Shakespeare Lexicon and Quotation Dictionary, Vol. 1: Volume 1

by Alexander Schmidt and Gregor Sarrazin

Book Overview

In more than 300 years of Shakespearean scholarship, only one book, the famous Shakespeare Lexicon and Quotation Dictionary, has investigated the meaning of every word that Shakespeare wrote. The lifetime work of Professor Alexander Schmidt of K nigsberg, this book has long been the indispensable companion for every person seriously interested in Shakespeare, Renaissance poetry and prose of any sort, or English literature. It is really two...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 048622726X
• ISBN13: 9780486227269
• Release Date: June 1971
• Publisher: Dover Publications
• Length: 768 Pages
• Weight: 2.30 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.5" x 6.6" x 9.3"

Customer Reviews

Great and useful book...

We all know that Shakespeare is another language :).... this incredible dictionary explains every word and gives you other contents in which it was used in different Shakespeare plays... I think it is very useful to have at least one Shakespeare dictionary in the house and this book is excellent! Olga Vidisheva www.olgavidisheva.com

Remains an excellent tool

I assign a higher rating to Schmidt's lexicon than to C.T. Onions's *Shakespeare Glossary* (which I have also reviewed) for the reason that, although both compendiums by now do show their age, Schmidt's two volumes (one of course needs N-Z with this one) are all in all in many ways more comprehensive and informative than Onions's single-volume work (even after its updating by Eagleson). Readers of Shakespeare should NOT assume that if they use an unannotated edition (e.g. the Oxford Complete Works) they will understand everything they read if only they consult Schmidt or Onions or both. For one thing, many words in Shakespeare look intelligible from a modern viewpoint, but in fact had a different meaning in Shakespeare's day: an uninitiated reader will miss many such instances if s/he does not use good annotated editions by expert scholars, who provide glosses for well-considered and essential reasons. And I do not even dwell on the need to be aware of bawdy puns (see my review of Onions), or of other specific usages (e.g. legal terms), on which a good deal of new work has been done in recent years. Therefore, purchase of valuable volumes like these should be seen as SUPPLEMENTARY to the use of good, carefully annotated editions. - Joost Daalder, Professor of English, Flinders University, South Australia

The Best, most useful guide to the language of the Bard ...

This is, simply, the essential, definitive guide to the Bards language. Almost every word in every Shakespearean play is here, and instead of having to guess what the meaning is in relation to the play, each word is listed by play and meaning in each heading. It can even be used for other lexiconic purposes is you're having trouble trying to figure out what Shaw means in one of his passages from "Saint Joan", or Ibsen in "when We Dead Awaken". Unless they suddenly discover a new play by shakespeare, this reference will never go out of date. And hey, it's not called the "Shakespeare Lexicon and Quotation Dictionary (Vol. 1 A-M)" for nothing, people. You're going to have to get the other one, but there's no real problem, because this is simply just the greatest lexicon ever for Shakespeare. Your search ends here if you ever need to understand the Bard words.

The Next best thing to having the Bard next to you . . .

This is, simply, the essential, definitive guide to the Bards language. Almost every word in every Shakespearean play is here, and instead of having to guess what the meaning is in relation to the play, each word is listed by play and meaning in each heading. It can even be used for other lexiconic purposes is you're having trouble trying to figure out what Shaw means in one of his passages from "Saint Joan", or Ibsen in "when We Dead Awaken". Unless they suddenly discover a new play by shakespeare, this reference will never go out of date. And hey, it's not called the "Shakespeare Lexicon and Quotation Dictionary (Vol. 2 N-Z)" for nothing, people. You're going to have to get the other one, but there's no real problem, because this is simply just the greatest lexicon ever for Shakespeare. Your search ends here if you ever need to understand the Bard words.

invaluable reference!!!

If you're reading or performing Shakespeare, this reference is absolutely invaluable. It defines for you the words you have no clue about, as well as shedding light on the words you thought you knew. The English in Shakespeare's canon is centuries if not worlds different from our own. For example, if a character refers to another character as a friend, you'd think you understand, right? Well, in this book you'll find that it can mean many many things such as 'lover,' or 'relative.' That is, of course, but one meager example. Check it out, you won't be sorry!