Essential Shakespeare

Essential Shakespeare by Dr. Jenny Stevens and Dr. Pamela Bickley addresses the transition from pre-university to undergraduate Shakespeare studies through an introductory critical guide that examines 16 key plays. Each chapter focuses on modern theoretical methods, close reading skills, early modern contexts, and stage and screen productions spanning several decades.

Gain insights into each play, develop skills of analysis, and explore a diverse range of critical approaches that are central to the study of English today. Suggestions for further reading are included at the end of each chapter, along with examples of Shakespearean adaptation across genres, media, and time.

New to the second edition:

• A revised and expanded introduction
• Two additional plays and further critical approaches are covered: As You Like It and Titus Andronicus
• Revised chapters on Othello and Twelfth Night
• Updates to each chapter with wider reading and extended Afterlives sections
• New links between chapters to aid study
• A preface to the revised edition
• An appendix featuring recommended open access online resources
• Glossary of critical terms used in the book