Customer Reviews

The Oxford Companion to Shakespeare

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This guide is beautifully illustrated and carefully written by many of the finest Shakespeare scholars alive (there are entries by Helen Vendler, Park Honan, Jonathan Bate, Stephen Orgel, and many others). It is a joy to simply open it to a random page and read. There is an admitted and fairly strong bias toward British Shakespearians and productions, but this helps focus the book and give it a depth many similar guides lack. That doesn't mean it's a provincial book, however, for there are numerous entries surveying Shakespeare across the world and in a variety of contexts. One of the most helpful aspects of the book is an outline of categories and entries at the beginning, a remarkably useful aid when terminology or names slip your mind. It is helpful, but not necessary, to have a copy of the Oxford Shakespeare to refer to, since titles, chronologies, and line references are all keyed to it.

I bought this based on the Amazon.com reviews. I haven't been as impressed as others. It's written for a high school or a very general audience. As a high school reference, it's probably very good. At anything beyond a basic level, however, the book falls short. For example, the entries for many of the minor historical characters are so brief as to merely mention the play in which they appear -- even though I know these characters have relevant familial ties, particularly to royal families. I'm not sorry I bought it; I was just expecting a bit more depth considering its cost. It's fun to browse through (lots of interesting facts to stumble upon, and many beautiful illustrations) but the bottom line is that this book rarely provides sufficient answers to my specific questions. It doesn't really qualify as a reference book beyond an elementary level. I doubt this is the best source of its kind. I plan to do what I should have done in the first place, go to a library and compare the available Shakespeare handbooks. I'm certainly not going throw this book away, but I'm going to have to look for one that better suits my needs.

Here's a book about Shakespeare that isn't written as if the only people who had ever cared about him were graduate students -- not that graduate students won't use it all the time, or that it isn't written by the top Shakespeare experts in the world (the contributors include the likes of Stephen Orgel and Helen Vendler), but unforced, unpretentious enthusiasm for Shakespeare and all sorts of things done in his name breathes from every page. It's beautifully illustrated and what's more the research is all fresh -- there's lots of stuff in here that has never been in a Shakespeare reference book before (eg some of the images, lots of stuff about Shakespeare on recent film and TV and radio and in popular culture, newest finds in textual studies and biography). You can read it from A to Z and it's a good read. Fabulous present for anyone studying Shakespeare at any level and especially for anyone who just likes reading the stuff or seeing it acted. It'll help you fall in love with Shakespeare all over again.

Like Shakespeare, this book is as strong on comedy as it is on the serious stuff, and like Shakespeare it's very rarely dull. The American Library Association have awarded it a prize as one of the best reference books of the year, and you can see why -- it's very up to date, very handsome, very easy to use and has lots and lots of really unusual and enlightening pictures. It's particularly good on Shakespeare movies, and is really international -- lively North American scholars cover Shakespeare's presence in Canada and the US beautifully, and it's really bright and surprising about Russia and China and about everywhere else. It's a book that will help explain to high school students why Shakespeare matters and that actually shows how much fun can be had around the plays and poems in so many different ways -- quite apart from telling college students all sorts of things that their professors had better be up on too. I didn't agree with everything it said about the shows at the rebuilt Globe, sure, but then I like seeing guys in tights.

This is an excellent source for any English major or literary scholar to have--a great supplement to any collection. But I bought this with the impression that it would contain more critical information on the works of Shakespeare so I was a bit disappointed when the critical summaries were just blurbs. If you are looking for a reference book that is more encyclopedic in nature, then this is an invaluable purchase.

A helpfull handbook to Shakespeare with articles on the individual plays and a dictionary of proper names (names in plays, names of locations, names of actors, etc.)
For half the price you can buy an equally good if not better guide, Shakespeare A to Z, by Chalres Boyce.

as a high school english teacher, this thing is exactly what i need to give my students a little extra background on our reading, and it's perfect to give me context and a little more depth when i read shakespeare recreationally.

is it the most thourough companion out there? no. for the serious shakespeare student, you'll definitely want to find something with more depth eventually, but for someone who is just getting started with the bard, this is an excellent foundation on which to start building your knowledge. highly recommended.

"The Oxford Companion to Shakespeare," is a terrific overview of Shakespeare's plays, and just about anything you can think of pertaining to our greatest playwright. The scholarship is up-to-date, the articles are clear and insightful, and the illustrations are plentiful. This user-friendly book is highly recommended for anyone wanting to better appreciate some of Western Civilization's greatest literature.

A great service has been performed by the publication of this wonderful book. In case anyone is interested in the latest scholarship regarding the authorship question (which will greatly enhance your appreciation of Shakespeare), please visit these relatively new books: "Shakespeare by Another Name" by Mark Anderson; and "The Monument: "Shake-Speares Sonnets" by Hank Whittemore.

This book I recommend to anyone who is well knowen to shakespear or some one like me who is just getting started. I bought the book to help me understand more about shakespear and things are becoming a lot less greek to me. The Author has done a excellent job with the book very easy to use and understand. A great insight to the history of Shakespearian Art and the theater.