A vital resource for scholars, students and actors, this book contains glosses and quotes for over 14,000 words that could be misunderstood by or are unknown to a modern audience. Displayed panels look at such areas of Shakespeare's language as greetings, swear-words and terms of address. Plot summaries are included for all Shakespeare's plays and on the facing page is a unique diagramatic representation of the relationships within each play.
Shakespeare's Words: A Glossary and Language Companion
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Review
'The aim is laudable: to highlight the range and multiplicity of meanings and strengthen the reader's intuition for the language' -- The Economist, 14th June 2002
'The editors ... have produced a huge work of user-friendly scholarship ... It works brilliantly' -- The Economist, 14th June 2002
'The list itself is heroic ... If in doubt the editors have gone for more, not less' -- The Economist, 14th June 2002
'There can be no doubt that [the editors] have carried out their work admirably' -- John Goss in The Sunday Telegraph, 9th June 2002
'When foxed and flummoxed, there's nothing for it but this excellent glossary' -- The Economist, 14th June 2002 --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
'The editors ... have produced a huge work of user-friendly scholarship ... It works brilliantly' -- The Economist, 14th June 2002
'The list itself is heroic ... If in doubt the editors have gone for more, not less' -- The Economist, 14th June 2002
'There can be no doubt that [the editors] have carried out their work admirably' -- John Goss in The Sunday Telegraph, 9th June 2002
'When foxed and flummoxed, there's nothing for it but this excellent glossary' -- The Economist, 14th June 2002 --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
About the Author
David Crystal is one of the most authoritative commentators on the English language, and amongst many other things a contributor to the Oxford Companion to Shakespeare. He lives in Anglesey, Wales. Ben Crystal, David's son, is an actor and lives in London (NW1). Stanley Wells, who has written the preface, is General Editor of the Oxford Shakespeare and Associate Editor of the New Penguin Shakespeare series.
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First Sentence
Shakespeare continues to attract a staggering number of new editions, critical commentaries, and discursive essays, but the supportive linguistic literature has been surprisingly sparse. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Back Cover
Shakespeare continues to attract a staggering number of new editions, critical commentaries, and discursive essays, but the supportive linguistic literature has been surprisingly sparse. Read the first page
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Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Back Cover
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
50 of 50 people found the following review helpful
By Marianne Way
Format:Paperback
This book is like having your old English teacher at your side to comment on words you have difficulties with. - For any word in Shakespeare it gives the possible different meeanings and quotes the play(s) in which the word is used.
The book has lots of other useful features including a complete list of all characters' names, explanations of the references to classical mythology, geographical locations and 6* go to the synopses of each play with the diagrams of the characters.
It is a perfect companion for any Shakespeare lover.
42 of 42 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
This is basically a dictionary of Shakespeare. It is well laid out, easy to use and informative. It gives definitions for all the words you may come across in the text which you are struggling with. It also gives meanings to words which have changed over the years and which we might read differently to a contemporary of Shakespeare.
You might think that you don't need this because if you have a good copy of the play text it will give you a glossary with it. I have however recently been studying Taming of the Shrew, using a highly recommended play text, and not all the words were included in the glossary. I also found that as words are often quite nebulous it was interesting to look them up both in the play glossary and Crystal's book because they sometimes differ slightly and enrich my understanding.
There are several other useful features of this book. Each definition offers examples from the plays in which they are used, which can be great for comparison purposes, even if the play quoted is not the one you are reading. There are also mini lessons on certain styles of speaking contemporary with the time, and a potted history of each play.
This is not an inexpensive book, it is however, what I would class as an invaluable book for those serious about understanding Shakespeare and wanting to get the most out of his language.
You might think that you don't need this because if you have a good copy of the play text it will give you a glossary with it. I have however recently been studying Taming of the Shrew, using a highly recommended play text, and not all the words were included in the glossary. I also found that as words are often quite nebulous it was interesting to look them up both in the play glossary and Crystal's book because they sometimes differ slightly and enrich my understanding.
There are several other useful features of this book. Each definition offers examples from the plays in which they are used, which can be great for comparison purposes, even if the play quoted is not the one you are reading. There are also mini lessons on certain styles of speaking contemporary with the time, and a potted history of each play.
This is not an inexpensive book, it is however, what I would class as an invaluable book for those serious about understanding Shakespeare and wanting to get the most out of his language.
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Professor David Crystal and Ben Crystal have carved THE Shakespeare Bible! A glossary which outshines in its meticulous trimness, neatness and accuracy. In a profoundly responsible manner, the authors carefully gloss each and every word in Shakespearean English which may arouse miscomprehension or ambiguity of context. All the polysemantic words are neatly cited with clear references to the particular contexts. So, the great merit of this enormous enterprise is that it does not impersonally state the word meanings in Shakespeare - but displays an extremely accurate context-centered approach to studying Shakespearean lexicon. Which is an indispensable help to a student of Shakespeare's language and a student of Shakespeare's literature. The contexual meanings of the cited words - in the very play, the very scene and the very speech - shed light both on any undertaken linguistic exploration into the Bard's language and on an intimate understanding of Shakespeare's masterpieces by an audience, an actor and a Bardaholic!
