A Shakespeare Glossary [Paperback]

C. T. Onions (Author), Robert D. Eagleson (Editor)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0198125216 | ISBN-13: 978-0198125211 | Publication Date: May 15, 1986 | Edition: 3

A justly famous aid to the study of Shakespeare, this glossary--originally compiled by C.T. Onions, an editor of the Oxford English Dictionary--clarifies those words in Shakespeare whose senses or connotations may be unfamiliar to the modern reader, paying special attention to dialect forms, idioms, and colloquial phrases. Original in its explanations and illuminating in its definitions, the Glossary brings out the richness and subtley found in Elizabethan English. Incorporating the many advances made in the field since the last (revised) edition was published in 1919, this volume reveals new facts about the meanings of words in Shakespeare, alters previous interpretations, and resolves earlier controversies. In addition, the book takes advantage of two highly accurate, computer based concordances that make every occurrence of each word immediately accessible for investigation and comparison. A reference work without peer, the Glossary is an essential source for students, scholars, playgoers and readers of Shakespeare, and those interested in the history of the English language.

Editorial Reviews

Review

'If the revision is more streamlined, less amiably idio-syncratic, less remindful of doctor lexicographicus, it is even more serviceable. It should hold its own for another eighty years. Typography and layout are immeasurably improved.' B.D.H. Miller, Brasenose College, Oxford, Notes and Queries, June 1991

Product Details

• Paperback: 326 pages
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA; 3 edition (May 15, 1986)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0198125216
• ISBN-13: 978-0198125211
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5.3 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.1 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #219,367 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

32 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good, but could do yet more, April 6, 2001

By 

Joost Daalder "Joost Daalder" (South Australia) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A Shakespeare Glossary (Paperback)

The original version of this glossary, done by C.T. Onions, was certainly a landmark publication. Indeed, there are some things in it (not many) which over the years I have discovered Eagleson has unaccountably omitted in his revised version. On the whole, Eagleson does, however, offer quite a bit of extra material, though the claims made on this score by both the publisher and some reviewers seem to me exaggerated (and I have used Onions's text and Eagleson side by side for many years).

How good is the present compendium for today's purposes? Certainly very good for what it does within its limits, but those limits are significant. By now there have, for example, been a good many books proving the existence of bawdy puns and various related kinds of slang within Shakespeare, and for proper understanding of that author a glossary should certainly explain such Elizabethan usages. In common with *The Oxford English Dictionary* (for which Onions did a great deal of important work), *A Shakespeare Glossary* is - and remains even in its present form - largely silent and uninformative on these matters, with the result that modern readers who look up a word suspecting that it may have a bawdy sense now no longer current will find themselves almost always frustrated (in strictly scholarly terms!).

Such readers will have to turn to e.g. Eric Partridge's *Shakespeare's Bawdy*, which remains invaluable, but is itself coming to look less than complete now that we know so much more, perhaps especially since the publication of Gordon Williams's *A Dictionary of Sexual Language and Imagery in Shakespearean and Stuart Literature* (expensive and not easy to use, but a real mine of information).

Despite these reservations I would still recommend the Onions-Eagleson glossary as a worthwhile component on "the Shakespeare shelf". It should be added - but this is not a fault of the volume - that in many cases a modern reader is simply not AWARE that a word in Shakespeare does not mean what it means today, and therefore will not look it up in any glossary or dictionary. This makes detailed well-annotated volumes such as are published with the New Cambridge, Oxford, and Arden series (or the one-volume Bevington Shakespeare) essential for anyone wishing to understand what he or she is reading: in such editions, the necessary glosses are volunteered by editors who ARE aware of the fact that many words have changed in meaning since Shakespeare's time . - Joost Daalder, Professor of English, Flinders University, South Australia

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Good resource that leaves nothing wanting!, June 7, 2001

By 

Margaret P Harvey (Charlottesville, Va United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A Shakespeare Glossary (Paperback)

If you are a reader, actor or spectator of Shakespeare you must have this book. It is an indispensable guide to the speech and hidden meanings of Shakespeare's words. I especially stress the hidden meanings aspect of the glossary--- a feature you may not find in a footnoted version of the play. This glossary also allows for a fast reference to finding a word in any Shakespeare play. A word will have the meaning and examples of the when it is used in a play. This comes in handy when trying to locate a quotation or a scene. The binding is sturdy and the book is easy to carry and reference to. There is no reason not to have this book if you love Shakespeare. If nothing else it is also fun to just peruse!

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Not helpful, incomplete, May 1, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: A Shakespeare Glossary (Paperback)

The Onions Glossary is incomplete and out of date. For real help on the words in Shakespeare, the Lexicon or "Shakespeare's Words" (by the Crystals) is far, far superior.