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Shakespeare's Words: A Glossary and Language Companion

by
David Crystal (Author)
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David Crystal (Author),
Ben Crystal (Author)
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Ben Crystal (Author), Stanley Wells (Preface)
4.6 out of 5 stars 61 customer reviews
ISBN-13: 978-0140291179
ISBN-10: 0140291172
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Frequently Bought Together

  • Shakespeare's Words: A Glossary and Language Companion
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  • Shakespeare Lexicon and Quotation Dictionary: A Complete Dictionary of All the English Words, Phrases, and Constructions in the Works of the Poet (Volume 1 A-M
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  • The Oxford Shakespeare: The Complete Works 2nd Edition
Total price: $54.74
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Product Details

  • Paperback: 676 pages
  • Publisher: Penguin Books (December 31, 2002)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0140291172
  • ISBN-13: 978-0140291179
  • Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 1.5 x 9.1 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 2.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (61 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #107,746 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Top Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 starsIndispensible
By Polymath-In-Training on December 1, 2006
Format: Paperback
Other than a good edition of the plays, this is the one reference that you absolutely must have. It has tremendously enhanced my reading of the plays. I no longer have to wonder or guess what a word means. I believe that it was linguist John McWhorter who pointed out in one of his books that some of Shakespeare's words have changed meanings over the centuries; some of the words don't seem to fit into the context because they meant something different then. Crytal's book clear all that up. Whenever I look up a word, I jot down its meaning in the play. This makes reading and rereading simpler and better.

Add to this the Arden complete plays, a fine edition and cheap in paperback, and Margaret Garber's Shakespeare After All, a readable scholarly introduction to each of the plays, and you have an inexpensive trio of books that are really all you need to enjoy reading the plays.
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5.0 out of 5 starsBest Shakespeare Reference
By John R. Bridell on May 20, 2005
Format: Paperback
This book is the very, very, very best Shakespeare Reference that I've come across. It is everything that it was cracked up to be. I wish that I had this source available 50 years ago.
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4.0 out of 5 starsGood, but incomplete
By Ian Chadwick on September 29, 2004
Format: Paperback
It may be difficult to provide a full glossary of Shakespeare's words in a portable - and inexpensive - format. The authors manage to do it very well, given the restrictions on size and cost, and even throw in some useful sidebars to make it more interesting for casual browsing. However, when they overlook uncommon or archaic words, missing these can leave the reader with a sense of incompletion and frustration. Look up "chough" for example, a word used in several plays, but not listed here. The authors include "chuff" - but entirely miss its other meaning in its old spelling (chough) - "jackdaw." The deficiencies are not glaring, and the book is a worthwhile purchase, but I would like to see a revised edition with some of these oversights corrected.
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5.0 out of 5 starsGreat Reference Book
By Robert Stevens on November 10, 2006
Format: Paperback
I was very impressed by the thoroughness of the book. The dictionary-like form is easy to use and provides straight forward succinct information. It isn't just for understanding archaic words. For example, while reading Macbeth and finding Shakespeare used the word "dollars", I was curious why Scotland was using "dollars" during Macbeth's time so I pulled the book off the shelf and there it was.
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5.0 out of 5 starsBy Saint Charity -- What a great reference!
By Jean E. Pouliot on December 28, 2006
Format: Paperback
What an awesome idea! To put into one place definitions for the hard-to-understand Elizabethan English that one runs into in Shakepeare! Whether it be "prithee" or "forsooth" or "prating mountebank," the dictionary will help give the Shakespeare novice or pro the information needed to decipher the Bard's often-complex writing.

In addition, there are frequent collections of definitions that gather together words in a single theme -- say, words related to politeness, or swear words. These colections give the reader a chance to compare many words of the same genre and gain even more insights into Elizabethan usage.

The defintions are somewhat sparse, but that's probably necessary given the sheer volume of words being defined. However, each word references the play or play in which it it used.

Marry! -- that is to say, "By Mary!" -- a wonderful accompaniment to anyone interested in Shakespeare!
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5.0 out of 5 starsAwesome guide to shakespeare
By mosunnyvale on September 12, 2003
Format: Paperback
After having read most of the plays the hard way, I chanced upon
this book. It is very well written, explains the nuances of words and puns used in the play and the context from 1600s.
It has several useful appendices -- a must for students.
The play summaries at the end of the book
with Venn diagrams -- displaying
the relationships of dramtis personae graphically
alone is well worth the price.
- Mohsin ( [...] )
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5.0 out of 5 starsExcellent
By A Customer on May 1, 2004
Format: Paperback
"Shakespeare's Words" is an excellent resource. The definitions are clear and concise and the extra charts and graphs are a wonderful addition. If you have this book for definitions and "All the Words on Stage" for pronunciations, you are ready to study or perform one of Shakespeare's plays.
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5.0 out of 5 starsBrilliant.
By Sally Rychen on May 4, 2004
Format: Paperback
This book is so well organized that it is actually fun to use. I agree with the previous reviewer - I use this book and "All the Words on Stage,A Complete Pronunciation Dictionary for the plays of William Shakespeare". I had been searching for years for some help when I was researching a role. These two books have answered all of my questions.
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