JULIUS CAESAR (50 Mini-Essays)

OTHELLO (100 Mini-Essays)

MACBETH (in progress)

CORIOLANUS (12/28/07)

AND

SHAKESPEARE FOR LAWYERS

SHAKESPEARE FOR
PREACHERS

SHAKESPEARE FOR LOVERS

Shakespeare

This page is devoted to my mini-essays on the work of William Shakespeare. The purpose of these essays is to exposit the flow of his plays but even more to explore some significant themes within and among the plays. My hope is that these essays will aid in your mastery and appreciation of Shakespeare's language and work. If all the world (or at least those who know English) could "speak Shakespeare," our conversations, writing and lives would be enriched, sharpened, and deepened.

These essays are meant chiefly to be interpretive and not expository. You can find excellent expository essays or summaries either in the MonkeyNotes or Spark Notes internet resources. The essays in the following pages are designed to pick up where those valuable summaries end, and take you into the riches of Shakespeare's language and subtlety of his thought. As most commentators have recognized, Shakespeare demonstrates remarkable insight into human emotional life and character development in the course of his plays.

All Shakespeare references in the essays that follow are to the Riverside Shakespeare (2nd Ed; Houghton Mifflin, 1997).

Happy Studying!

Dr. Bill Long

The Bard: William Shakespeare (April 23, 15644-April 23, 1616)