"Shakespeare For Dummies is exquisite." — From the Foreword by Dame Judi Dench of Mrs. Brown and Shakespeare in Love "John Doyle asks actors never to hide in fear from Shakespeare's words, but to use them to bring the story to life." — Natascha McElhone, costar of the films The Truman Show and Mrs. Dalloway "What great fun! What the film Shakespeare in Love has done to make Shakespeare the man accessible to a general audience, this book will do to make Shakespeare the writer enjoyable." — Charlotte J. Headrick, Ph.D., Professor and Director, Theatre Arts, Oregon State UniversityIncludes a Scorecard for Every Play!Shakespeare…Difficult? Zounds! 'Tis all much ado about nothing! Does the thought of sitting through A Midsummer Night's Dream give you nightmares? Did Romeo and Juliet seem like a foreign film — without the subtitles? Relax. As John Doyle and Ray Lischner prove in this uniquely accessible guide, Shakespeare is not only the greatest writer who ever lived, but he's also a great entertainer — once you get a handle on his wild plots and witty wordplay. With Shakespeare For Dummies®, you get snappy summaries and scorecards for every play to help you keep track of who's who, who's in love with whom, and who's killed whom — plus fun tips on understanding Elizabethan English, including all those racy puns and jokes. "Friends, Romans, Countrymen, Lend Me Your Ears"Discover how Shakespeare became the Steven Spielberg of Elizabethan England — and why some people still claim that his plays were ghostwrittenGo inside an Elizabethan theater — and find out how they managed with almost no seats, no roof, and no women onstageImprove your understanding of the language with tips on sentence construction, verbs, and those troublesome thees, thous, and thinesFind contemporary idioms and phrases that come from Shakespeare's playsGet the lowdown on where to find Shakespeare festivals and performances — and discover how to maximize your enjoyment of a playFind out the possible identity of the mysterious "Dark Lady" in Shakespeare's sonnetsCatch ten of the best shows ever made of the Bard's plays — and meet the ten greatest Shakespearean actors of all time