Reading Shakespeare's Dramatic Language

Arden Shakespeare Library

by Sylvia Adamson (Editor), Lynette Hunter, Lynne Magnusson (Editor)

This accessible and interdisciplinary volume addresses a fundamental need in current education in language, literature and drama. Many of today's students lack the grammatical and linguistic skills to enable them to study Shakespearean and other Renaissance texts as closely as their courses require. This practical guide will help them to understand and use the structures and strategies of written and dramatic language. Eleven short essays on aspects of literary criticism and performance by an eminent team of contributors are followed by a more detailed exploration of the history of language use, grammar and spelling, plus a glossary of terms offering definitions, contexts and examples. Together these provide an informed and engaging historical understanding of dramatic language in the early modern period.

Genres: Shakespeare, Nonfiction, Literary Criticism, Literature

336 pages, Paperback

First published December 14, 2000

Reviews

[Tom · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've been teaching Shakespeare for thirty years, but this has so much in it that I've never thought of.

How is Shakespeare using rhetoric? How is he using dialogue? How is he using description? How is he using metaphor?

But it's about the use, not about WHAT is being described. This book got me thinking about Shakespeare's writing in different ways, which is why I'd recommend it to anyone interested in the way Shakespeare worked.

[John Fredrickson · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a useful guide to Shakespeare, but is more focused on breadth than depth. The short essays cover many aspects of performative drama as well as language, including body language as well as the use of silence on the stage. This is in addition to the subjects you would expect, such as rhetoric and persuasive techniques, grammar, puns, neologisms and more.

[Mugren Ohaly · Rating 3 out of 5]

A useful textbook for anyone studying Shakespeare or someone wanting help reading and understanding Shakespeare's work.