Shakespeare the Playwright: A Companion to the Complete Tragedies, Histories, Comedies, and Romances Updated, with a New Introduction

By Victor L. Cahn

Book Overview

When Victor Cahn's Shakespeare the Playwright was issued in 1991, it was highly recommended for any general public library and for academic collections at all undergraduate levels (Choice) and viewed as a useful guide for the general reader, as well as high school and undergraduate students Library Journal. Now Professor Cahn has revised his introduction to make the context of Shakespeare's plays more meaningful to the beginning researcher and to show how the plays have been performed from the 16th century onward. In addition, the bibliographies for each of the 37 plays have been updated to include the best new research. These updates and revisions will enhance the use of this guide for the general reader, student, and researcher, from high school onward.

Since their first production four centuries ago, the plays of William Shakespeare have been the most widely produced, popularly acclaimed, and critically examined works in the world's literature. In this unique book, Victor L. Cahn, an acclaimed teacher of drama, guides the reader scene by scene through each of Shakespeare's thirty-seven plays, re-creating the freshness and theatrical effect of performance. Cahn has based his approach on the assumption that the fundamental appeal of Shakespeare's plays lies in the characters, and with clarity and subtlety he focuses on how the implications of the characters' actions and the nuances of their language contribute to the plays' impact.

The introduction briefly traces Shakespeare's life and career, and explains some of the social and artistic circumstances that influenced his work. The plays are grouped by genre: Tragedies, Histories, Comedies, and Romances. This structure allows Cahn to explore Shalespeare's development in all four dramatic forms, as well as to suggest relationships between characters, themes, and images throughout the works. In addition, Cahn discusses the plays as reflective of Shakespeare's age, particularly the Renaissance concern with the tension between individual rights and social responsibility. The text is free from extensive scholarly apparatus, but valuable suggestions for further reading follow the analysis of each play, and a selected bibliography concludes the volume. The comprehensiveness of the book, as well as the accessibility and quality of its interpretations, make it a valuable resource for courses in Shakespeare, drama, and British literature, and a worthy addition to high school, college, university, and public library reference collections.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0275955222
• ISBN13: 9780275955229
• Release Date: March 1996
• Publisher: Praeger
• Length: 890 Pages
• Weight: 2.65 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.5" x 6.2" x 9.2"

Customer Reviews

Excellent Play Deconstructions & Overviews of Shakespeare's Plays

I've easily spent (many) hundreds of dollars on books hoping to get a better understanding of Shakespeare's Art, and while many are grave disappointments, this is undoubtably a Home Run. Mr. Cahn not only explains what is going on, Scene by Scene, but makes those 'scholarly' observations which actually give added appreciation for the Power and profound Genius of Shakespeare. I used to attempt different amounts of research before delving into each play. Now, I typically do a bare amount, read the play Act by Act, and then see what Mr. Cahn has to say about it. Even when we seem to be on the very same wavelength, Mr. Cahn usually makes finer observations which show a greater appreciation of Shakespeare's view than I may have noticed. There are certainly good books which give great insight and 'Yes' deeper readings or more verbage on mythical / topical references, his use of words and other aspects of Shakespeare's works, etcetera ... but for a single volume reviewing the plays (basic, yet concise and to-the-point) - this is the best I've found.