Description

Book Synopsis

The works of Shakespeare have become staples of literature. They are everywhere, from our early schooling to the lecture rooms of academia, from classic theatre to modern adaptations on stage and screen. But how well do we really know his plays?

In this witty, iconoclastic book, the bestselling author Fintan O'Toole examines four of Shakespeare's most enduring tragedies: Hamlet, Macbeth, Othello and King Lear. He shows how their tragic heroes have been over-simplified and moulded to fit restrictive, conservative values, and restores the true heart and spirit of the classics.

''I''ve never read a book like this before: it''s challenging, irreverent and funny.'' Roddy Doyle

Shakespeare is Hard but so is Life

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Order before 4pm tomorrow for delivery by Fri 23 Jan 2026.

A Hardback by Fintan O'Toole

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    View other formats and editions of Shakespeare is Hard but so is Life by Fintan O'Toole

    Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
    Publication Date: 6/6/2024
    ISBN13: 9781035908738, 978-1035908738
    ISBN10: 1035908735
    Also in:
    Non Fiction ELT & Literary Studies Literary studies: general

    Description

    Book Synopsis

    The works of Shakespeare have become staples of literature. They are everywhere, from our early schooling to the lecture rooms of academia, from classic theatre to modern adaptations on stage and screen. But how well do we really know his plays?

    In this witty, iconoclastic book, the bestselling author Fintan O'Toole examines four of Shakespeare's most enduring tragedies: Hamlet, Macbeth, Othello and King Lear. He shows how their tragic heroes have been over-simplified and moulded to fit restrictive, conservative values, and restores the true heart and spirit of the classics.

    ''I''ve never read a book like this before: it''s challenging, irreverent and funny.'' Roddy Doyle

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