The Arden Introduction to Reading Shakespeare: Close Reading and Analysis (The Arden Shakespeare)

Shakespeare's Plays Are Works Of Art Made Out Of Words. To Read The Plays Closely, That Is, To Pay Careful Attention To The Multiple, Shifting Meanings Of And Relationships Between Their Words, Is To Gain A Deep And Lasting Appreciation For The Complex Artistry Of Their Construction And Of Their Effects. In Fourteen Chapters, The Book Takes Readers On A Guided Tour Through Some Of The Most Productive Sites In Shakespeare's Plays For Analysis, Providing An Introduction To The Practice Of Reading Shakespeare's Plays Closely, And Some Examples Of The Interpretive Work That Such Close Reading Can Enable. Topics Of Analysis Include Verbal Patterning, Dramatic Structure, Staging And Stage Directions, Soliloquies And Character-construction And Poetic Meter. This Is An Ideal Teaching Text For Introductory Courses On Shakespeare. Offering A Wide Range Of Examples From Nearly All Of Shakespeare's Plays, It Will Give Students The Analytical Tools They Need To Develop Sustained Close Readings Of Their Own-- The Title -- Stage Directions -- Scenes -- The Whole Play -- First Words -- The First Act -- Act Three -- Acts Two And Four -- The Last Act -- Last Words -- Patterned Language -- Characters -- Meter -- Textual Variation. Jeremy Lopez. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. "Shakespeare's plays are works of art made out of words. To read the plays closely, that is, to pay careful attention to the multiple, shifting meanings of and relationships between their words, is to gain a deep and lasting appreciation for the complex artistry of their construction and of their effects. In fourteen chapters, the book takes readers on a guided tour through some of the most productive sites in Shakespeare's plays for analysis, providing an introduction to the practice of reading Shakespeare's plays closely, and some examples of the interpretive work that such close reading can enable. Topics of analysis include verbal patterning, dramatic structure, staging and stage directions, soliloquies and character-construction and poetic meter. This is an ideal teaching text for introductory courses on Shakespeare. Offering a wide range of examples from nearly all of Shakespeare's plays, it will give students the analytical tools they need to develop sustained close readings of their own"-- Provided by publisher Cover Contents Preface Acknowledgements Note to the Reader PART ONE 1 The Title 2 Stage Directions 3 Scenes 4 The Whole Play PART TWO 5 First Words 6 The First Act 7 The Third Act 8 The Second and Fourth Acts 9 The Last Act 10 Last Words PART THREE 11 Patterned Language 12 Characters PART FOUR 13 Metre 14 Textual Variation Epilogue Selected Further Reading Index