Need to swot up on your Shakespeare? If you ve always felt a bit embarrassed at your precarious grasp on the plot of Othello, or you haven t a clue what a petard - as in hoist with his own petard - actually is, then fear not, because this, at last, is the perfect guide to bring you up to speed. From the authors of the number-one bestselling Homework for Grown-ups, Shakespeare for Grown-ups is the essential book for anyone keen to deepen their knowledge of the Bard s key plays and sonnets. For parents keen to help with their children s homework, casual theatre-goers who want to enhance their enjoyment and understanding of the most-performed plays and the general reader who feels they should probably know more about Britain s most splendid scribe, Shakespeare for Grown-ups covers the historical context of his writing; his personal life, contemporaries and influences; his language and poetic skill; the key themes of his oeuvre; his less familiar works and characters; modern-day adaptations and productions; theories about the authorship of his plays; his most famous speeches and quotations; phrases and words that have entered general usage, and much more. With lively in-depth chapters on all the key works including Hamlet, Othello, King Lear, The Tempest, Romeo and Juliet, Much Ado About Nothing, Antony and Cleopatra, Richard II, Henry V, A Midsummer Night's Dream, The Merchant of Venice and Macbeth, Shakespeare for Grown-ups is the only guide to the Scribe you ll ever need.