Reading Shakespeare's Dramatic Language: A Guide

The first in an occasional series of student guides to be published by the Arden Shakespeare, this interdisciplinary volume addresses a fundamental need in education in language, literature and drama. Many of today's students lack the grammatical and linguistic skills to enable them to study Shakespearean and other Renaissance texts as closely as their courses require. This practical guide should help them to understand and use the structures and strategies of written and dramatic language. Eleven short essays on aspects of literary criticism and performance by an eminent team of contributors are followed by a more detailed exploration of the history of language use, grammar and spelling, plus a glossary of terms offering definitions, contexts and examples. Together these provide an informed historical understanding of dramatic language in the early modern period.