This is the most readable version of Shakespeare I have encountered, doing full justice to the orignal text with the original alongside

I found the book to be concise, detailed with historical records being references and where conjecture was made it was clearly noted. It brought the various families to life and expanded on my knowledge of the personal life of William Shakespeare.

I picked up Measure for Measure knowing nothing about the play other than it was not an early work and that it was a comedy. I knew Shakespeare as an enjoyable Wit and was looking forward to a virtuoso display of the English Language. I certainly got this, but this is by no means a "light" play. In fact, the more I looked into it, the more disturbing it became.

The plot is quite involved with many twists and turns, based on many unlikely situations. Read it like any other comedy and you will be fine.

The characters are what's disturbing. There are no clear "white hats" in this story. Claudio sets his sister up which causes much of the story. The Duke handles people like puppets. Angelo is certainly not worthy of trust and there are some hints that the Duke even knows this when he leaves him in charge. Isabella? Well, there are two strong attributes to her personallity - Future Nun and also as Harold Bloom described her, the sexiest female character in Shakespeare.

There are many "lowlife" characters as well. Most important and probably most interesting would be Lucio who moves the plot around. Also quite interesting and infuriating would be Pompey.

I read it in the New Cambridge Edition. Brian Gibbons gives an interesting introduction which goes over the original context for the play, a discussion of its sources, as well as a production history. His notes to the text are also quite good. My eyes glazed over a bit on the textual analysis...not interesting to me at this point.

If you want "uplifting" or "inspirational", pick something else. If you are willing to let these interesting, ambigious characters into your mind, you will have a fine time as one of the finest artists of the English Language leads you around their stories.

The rival set on Harper is a much more elegant reading of with Gielgud and Richardson as Deputy and Duke. On the other hand, this is much more lively performance. Perhaps the Duke of Roger Allam is a little less noble than one expects in this role; but Simon Russell's Angelo is sufficiently villainous and Stella Gonet's Isabella is a strong one. The rest of the cast keeps things moving at a good clip. The tale of the Governor Who Lets Things Go Too Far is a very timely one in any age. Picture the present Mayor of New York's problems with law enforcement in a city that put political correctness before the safety of its citizens. And need we point out the obvious link with a High Official who uses his office to gain sexual favors from young women? And they say Shakespeare has nothing to say to a modern audience!!! This play should be studied in Political Science classes as well as in English ones.

Professor Holmer's book is stupendous. An enjoyable read and very interesting and insightful.

Wow! Anyone who thinks Shakespeare is inaccessible should settle down with Arkangel's new series of the complete plays on audio tape. The most magical of the Bard's comedies sounds as if it's happening right in your living room! Better than Seinfeld -- better than Friends -- one of the best stories ever has been reinterpreted by a new generation of brilliant young actors, and made available to all. What a great introduction to Shakespeare. I can't wait for the rest of the plays to come out!

"The Course of true love did never run smoothe." Shakespeare's tale of four Athenian lovers and a fairy named Puck is a very funny play. I loved this story, it is a good love comedy that I would recomend to anyone who is a Shakespeare fan or a loves a good book. I would have to say that this book is for teens all the way to adults. Some of the content may not be OK for children

"A Midsummer Night's Dream" is one of Shakespeare's most charming and intelligent comedies. Exploring with humour the theme of star-crossed lovers that he deals with tragically in "Romeo and Juliet," Shakespeare here takes three troubled relationships and has them intersect in the most amusing ways.

The impending nuptials of Theseus and Hippolyta set the background for the play, and are certainly the most distant, both from the immediate action, and in terms of romantic possibility. Theirs is a cool, rational relationship, seemingly devoid of passion. The already-married Oberon and Titania, king and queen of fairies, provide another marital backdrop. Both seem to be jealous of the other's chosen distractions, which deprive them of each other's company. Finally, the main action of the play concerns the love affair between Lysander and Hermia. Hermia's father, Egeus, wants his daughter to marry Demetrius, and does not approve of Lysander at all. Helena, Hermia's friend, is smitten with Demetrius, and so, the conflicts begin.

Oberon initiates the action of the play, goading his mischievous aid-de-camp, Puck, to stir up trouble with a love-inducing flower amongst both the human lovers and the fairy queen Titania. Foible and folly ensue when Puck starts into his work. Throw in some common craftsmen from Athens who are trying to put together a simple play for Theseus's wedding, and you have all the ingredients for enchantment.

In "A Midsummer Night's Dream," Shakespeare not only delves into the intricacies of human relationships on a romantic level, but also at the social, class, and interpersonal levels. He even critiques/celebrates the habits of his late 16th century audiences to intriguing effect. If you are tired of tragedy or think Shakespeare too distant or foreboding, pick up "A Midsummer Night's Dream," and you will find a solidly funny and endearing read.

I highly recommend this book to any teacher who wants to introduce her students to performing Shakespeare. We used this abridged version with our fifth and sixth grade students (we added in the whole of Puck's final speech, however!). The book pairs Shakespeare's language with a vernacular version of the play; the original language and vernacular "translation" are placed on facing pages. With the help of the vernacular version and a lot of coaching, our students were able to understand the play, memorize the lines, and perform the play in front of an audience. What was most exciting about the experience was that you could tell the kids *understood* the Shakespearian language from the way they spoke the lines -- they *said* them, rather than recited them. I credit this book's design and approach to the play with helping the kids to understand so much. We approached the idea of doing Shakespeare with this age group with some trepidation -- but with the help of this book, it was the highlight of our school year. (The book also has helpful sections which introduce the kids to the basics of the theater).

I am a little surprised to find myself the first reviewer of this distinguished book. The book is important for two reasons. Above all, Bradshaw is himself an excellent - perceptive, subtle, balanced and sound - critic of Shakespeare. He persuades one that what he sees in Shakespeare is actually "there", and essential to see. Given this ability, he is also in an authoritiatve intellectual position to demolish a good deal of the artificial, contrived nonsense written during the eighties and early nineties, particularly by the "new historicists (so called) and the "cultural materialists": he demonstrates conclusively that for the most part the readings of Shakespeare offered by these critics (inasmuch as they actually discuss Shakespeare rather than offering us onesided views about his period) are distorted and inaccurate when really held up against Shakspeare's plays. Thus Bradshaw's title, *Misrepresentations*, is entirely apposite, and present and future readers of Shakespeare will owe him much for his plain speaking and sharp intelligence, which direct us to the real qualities - not least the artistic ones - of SHAKESPEARE rather than the preoccupations of those who tend to treat him as a political football. Joost Daalder, Professor of English, Flinders University (see More about me)