The Arden Dictionary of Shakespeare Quotations

Jane Armstrong

Language: English

Published: Jun 22, 2010

Description:

Who said " Neither a lender nor a borrower be"? Who are the star-crossed lovers? Which Shakespearean lady protests "too much"? If you have ever been stuck trying to identify a Shakespearean quote then this is the book for you! With over 3,000 quotes from single lines to quite long extracts, organized by topic and by play, this is an essential book for anyone with an interest in Shakespeare. The key word index makes it easy to use and it also includes a glossary of unfamiliar terms and a brief biography of Shakespeare. The Dictionary is easy to dip into by word or theme (love, greed, disease, war etc) or by play, and the indexes allow readers to track down a half-remembered quote easily.

An ideal companion for all students, teachers or performers of Shakespeare.

From Booklist

The most frequently quoted (and misquoted) writer in the English language is well served by this compact collection of more than 3,000 quotations from his plays and poems, indexed by keyword, topic, and play title. Additional features include a glossary and a brief biography of the Bard. The text used is the 1998 Arden Shakespeare Complete Works, long a favorite of students as well as performers. The entries are arranged by topic, from Absence to Youth, and presented alphabetically by play title under each category. The act, scene, and line are indicated, as are the speaker and, when the excerpt is other than a soliloquy, the character spoken to. You may well ask, “Why another book of Shakespeare quotations?” In this case the question should be, “Why not?” With its modest price and carefully constructed indexes, The Arden Dictionary of Shakespeare Quotations is the place to “brush up your Shakespeare.” Smaller library collections that might not be able to afford other compilations of Shakespeare quotes would find this title a useful addition, and larger collections might want to add a circulating copy as well as one for reference use. --Carolyn Mulac

Review

“The most frequently quoted (and misquoted) writer in the English language is well served by this compact collection of more than 3,000 quotations from his plays and poems, indexed by keyword, topic, and play title. Additional features include a glossary and a brief biography of the Bard. The text used is the 1998 Arden Shakespeare Complete Works , long a favorite of students as well as performers...With its modest price and carefully constructed indexes, The Arden Dictionary of Shakespeare Quotations is the place to 'brush up your Shakespeare.'” ― Booklist

About the Author

Jane Armstrong is a freelance writer and copy editor.