The Complete Idiot's Guide to Shakespeare by Laurie E. Rozakis

The Complete Idiot's Guide to Shakespeare Reviews

• 
  Stephanie

  I'm going back to school in the fall as an English major, so what better time to brush up on my Shakespeare than when I'm sitting by the pool? (Pretty sure I was the only person reading Shakespeare at the pool. That's how I roll.)
  
  I had an English teacher in high school who loved Shakespeare, and his enthusiasm was contagious. But over the years, that enthusiasm wore away, and I became more and more intimidated by the Bard, to the point where I actually kind of feared having to study his plays when I went back to college. But no fear was necessary. If anything, this book taught me that Shakespeare's words...are just words. And words can be figured out, interpreted, learned, and appreciated. And I've rediscovered my previous enjoyment of Shakespeare's work through this book.
  
  Rozakis starts off with a biography of Shakespeare, what we know, anyway. She discusses his life and times, the history of the Renaissance, the troubles of the English throne, and the changes that were taking place in the English language both before and after Shakespeare's life. After she sets the stage with all the historical context we need to know, she dissects his plays one by one. There are rundowns of each character, plot, discussions of the bits of dialogue that are the turning points in each play, and excerpts of scenes that are especially beautiful or well-known. There's a section on Shakespearean sonnets, and one on his longer poems. If you need help understanding what's going on in a particular play, this is definitely a great resource to get you started in the right direction. This book will live on my shelf for the rest of my life, I think, right next to my hardback copy of the complete works of Shakespeare. I no longer fear the Bard, and now I actually hope I have a chance to take a Shakespeare class one day. So glad I decided to take the plunge!
• 
  Lucinda

  This book is a good reference book as you read each of Shakespeare's books. I am planning to read "The Merchant of Venice" next and wanted to read this book first because I have had an aversion to Shakespeare. I didn't know if I would understand his writings. Understanding the time period and his style will definitely make reading his works more enjoyable. I am now excited to dive into Shakespeare and before reading this book, I really didn't have any desire to attempt. I have been reading parts of it to my kids and now our family wants to go to the Shakespearean festival too!
• 
  Tallia

  I am rather enjoying reading this book. I find the historical happenings he puts in the book rather helpful and I now understand more of Shakespeare's wordplay. I love how he gives a description of each play and gives character breakdowns and how he gives a summary of the story. It's definitely a good overview of all his plays. If you want more detail than you should get something like Spark notes edition of whatever play you want or Shakespeare on the double. Def a good overview though!! Loved it!
• 
  Anita

  Quit reading. I felt like a middle schooler reading it, even for an "idiots" book, . I recommend the Essential Shakespeare Handbook by Leslie Dunton-Downer instead.
• 
  Shishir

  Good intro to the times and writings of Shakespeare
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  Michael Hinsley

  Accesable, as they say. Not bad, not great.