This book is a fantastic introduction to academic writing. Even though I'm studying for my master's now, I felt like Smith guided me through Shakespeare's plays carefully whilst gently pushing me towards points to consider. It's perfect for anyone planning on studying English Literature in further studies or who is interested in Shakespeare. But, that's not entirely true - because Smith makes Shakespeare more approachable. Even those people who have found Shakespeare to be complex and unobtainable should pick this book up. Plays that, until now, have confused me or seemed a little too smart suddenly seemed to make sense. Smith's colloquial language engaged me, I saw her as a friend sharing a passion rather than an academic lecturing about Shakespeare. This is Shakespeare certainly achieved its goal: even before I had finished I begged my girlfriend to let us watch Macbeth and Hamlet. Right now, I'm considering picking up some of the plays I've not yet read or attempted to read and gave up on. I can't recommend this one enough, no matter who you are - a Shakespeare fan, a hater, a teacher, an academic, a student - this book is essential.

Indespensible for fans of the Bard - a recontextualisation of Shakespeare's work for modern audiences. Its pocket size means it's theatre-visit friendly (when that's an option again) but just as good as a narrative discovery of those plays you half-remember from GCSE.

'All these examples show how Shakespeare can resonate in particular circumstances, and how we can bring to the plays our own emotional, political, ideological and creative energies.' Who ever thought that a book about Shakespeare would shake me out of my reading slump? My intention when I bought this was just to read a chapter every so often but once I started it was hard to stop. The way Emma Smith writes with such passion has this power to have you gripped from the start. Some books about Shakespeare are hard to follow and over complicate things but I found this easy to follow and highly fascinating. Recomend this for fans but also newbies alike, I feel like this would be great for people interested in reading Shakespeare but don't really know where to start as this gives you overviews of his finest work as well as themes and plot point which I can see making it less intimidating. My favourite chapters were those about Twelfth Night (biased as this is my favourite of Shakespeare's works), Richard III and A Midsummers Night's Dream. This will definitely be a book I will go back to before or after watching an adaption or reading a play.

At last, a crossover book for the general reader which actually treats Shakespeare in the way that he is thought about, taught, researched and written about in modern academia: not some kind of 'timeless' (how is it even possible to be outside time?), ahistorical, untouchable figure of 'genius' (what is that, anyway?), but as a shortcut to a body of texts (this only deals with the plays) which are textually unstable, contingent, probing and open - what Smith terms full of 'gappiness'. What she highlights in her readings are the debates, questionings and complexities that these plays articulate - the way they remain open rather than being closed down to a fixed meaning. What she highlights are the contemporary concerns: identity politics (gender, race, sexuality), war and conflict, how history is made and remade through story-telling. As someone who has taught Shakespeare for around 10 years at undergraduate and postgraduate levels, this is a book I'd recommend widely, from A level students to the interested theatre-goer with no literary background. Smith is fun, accessible, and lively, and up-to-date.

At last, a crossover book for the general reader which actually treats Shakespeare in the way that he is thought about, taught, researched and written about in modern academia: not some kind of 'timeless' (how is it even possible to be outside time?), ahistorical, untouchable figure of 'genius' (what is that, anyway?), but as a shortcut to a body of texts (this only deals with the plays) which are textually unstable, contingent, probing and open - what Smith terms full of 'gappiness'. What she highlights in her readings are the debates, questionings and complexities that these plays articulate - the way they remain open rather than being closed down to a fixed meaning. What she highlights are the contemporary concerns: identity politics (gender, race, sexuality), war and conflict, how history is made and remade through story-telling. As someone who has taught Shakespeare for around 10 years at undergraduate and postgraduate levels, this is a book I'd recommend widely, from A level students to the interested theatre-goer with no literary background. Smith is fun, accessible, and lively, and up-to-date.