I was once lucky enough to see the late – and great actor Michael Bryant play Iago,his command of the text such that the whole play came alight - a reminder of how, without such brilliance, Shakespeare can be frustrating and boring for modern day audiences. 2016 marks the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare death and in place of such magical acting Geoff Spiteri enlightens us on Shakespearian language and euphemism, the construct of the plays,the plots and the characters. This short volume emphasises Shakespeare's humour and rudery, reminding us of his influence on our language with his words, magic and poetry. Geoff Spiteri's opening words are Does Shakespeare matter? Any doubts will be scattered by A Smidgeon of Shakespeare. ~ Sue Baker
A Smidgen of Shakespeare Brush Up on the Bard with Quotations, Trivia and Frolics Synopsis
If the mere mention of Shakespeare fills you with dread, evoking memories of arduous afternoons spent in stuffy classrooms with eccentric English teachers, it is time to reconsider that far from being three-hour marathons of unintelligible boring rubbish, Shakespeare's plays are in fact exciting, tragic, funny and often downright rude - full of memorable plots, great insults, filthy jokes and eccentric characters. A Smidgen of Shakespeare lets you know the essentials, as well as providing you with a wealth of facts and trivia to amuse, impress and entertain (at school, in a seminar or down the pub). Succinct, pithy entries cover everything from Shakespeare's greatest villains to his most cutting insult (hint: it involves your mum). As a playwright, he is truly a global figure - his work has been translated into more than 70 of the world's languages, including Latin, ancient Greek and even Klingon. Did you know, however, that Shakespeare's influence even extends into the outer reaches of our solar system? 24 of Uranus's 27 moons are named after Shakespeare characters. The hundreds of entries range from the truly enlightening to the utterly obscure in this comprehensive guide that will re-introduce you to the fascinating world of Shakespeare's work.
