Library Thing Review of Shakespeare on Toast
Library Thing – July 2009
There are LOTS of Shakespeare books out there but this one is one of the most easiest to read. Ben Crystal gives you the opportunity to study Shakespeare’s work and realise that while it looks difficult, it is actually not that complicated when you begin to think about it a bit more.
This book reminds us that Shakespeare was no different than say a blogger or TV soap script writer of today. He wrote on demand and talked about the social issues of the day. The only difference between a Shakespeare script and a TV script is that some of the language is a bit old fashioned and some of the words are now out of use. Apart from that it’s still the same kind of writing you’d expect to see today from elsewhere.
Crystal also reveals the clues that Shakespeare hid in his work, the “director’s instructions” for how his actors should act out his work. This is absolutely fascinating but at the same time, it can get a bit difficult to follow and this point of the book is where you have to slow down and really concentrate!
Sprinked with bits of Shakespeare’s plays and sonnets so you can put the theory into practise, this is a must-have for all Shakespeare fans.
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