Doing Shakespeare demystifies and clarifies the study of Shakespeare, tackling many of the challenges students and audiences face in understanding his drama and language. It confronts the most commonly asked questions: does Shakespeare matter; does he have anything to say to us; if he has, why does he say it like he does? How does Shakespeare do it—and how are we supposed to 'do' Shakespeare?

This innovative guide is designed to be a versatile companion for anyone engaging with Shakespeare's drama. Part One confronts the difficulty of Shakespeare's language, with chapters on metaphor, repetition, high style, verse and prose, rhyme, and wordplay. Part Two explores the complexity of Shakespeare's characters, looking closely at soliloquies, doubles, disguises, off-stage action, and the role of the audience in constructing character. Opening chapter summaries and set-piece examples of varying complexity draw from the most commonly studied and performed plays. Play and character indexes allow for quick and flexible use of the book.

Doing Shakespeare is ideal for anyone new to Shakespeare, or for anyone who wants Shakespeare to be made new again for them.



Table of Contents
Preface
Acknowledgements
Introduction

Part 1: Words
1. Why all of these metaphors?
2. Why use two words when one might do?
3. Why the repetition?
4. Why the high style?
5. Why rhyme?
6. What difference does prose make?
7. Why all of these puns?

Part 2: Characters
8. What are these speaking things?
9. Where is a character?
10. Is direct self-expression possible? The soliloquy
11. Did they do it? Sex and heroines
12. In search of Shakespeare's characters: Iago and Hamlet

Suggestions for further reading
Indexes
     Characters
     Plays
     General