Deciphering Shakespeare's Plays: A Practical Guide to the 20 Best-Known and Enduring Works brings William Shakespeare's 400-year-old dramas alive in a new introduction for students, playgoers, and general readers. This guide doesn't just dissect great soliloquies on the page--it illuminates the essence and experience of the Shakespearean spoken word. This practical guide brings you closer to the heady, behind-the-scenes world of freelance playwriting and the London theatre scene of the 1590s. It lends insight into decisions that theatre people make while acting and staging The Taming of the Shrew, The Merchant of Venice, Othello, Hamlet, and Macbeth, and many other revered works by the world's greatest playwright. Deciphering Shakespeare's Plays is an invaluable reference tool for high school and university students, drama students, professional and amateur actors, teachers, playgoers, drama critics, and casual readers--or anyone who wants to discover, brush up on, or reacquaint themselves with Shakespeare's plays.