Skip to main content
  • Textbook
  • © 1998

Mastering Shakespeare

Authors:

  • Covers material from the appearance of Shakespeare in the National Curriculum through GCSE and ALevel to firstyear university work.
    Provides detailed lines of thought on the most popular plays set in examinations.
    Enables the reader to think about the kinds of plays Shakespeare wrote comedies, tragedies and histories

Part of the book series: Macmillan Master (MACMMA)

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check for access.

Table of contents (33 chapters)

  1. Front Matter

    Pages i-xviii
  2. The World of Shakespeare

    1. Front Matter

      Pages 1-1
    2. What’s it all about?

      • Richard Gill
      Pages 3-24
    3. Who’s who

      • Richard Gill
      Pages 25-44
    4. Words on stage

      • Richard Gill
      Pages 63-85
  3. The Comedies

    1. Front Matter

      Pages 87-87
    2. Comedy

      • Richard Gill
      Pages 89-106
    3. The Taming of the Shrew

      • Richard Gill
      Pages 107-114
    4. A Midsummer Night’s Dream

      • Richard Gill
      Pages 115-122
    5. The Merchant of Venice

      • Richard Gill
      Pages 123-131
    6. Much Ado About Nothing

      • Richard Gill
      Pages 132-140
    7. As You Like It

      • Richard Gill
      Pages 141-147
    8. Twelfth Night

      • Richard Gill
      Pages 148-156
  4. The Problem Plays

    1. Front Matter

      Pages 157-157
    2. Shakespeare experimenting

      • Richard Gill
      Pages 159-163
    3. Troilus and Cressida

      • Richard Gill
      Pages 164-171
    4. Measure for Measure

      • Richard Gill
      Pages 172-179
  5. The Late Comedies

    1. Front Matter

      Pages 181-181
    2. The worlds of the late comedies

      • Richard Gill
      Pages 183-189

About this book

Mastering Shakespeare covers in detail the plays set in the National Curriculum through GCSE and A-Level to the major elements of Shakespearean drama studied in further education courses.

The book is divided into sections that deal with comedy, tragedy and history. Also included are detailed sections on the most popular plays in the theatre and in the examination room.

The book deals with the basic themes of Shakespeare, the kinds of characters he created, the stories he was attracted to, and the ways in which the plays work out on stage. Among the plays studied are A Midsummer Night's Dream, Merchant of Venice, Julius Caesar, Romeo and Juliet and Hamlet.

About the author

RICHARD GILL has many years' experience of teaching at school, further education and university level. He teaches English at Wyggeston & Queen Elizabeth I College, Leicester, and is a Research Fellow at the University of Leicester. He is the author of Mastering English Literature, and broadcasts regularly on the radio.

Bibliographic Information