Shakespeare's Characters for Students

Gr 8 Up--While the title states that this book is primarily for students, that limitation is unnecessary. Anyone--student, general reader, play or moviegoer--who needs quick clarification of a character from any of the plays will find this volume helpful. Citing the 1974 edition of The Riverside Shakespeare (Houghton, 2nd ed., 1997) as the authority, the book lists every character in every play, including heralds, captains, and pages. The writing is clear and direct. The plays are organized alphabetically by title. Each entry begins with an act-by-act plot summary followed by a section entitled "Modern Connections," which attempts to compare situations, personal issues, and feelings in the plays with readers' perceptions of today's world. The characters are listed alphabetically with a leisurely examination of their roles, followed by a list for further reading specific to that play. Some of the references, particularly the journal articles, are old or specialized and may be difficult to locate but others are more generally available. The character/topic index is extensive. A user-friendly general reference book.

Sally Margolis, formerly at Deerfield Public Library, IL

Copyright 1998 Cahners Business Information, Inc.