--- product_id: 11034565 title: "Shakespeare After All" price: "£31.39" currency: GBP in_stock: false reviews_count: 8 url: https://www.desertcart.co.uk/products/11034565-shakespeare-after-all store_origin: GB region: United Kingdom --- # Shakespeare After All **Price:** £31.39 **Availability:** ❌ Out of Stock ## Quick Answers - **What is this?** Shakespeare After All - **How much does it cost?** £31.39 with free shipping - **Is it available?** Currently out of stock - **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.co.uk](https://www.desertcart.co.uk/products/11034565-shakespeare-after-all) ## Best For - Customers looking for quality international products ## Why This Product - Free international shipping included - Worldwide delivery with tracking - 15-day hassle-free returns ## Description desertcart.com: Shakespeare After All: 9780385722148: Marjorie Garber: Books Review: Insightful and entertaining - As a fan of Shakespeare (both on the stage/screen and written page), I have added to my appreciation by reading various works about this playwright. First there was Asimov's Guide to Shakespeare, which was a well-written commentary on the historical contexts of the plays. Then, there was Harold Bloom's Shakespeare, The Invention of the Human, a scholarly work offset by a tone of high-toned intellectual snobbery and condescension. Now, there is Shakespeare After All, a work that fits between these two in quality. In Shakespeare After All, Marjorie Garber's 900+ page tome on the Bard's plays, we are given an opportunity to learn more of what makes Shakespeare Shakespeare. As a long-time Harvard and Yale lecturer on Shakespeare, Garber certainly has the credentials and experience to back up her extensive essays on the plays. If there is a problem with the book, it is only that she is perhaps too familiar with the plays and is unable to be truly critical of them. The book begins with a lengthy introduction which serves as a biography of Shakespeare and provides a bit of historical context for his body of work. Then we get a chapter on each of thirty-eight plays, including The Two Noble Kinsmen, which is not always included in Shakespeare collections. The plays are presented in rough chronological order and focus only secondarily on plot, with a greater emphasis on character and the use of language. Garber is a good writer, and each chapter is insightful. As this is written more as a collection of essays, there is not always perfect continuity between chapters and there is more than a little redundancy (which I suppose does make this easier to read this work in portions or out of order). As stated before, however, the principal flaw in her writing is that she refuses to say anything really critical about any of the plays. In Garber's view, Shakespeare batted 1.000, all hits and no misses. Henry VIII seems to be just as worthy of merit as Othello or Hamlet. Furthermore, there are no mistakes; any apparent contradictions or omissions are cleverly intended, not just an error. Certainly, Shakespeare is worth a lot of praise. When you consider what he did - writing over three dozen plays with an adeptness that is readily apparent - he is definitely deserving of the title "genius," but he wasn't perfect. It would be nice if Garber acknowledged this, but her strengths clearly outweigh her weaknesses, and if you are interested in learning more about Shakespeare's plays, this is a worthwhile way to get that education. Review: A must read for Shakespeare students & enthusiasts - This is a marvelous collection of essays about Shakespeare's plays, useful to advanced middle school students, high school and college students, and any one about to watch a play. Throw away your "No Fear Shakespeare" -- to master a play, watch a cinematic version, read Marjorie Garber's essay, watch a complete version with subtitles, then read the Modern Library/RSC edition with footnotes (works great on a Kindle). Save the Arden version for advanced scholarship; the Modern Library edition footnotes are just right for early acquaintance. Earlier reviews of this book say there is no table of contents on the kindle version. There is; it is simply hard to find because it is not correctly linked. Go to the "cover" (not the "beginning") and page through about 10 pages until you get to the TOC. Bookmark it. Remember: Shakespeare wrote *plays* not novels -- see it first. Teachers who flog their students through page after page of reading (and footnotes) without having first enjoyed the play as a play quite mistake the matter. Likewise, teachers who assign No Fear Shakespeare - translating Shakespeare? Come now, we don't read it for the plots... Shakespeare After All provides just the right amount of background knowledge, appreciation of the good jokes, and political and historical context to move on to the next level of appreciating -- and more importantly, enjoying -- Shakespeare's plays. ## Technical Specifications | Specification | Value | |---------------|-------| | Best Sellers Rank | #135,440 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) #17 in Drama Literary Criticism #58 in Shakespeare Literary Criticism #243 in Literary Criticism & Theory | | Customer Reviews | 4.6 out of 5 stars 274 Reviews | ## Images ![Shakespeare After All - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/71NJ133mHIL.jpg) ## Customer Reviews ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Insightful and entertaining *by M***L on May 3, 2005* As a fan of Shakespeare (both on the stage/screen and written page), I have added to my appreciation by reading various works about this playwright. First there was Asimov's Guide to Shakespeare, which was a well-written commentary on the historical contexts of the plays. Then, there was Harold Bloom's Shakespeare, The Invention of the Human, a scholarly work offset by a tone of high-toned intellectual snobbery and condescension. Now, there is Shakespeare After All, a work that fits between these two in quality. In Shakespeare After All, Marjorie Garber's 900+ page tome on the Bard's plays, we are given an opportunity to learn more of what makes Shakespeare Shakespeare. As a long-time Harvard and Yale lecturer on Shakespeare, Garber certainly has the credentials and experience to back up her extensive essays on the plays. If there is a problem with the book, it is only that she is perhaps too familiar with the plays and is unable to be truly critical of them. The book begins with a lengthy introduction which serves as a biography of Shakespeare and provides a bit of historical context for his body of work. Then we get a chapter on each of thirty-eight plays, including The Two Noble Kinsmen, which is not always included in Shakespeare collections. The plays are presented in rough chronological order and focus only secondarily on plot, with a greater emphasis on character and the use of language. Garber is a good writer, and each chapter is insightful. As this is written more as a collection of essays, there is not always perfect continuity between chapters and there is more than a little redundancy (which I suppose does make this easier to read this work in portions or out of order). As stated before, however, the principal flaw in her writing is that she refuses to say anything really critical about any of the plays. In Garber's view, Shakespeare batted 1.000, all hits and no misses. Henry VIII seems to be just as worthy of merit as Othello or Hamlet. Furthermore, there are no mistakes; any apparent contradictions or omissions are cleverly intended, not just an error. Certainly, Shakespeare is worth a lot of praise. When you consider what he did - writing over three dozen plays with an adeptness that is readily apparent - he is definitely deserving of the title "genius," but he wasn't perfect. It would be nice if Garber acknowledged this, but her strengths clearly outweigh her weaknesses, and if you are interested in learning more about Shakespeare's plays, this is a worthwhile way to get that education. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ A must read for Shakespeare students & enthusiasts *by A***R on February 13, 2014* This is a marvelous collection of essays about Shakespeare's plays, useful to advanced middle school students, high school and college students, and any one about to watch a play. Throw away your "No Fear Shakespeare" -- to master a play, watch a cinematic version, read Marjorie Garber's essay, watch a complete version with subtitles, then read the Modern Library/RSC edition with footnotes (works great on a Kindle). Save the Arden version for advanced scholarship; the Modern Library edition footnotes are just right for early acquaintance. Earlier reviews of this book say there is no table of contents on the kindle version. There is; it is simply hard to find because it is not correctly linked. Go to the "cover" (not the "beginning") and page through about 10 pages until you get to the TOC. Bookmark it. Remember: Shakespeare wrote *plays* not novels -- see it first. Teachers who flog their students through page after page of reading (and footnotes) without having first enjoyed the play as a play quite mistake the matter. Likewise, teachers who assign No Fear Shakespeare - translating Shakespeare? Come now, we don't read it for the plots... Shakespeare After All provides just the right amount of background knowledge, appreciation of the good jokes, and political and historical context to move on to the next level of appreciating -- and more importantly, enjoying -- Shakespeare's plays. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Outstanding *by C***S on March 6, 2025* An excellent book: insightful, well written, and just about as comprehensive as a book on Shakespeare can be. --- ## Why Shop on Desertcart? - 🛒 **Trusted by 1.3+ Million Shoppers** — Serving international shoppers since 2016 - 🌍 **Shop Globally** — Access 737+ million products across 21 categories - 💰 **No Hidden Fees** — All customs, duties, and taxes included in the price - 🔄 **15-Day Free Returns** — Hassle-free returns (30 days for PRO members) - 🔒 **Secure Payments** — Trusted payment options with buyer protection - ⭐ **TrustPilot Rated 4.5/5** — Based on 8,000+ happy customer reviews **Shop now:** [https://www.desertcart.co.uk/products/11034565-shakespeare-after-all](https://www.desertcart.co.uk/products/11034565-shakespeare-after-all) --- *Product available on Desertcart United Kingdom* *Store origin: GB* *Last updated: 2026-05-17*