Essential Shakespeare

Addressing the transition from pre-university to undergraduate Shakespeare studies, this introductory critical guide examines 16 key plays. Each chapter focuses on modern theoretical methods, close reading skills, early modern contexts, and productions from stage and screen spanning several decades.

You will gain insights into each play, develop skills of analysis and be introduced to 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, together 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
• A glossary of critical terms used in this book

Essential Shakespeare by Dr. Jenny Stevens and Dr. Pamela Bickley is an invaluable resource for students keen to deepen their understanding of Shakespeare's works through a modern critical lens.