Shakespeare's plays are works of art made out of words. To read the plays closely that is to
pay careful attention to the multiple shifting meanings of and relationships between their
words is to gain a deep and lasting appreciation for the complex artistry of their
construction and of their effects. In fourteen chapters the book takes readers on a guided
tour through some of the most productive sites in Shakespeare's plays for analysis providing
an introduction to the practice of reading Shakespeare's plays closely and some examples of
the interpretive work that such close reading can enable. Topics of analysis include verbal
patterning dramatic structure staging and stage directions soliloquies and
character-construction and poetic meter.This is an ideal teaching text for introductory courses
on Shakespeare. Offering a wide range of examples from nearly all of Shakespeare's plays it
will give students the analytical tools they need to develop sustained close readings of their
own.
