This Is Shakespeare

by Emma Smith

Aimed at a general readership, Emma Smith, Professor of Shakespeare Studies at the University of Oxford, gives a refreshing ‘warts and all’ analysis of Shakespeare. She shows how intellectually and dramatically thrilling Shakespeare can be, demonstrating the wealth of issues and subjects with which he engages.

Interestingly, this book aims to deflate myths, point to inconsistencies and ambiguities, and to identify flaws in his work — suggesting that we might have a tendency to be too reverent of the bard. Relishing these difficult questions, it draws freely from contemporary culture to illustrate the bard’s work and legacy, whether it’s by invoking Tarantino or comparing Falstaff to Homer Simpson.

Emma Smith has also spoken to Five Books about her own favourite Shakespeare plays.