30 Great Myths about Shakespeare - Hardcover

Maguire, Laurie; Smith, Emma

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0470658509 ISBN 13: 9780470658505

Publisher: Wiley-Blackwell, 2013

Synopsis

Think you know Shakespeare? Think again . . .

Was a real skull used in the first performance of Hamlet? Were Shakespeare's plays Elizabethan blockbusters? How much do we really know about the playwright's life? And what of his notorious relationship with his wife? Exploring and exploding 30 popular myths about the great playwright, this illuminating new book evaluates all the evidence to show how historical material—or its absence—can be interpreted and misinterpreted, and what this reveals about our own personal investment in the stories we tell.

About this title

From the Back Cover:

Was a real skull used in the first performances of Hamlet? Were Shakespeare’s plays Elizabethan blockbusters? How much do we really know about the playwright’s life? And what of his notorious relationship with his wife? Through a series of short essays that engage the most potent concerns of recent scholarship, 30 Great Myths about Shakespeare throws new light on these and other common questions about Shakespeare and his works.

Myths regarding Shakespeare abound for a variety of reasons: because of half-remembered or out-of-date scholarship; because Shakespeare is such an elusive and charismatic historical figure; and because, more than any other literary figure, the controversies of Shakespeare studies make headlines.

Exploring and exploding 30 popular myths about the great playwright, this illuminating new book evaluates evidence to show how historical material – or its absence – can be interpreted and misinterpreted, and what this reveals about our own personal investment in the stories we tell.

Offering a highly engaging narrative, 30 Great Myths about Shakespeare covers the big issues that excite the popular imagination around the man, the theater, and the texts of Shakespeare. Thought Shakespeare was a Stratford playwright, or that Macbeth is jinxed? Think again ... 

About the Author:

Laurie Maguire is Professor of English at the University of Oxford, tutorial fellow at Magdalen College, and the author or editor of seven books. She is a regular theater reviewer for the TLS and has lectured widely across the UK and the USA.

Emma Smith is tutorial fellow at Hertford College, Oxford. She is the author or editor of six books, a regular reviewer for the TLS, and has lectured widely across the UK and the USA.

The authors have previously collaborated together on articles on Middleton and Shakespeare and on graduate courses at the University of Oxford.

About this edition

• Publisher: Wiley-Blackwell
• Publication date: 2013
• ISBN 10: 0470658509
• ISBN 13: 9780470658505
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 224