Yes, it need be mentioned that there are synopses, and helpful circles of the plays to clarify who is who to whom and wonderful appendices of classical mythology names, folklore, dialects and other specific nuances illuminating Shakespeare's texts.
Yes, it need be mentioned that there are synopses, and helpful circles of the plays to clarify who is who to whom and wonderful appendices of classical mythology names, folklore, dialects and other specific nuances illuminating Shakespeare's texts.
30 of 33 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
An incredibly informative and user-friendly guide, not just to the language of Shakespeare, but to the English Language as a whole in the 16th and early 17th centuries.
Not only does the glossary explain specific words of difficulty it also encorporates the many different ways that Shakespeare, (and many of his contemporaries) used grammar. Crystal includes a short summary of 39 of Shakespeare's plays, and detailed diagrams show the different social networks of the characters in each.
David Crystal has excelled himself yet again, creating a reference for a wide audience; as this like many of his books is written and set out in a style which is both user-friendly and academic.
Definatly worth the money and the time to read. This is a book that you will go back to again and again!
Not only does the glossary explain specific words of difficulty it also encorporates the many different ways that Shakespeare, (and many of his contemporaries) used grammar. Crystal includes a short summary of 39 of Shakespeare's plays, and detailed diagrams show the different social networks of the characters in each.
David Crystal has excelled himself yet again, creating a reference for a wide audience; as this like many of his books is written and set out in a style which is both user-friendly and academic.
Definatly worth the money and the time to read. This is a book that you will go back to again and again!
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase
Other reviewers have aptly described the excellent quality of this book, but I just wanted to add a proviso: unless I am missing something, the Kindle adaptation is virtually unusable. The text has been copied wholesale as if it were a novel; unlike other Kindle dictionaries I have used, there is no way to look up entries. You have to use the generic Kindle search function, which brings up every instance of the word in question in the book, with no way of distinguishing the actual entry from the sometimes numerous other cases in which the same word appears as part of a quote listed under another entry. Unless the word is very rare, this results in an agonising and time-consuming process every time you try to look something up. Please buy the hard copy until Amazon sorts out the Kindle version!
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
By : )
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
Everything you want from a Shakespeare glossary written and presented in a very easy-to-follow way.
A must to anyone who work with Shakespeare's work and for general Shakespeare fans.
A must to anyone who work with Shakespeare's work and for general Shakespeare fans.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
By BookCat
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
I studied Shakespeare at school and uni and am familiar with the lingo; however, I find myself referring to this tome for the exact meanings of words whose use has changed.
The most use I have made of this book has been during those moments when I haven't had time to get into a novel, but want something to occupy my mind, for example, while waiting for something to cook. Then I'll open it at any page and find interesting knowledge which increases my understanding of Shakespeare's language.
A must for students and anyone with a love of Shakespeare.
The reason I've given only four stars is its enormous size and weight (like a concise dictionary) and lack of portability.
The most use I have made of this book has been during those moments when I haven't had time to get into a novel, but want something to occupy my mind, for example, while waiting for something to cook. Then I'll open it at any page and find interesting knowledge which increases my understanding of Shakespeare's language.
A must for students and anyone with a love of Shakespeare.
The reason I've given only four stars is its enormous size and weight (like a concise dictionary) and lack of portability.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
A useful companion
I discovered this companion after having read Ben Crystal's brilliant 'Shakespeare on Toast' and I have found this glossary invaluable to help me and my students understand... Read more
Published 22 days ago by Kellie
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great Book
I purchased this for my granddaughter. She had been too many shops. But it was too expensive.
It was a lot cheaper on Amazon. She had tears in her eyes when she saw it. Read more
It was a lot cheaper on Amazon. She had tears in her eyes when she saw it. Read more
Published 9 months ago by Michael
5.0 out of 5 stars
A darling of a book!! To be sure!!
A superb book that contains a veritable treasury/store of the language used by Shakespeare. Many words have changed meaning while many retain the meaning they had in Shakespeare's... Read more
Published 22 months ago by Ex Libris
5.0 out of 5 stars
A must for all Shakespeare readers
I was recommended this book by an RSC director as an invaluable aid to tackling Shakespeare's language and he was absolutely right; it's like a dictionary just of Bard words and... Read more
Published 22 months ago by NBeards
4.0 out of 5 stars
Shakespeare's Words:..... Personal Rating
The book is fantastic and every bit what I expected. The only inconvenience I find is that characters are really small (for my eyes, that is) For the rest, this book is very well... Read more
Published on 13 April 2011 by Pyzarc
5.0 out of 5 stars
useful book for foreigners
I think it's very good for students who are foreigners come to the UK to study English Literature
Published on 13 Oct 2010 by Tiffany
5.0 out of 5 stars
Shakespeare's Words: A Glossary and Language Companion
This is an extremely well put together piece of work. It is very easy to use and should appeal to both the enthusiast and the student. Read more
Published on 20 Jan 2010 by Mr. S. Cunningham
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