Are you studying Shakespeare and looking for a handy summary of plots, characters and interpretations? Or are you a keen theatregoer wanting essential background on the Shakespeare plays you see on stage? Ideal for students and theatre enthusiasts alike, this lively and authoritative guide presents key information, clearly set out, on all Shakespeare's dramatic and poetic works, covering plots and people, sources, context, performance history and major themes. Ordered alphabetically for easy reference, each play entry features a 'key facts' box providing informative and revealing statistics, including a breakdown of each play's major roles. The guide is illustrated with striking performance photographs throughout, and also provides brief accounts of Shakespeare's life and language, Shakespeare in print and theatre in Shakespeare's time. This is an indispensable reference source for all students and theatregoers. "Even the most avid Shakespearean will learn from the spotlight on the works, while general essays explore the life and times." -Emma Hagestadt,Durrants "I hope this book will find its way onto the shelves of many a Shakespeare enthusiast and into the satchels of many a student. For undergraduates, cramming for the next seminar or tutorial, Emma Smith’s guide will, I suspect, become a trusted and valued friend, something you can turn to with a cup of coffee and read on the way to class. For its size and the range of information it offers, I cannot think of a better example of its kind." --Around the Globe Magazine An indispensable reference tool for Shakespeare students and enthusiasts, this compact guide provides authoritative summaries of each of Shakespeare's works. Emma Smith is Fellow and Tutor in English at Hertford College, University of Oxford. She has published a wide range of books and articles on Shakespeare and Renaissance drama, including The Cambridge Introduction to Shakespeare (2007).