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The Meaning of Shakespeare, Volume 2

Troilus and Cressida, All’s Well That Ends Well, Measure for Measure, Othello, Macbeth, King Lear, Timon fo Athens, Antony and Cleopatra, Coriolanus, Pericles, Cymbeline, The Winter’s Tale, The Tempest

The Meaning of Shakespeare, Volume 2

Troilus and Cressida, All’s Well That Ends Well, Measure for Measure, Othello, Macbeth, King Lear, Timon fo Athens, Antony and Cleopatra, Coriolanus, Pericles, Cymbeline, The Winter’s Tale, The Tempest

A classic, accessible guide to the plays of Shakespeare by a legendary teacher and scholar

Centuries after they were originally performed, the plays of Shakespeare continue to inspire, entertain, and awe audiences and readers today. At the same time, however, there's no question that even the most sophisticated reader can sometimes benefit from the insight and guidance of an expert when entering Shakespeare's long-gone world and complicated figurative language. 

William Goddard is here to help. He taught Shakespeare for decades as much-loved professor at Swarthmore College, and here he distills that experience into an accessible, engaging companion to the plays. Across two volumes, Goddard covers all of Shakespeare's plays and brings fresh insight to familiar characters, scenes, and verses. Goddard writes, "The greatest poetry has always depicted the world as a little citadel of nobility threatened by an immense barbarism, a flickering candle surrounded by infinite night" Shakespeare's candle still burns, and with Goddard's help we can all see it brighter than ever.


306 pages | 5-1/4 x 8 | © 1960

Literature and Literary Criticism: British and Irish Literature

Reviews

"A work fully in the tradition of Samuel Johnson, William Hazlitt and A. C. Bradley. This superb commentary upon all of Shakespeare’s plays has been an inspiration to me for a half century, and I never tire of recommending it passionately to my own students.”

Harold Bloom

Table of Contents

XXIV.TROILUS AND CRESSIDA
XXV.ALL’S WELL THAT ENDS WELL
XXVI.MEASURE FOR MEASURE
XXVII.OTHELLO
XXVIII.MACBETH
XXIX.KING LEAR
XXX.TIMON OF ATHENS
XXXI.ANTONY AND CLEOPATRA
XXXII.CORIOLANUS
XXXIII.PERICLES
XXXIV.CYMBELINE
XXXV.THE WINTER’S TALE
XXXVI.THE TEMPEST
ACKNOLEDGMENTS
INDEX

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