No Fear Shakespeare: A Companion (Sparknotes)

Let's face it. Hearing people talk about Shakespeare can be pretty annoying. Particularly if you feel like you don't understand him. When people talk about which of Shakespeare's plays they like best, or what they thought of so-and-so's performance, they often treat Shakespeare like membership in some exclusive club. If you don't "get" him, if you don't go to see his plays, you're not truly educated or literate. You might be tempted to ask whether the millions of people who say they love Shakespeare actually know what they're talking about, or are they just sheep?

No Fear Shakespeare: A Companion gives you the straight scoop on everything you really need to know about Shakespeare, including:

• What's so great about Shakespeare?
• How did Shakespeare get so smart?
• Five mysteries of Shakespeare's life – and why they matter
• Did someone else write Shakespeare's plays?
• Where did Shakespeare get his ideas?
• Shakespeare's world
• Shakespeare's theater
• Shakespeare's language
• The five greatest Shakespeare Characters

No Fear Shakespeare: A Companion is an introduction to the life and works of William Shakespeare, targeted toward high school students. It showcases selected passages from the No Fear Shakespeare translations in an engaging way, with frequent headers and sidebars that break up the page and offer multiple points of entry into the text. The contents include a brief biography of Shakespeare; a portrait of 16th century England, the Renaissance, and culture and education during Shakespeare’s time; an overview of Shakespearian-era theater; a look at the Bard’s sources; and a discussion of whether Shakespeare is really the author of the plays attributed to him. It’s the perfect companion for students…or any reader interested in learning more about Shakespeare.