Revised and Expanded Edition of The Secret of Shakespeare Reveals the full scope of Shakespeare's plays as sacred visionary dramas, illuminating the bard's greatest works and the man behind them • Reveals how, through the use of esoteric symbol and form, Shakespeare's plays mirror the inner drama of the journey of all souls • Conveys a heightened understanding of the plays through examining the theatrical rendering of their texts Through his study of such plays as Hamlet, Othello, MacBeth, and King Lear, Lings supplies expert and inspiring guidance to the beautifully wrought words and worlds of William Shakespeare. Lings's particular genius lies in his ability to convey, as perhaps no one else has ever done, the theatrical renderings of these texts, leaving readers with deep and lasting impressions not only of these masterpieces of dramatic artistry, but of the extraordinary man behind them as well.

Shakespeare's essential greatness is clarified by placing his plays in the broad context of sacred art and showing his preoccupation with the quest for human perfection and the mystery of sanctification. In The Secret of Shakespeare, Martin Lings "says more to reveal the quintessence of Shakespeare's greatness than the most laborious exposition could ever do". -- Kathleen Raine

"Martin Ling was for many years lecturer on Shakespeare at the University of Cairo, and is now on the senior staff of the British Museum. 'Shakespeare's greatness,' he says, 'lies above all in the total impact that each of his best plays makes on us when acted. But being a synthesis, this impact is not easily put into words; and once the curtain is down and we have left the theatre, what is said and written about these plays tends to be on a comparatively low level and bears little or no relation to the greatness of each as a while, which it seems unable to account for.' Here he sets out to discuss ten of the maturer plays, one by one, in a way which does account for the greatness as a whole. With out attention thus centered on the texts and on their theatrical rendering rather than on their author, we are none the less left with a deeper impression of Shakespeare the man and Shakespeare the artist than we can get from most of the biographies. This readable, revealing and at times very moving book shows that it is still possible, even now at the 350th anniversary of the poet's death, to make a fundamentally important contribution to the study of his art in its most essential aspect." -Publisher.

Shakespeare's plays, argues Lings, concern far more than the workings of the human psyche; they are sacred, visionary works that, through the use of esoteric symbol and form, mirror the passage the soul must make to reach its final sacred union with the divine.

This engaging book demonstrates Shakespeare’s abiding interest in the theatrical potential of the Christian resurrection from the dead. In fourteen of Shakespeare’s plays, characters who have been lost, sometimes for years, suddenly reappear seemingly returning from the dead. In the classical recognition scene, such moments are explained away in naturalistic terms a character was lost at sea but survived, or abducted and escaped, and so on. Shakespeare never invalidates such explanations, but in his manipulation of classical conventions he parallels these moments with the recognition scenes from the Gospels, repeatedly evoking Christ’s resurrection from the dead. Benson’s close study of the plays, as well as the classical and biblical sources that Shakespeare fuses into his recognition scenes, clearly elucidates the ways in which the playwright explored his abiding interest in the human desire to transcend death and to live reunited and reconciled with others. In his manipulation of resurrection imagery, Shakespeare conflates the material with the immaterial, the religious with the secular, and the sacred with the profane.

Learn the entire works of one of the greatest writers of the English language in The Shakespeare Book. Part of the fascinating Big Ideas series, this book tackles tricky topics and themes in a simple and easy to follow format. Learn about the works of William Shakespeare in this overview guide, great for beginners looking to learn and experts wishing to refresh their knowledge alike! The Shakespeare Book brings a fresh and vibrant take on the topic through eye-catching graphics and diagrams to immerse yourself in. This captivating book will broaden your understanding of Shakespeare, with: - Every play and poem from Shakespeare’s canon, including lost plays and less well-known works of poetry - Packed with facts, charts, timelines and graphs to help explain core concepts - A visual approach to big subjects with striking illustrations and graphics throughout - Easy to follow text makes topics accessible for people at any level of understanding The Shakespeare Book is the perfect introduction to the entire canon of Shakespeare’s plays, sonnets, and other poetry, aimed at adults with an interest in the subject and students wanting to gain more of an overview. Here you’ll discover the complete works, from The Comedy of Errors, to the great tragedies of Hamlet, Othello, King Lear, and Macbeth. Your Shakespeare Questions, Simply Explained This is a brilliant, innovative exploration of the entire canon of Shakespeare plays, sonnets, and other poetry with detailed plot summaries and a full analysis of the major characters and themes. If you thought it was difficult to learn about the works of one of the greatest writers in the English language, The Shakespeare Book presents key information in a simple layout. Every work is covered, from the comedies of Twelfth Night and As You Like It to the tragedies of Julius Caesar and Hamlet, with easy-to-understand graphics and illustrations bringing the themes, plots, characters, and language of Shakespeare to life. The Big Ideas Series With millions of copies sold worldwide, The Shakespeare Book is part of the award-winning Big Ideas series from DK. The series uses striking graphics along with engaging writing, making big topics easy to understand.

Every few weeks a politician, pundit or soap star causes a media storm by making a gaffe or tweeting a joke that some people do not find funny. Comedy is very hard to get right and yet we think it’s important to have a sense of humour and not take yourself too seriously. On the other hand, a sense of humour failure can lead to losing your friends, your twitter account, your job, your career and, in some cases, your life. James Cary knows about this. He is a sitcom writer who’s written jokes about bomb disposal in Afghanistan (Bluestone 42), defended comments about Islam by Ben Elton on Newsnight, been on a panel with radical Muslim cleric Anjem Choudary, sits on the General Synod of the Church of England and somehow managed to co-write episodes of Miranda. An odd mix, but one that makes him very readable. This entertaining, breezy book, explains how comedy works (with jokes and quotes) and gives much-needed insights into the controversy surrounding humour.