Shakespeare Well-Versed: A Rhyming Guide to All His Plays

by James Muirden, David Eccles (Illustrator)

In Shakespeare Well-Versed James Muirden captures the essence of each of the bard's plays in quick-witted, rhyming verse. These clever synopses--with varied rhyme schemes--bring to life the high points and high jinks of all of Shakespeare's plays. Here the best-loved scenes and characters―Romeo and Juliet's impassioned balcony rendezvous, Henry V's speech before the Battle of Agincourt, Hamlet's melancholy soliloquy, the three witches meddling in Macbeth--are given fresh perspective by Muirden's charming, insightful interpretations. Whether you are a lifelong devotee of Shakespeare or one who hasn't read his work since high school, you will be delighted by Muirden's verse and by David Eccles's wickedly clever illustrations that are featured throughout the book. Shakespeare Well-Versed is a smart and entertaining companion to Shakespeare's plays.

Genres: Poetry, Shakespeare, Classics

224 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2004

About the author

James Muirden has written some thirty books on astronomy and space, in addition to A "Rhyming History of Britain" and "Shakespeare Well-Versed." He has also been a film reviewer and telescope maker. He lives with his wife and children in Devon, England.

Reviews

[Michael P.]

SHAKESPEARE ILL-VERSED would be a more accurate title. This book of doggerel verse retells most of Shakespeare's stories. As such, the book is neither good nor bad, just quirky occasionally inaccurate, and certainly not essential reading. It is entertaining enough for three stars until the last two pages in which the poet displays his rampaging arrogance by declaring that Shakespeare did not write any of THE TWO NOBLE KINSMEN, and therefore he does not have to write a doggerel version of that play.

Who the F- does he think he is? Decades of important scholarship has gone into establishing the dual attribution to Shakespeare and John Fletcher. To dismiss the play and all that work by people far smarter than Mr. Muirden with "For I can't see his genius in the writing" (223) is the height of arrogance. What an asshole.

[Carrie Griffin]

I enjoy the idea behind this collection of poems, especially that James wrote a poem for each of Shakespeare’s plays. Such a neat idea. Each poem tells the synopsis of his plays in many different ways. Makes me want to read some of the ones that I have never read like The Winter’s Tale.

[Megan]

It was humorous but I doubt I'll remember much of it

[the mad hatter]

looked like fun

[Kirsti]

Charming. I like that he included all the plays, even the obscure ones.