Outlines of Shakespeare's Plays

by Homer A. Eatt, Homer A. Watt, Karl J. Holzknecht, et al.

Book Overview

Act-by-act synopses of all the plays are given. To suggest the flavor of the original, actual quotations from the plays are woven into the narratives and the descriptions of characters listed in the... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0064600254
• ISBN13: 9780064600255
• Release Date: January 1971
• Publisher: Collins Reference
• Length: 240 Pages
• Weight: 0.60 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 5.2" x 8.1"

Customer Reviews

Short, simple, useful

The title says it all. This book outlines all of Shakespeare's plays, act by act, and describes each character and his/her relationship to others, where applicable. Each summary is about 3-5 pages (average of about 3.5pgs), and some include important quotations. In addition to the outlines, the book features notes on Shakespeare's life, his theatre, the structure of his plays, sources of his inspiration, by play, and suggestions on reading Shakespeare. Of course, they are not meant as a substitute to the plays, nor are they as thorough as Cliff's Notes, but the succinct format allows you to get a decent sense of the play. Best use: read it before reading the play. It makes for a faster understanding of what is going on and lets you focus on the language, art, plot devices, etc.

Excellent synopsis of all the plays

There is a more recent edition than this one. I thought it MUST still be in print since I have found it to be such a useful little book over the years. Nothing profound, just the dramatis personae for each play with a brief summary of each act, but extremely useful for one who is looking for a bird's eye view of Shakespeare's plays.