Shakespeare for Students- Volume 1

The plot summary follows with acts and scenes for the plays helping the student learn the names of the characters. The next section describes the characters more fully and places them within the scenes. A discussion of both themes and style is followed by the placement in its historical context. The critical overview shares what critics have said about the work; and a collection of essays provide criticism written by Shakespeare scholars. Each entry ends with a list of sources and suggested further reading. Inset boxes include information about media adaptations, suggestions to "compare and contrast," and "Topics for Further Study." Black and white illustrations, reproductions of paintings of scenes, and some photographs of present-day actors in scenes from the plays are also in the text. Each volume ends with the same two-page glossary and a cumulative index to major themes and characters. This provides some help especially for those students for whom reading Shakespeare is a challenge because of their reading skills. It will help them sort out characters and plot in a more sophisticated way than a reference written for a younger audience.