespeare's most famous quoted and misquoted lines of all time. With over 3,000 quotations from his plays and poems, this dictionary is a must-have for Shakespeare fans!


 

Bardisms: Shakespeare for all Occasions

By: Barry Edelstein

ISBN: 978-0-06-149352-2

This book contains various quotations from Shakespeare and his plays, and offers readers tips on how and when to use these words for various occasions. Bardisms: Shakespeare for all Occasions would be useful for learning how to invoke the great Shakespeare into daily life, or it would make for a good companion for speech or essay-writing.


 

Building Fluency Through Reader's Theater: Shakespeare

By: Tamara Hollingsworth 

This package of scripts based off of eight Shakespearian plays is perfect for students who are learning Shakespeare through performance. Each play offers parts for multiple characters and is written in an accessible, differentiated way. Great for a fun and educational class activity!