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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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    A Hardback by Fintan O'Toole

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      Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
      Publication Date: Publication Date: 6/6/2024
      ISBN13: 9781035908738, 978-1035908738
      ISBN10: 1035908735
      Also in:
      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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