Easy Reading Shakespeare Volume One

by Richard Cuddington

Forget the archaic language, forget the incomprehensible Elizabethan humour, forget the puzzling classical references. Richard Cuddington offers his readers a new approach to Shakespeare which acknowledges the bard’s stature as England’s finest poet and playwright but lays aside the trappings of that greatness to reveal what made him popular with his contemporary audiences and what can still enchant us today – the stories.
In these highly entertaining verses the author takes the plots of ten of Shakespeare’s most popular plays and presents them with clarity, humour and a modern directness.
The bouncing rhythm and the straightforward language make these light-hearted lyrics an easy and engaging read. And when you know what each play is about and the sort of characters who populate its plot, you may well be encouraged to find out more about what makes these people tick by venturing into the original texts, having crept under the literary barriers and already found a way in by the back door.

343 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 30, 2013