Customer Reviews

Shakespeare on the Double! Julius Caesar

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I bought this book yesterday.

1. What I like:

The presence of "normal" English on every facing page means that my brain can take a break if it gets tired of the Elizabethan English on the left-hand page.

It's kind of like those platforms that break up a long stairway. They are meant to give the heart a rest but not by stopping your walking (you can stop on the steps, too, after all).

Both science and experience have shown that continuing to climb stairs, without a horizontal segment to break the stress, causes the cardiac tension to build and build until, in some cases, heart failure occurs. Even a short interval of a couple of seconds of horizontal walking is enough to break that cycle. This is why those platforms are mandated.

The modern English in this book serves the same purpose. For a few moments, your brain can just...relax. Yet, you are still reading and making progress. You don't need to stop (which is dangerous because you might not start again!). The cycle of tension is broken and you can continue, refreshed.

2. What I don't like:

Some things are not explained.

For example, "Pompey's blood..." Most readers will assume this means the blood of his body, since he was, after all, killed in battle by Caesar's forces.

According to Asimov (Asimov's Guide to Shakespeare), this is incorrect. "...blood" actually refers to Pompey's son, who was recently killed in Spain. This Spanish battle was the occasion for the triumph being discussed in this section of the play (Act I, scene i). This book does not explain this at all, and yet explaining these kinds of ambiguous words is the very raison d'etre of this book.

Conclusion:

If you need a little support when reading Shakespeare (and I certainly do), I highly recommend this book. But, take it with a small grain of salt. It is excellent support but it is not perfect.

What it will do is this: it will get you back to reading Shakespeare!

I sure wouldn't want to walk upstairs without those little platforms to break the stress.

Buy it now.