Shakespeare's Sense of Character—On the Page and from the Stage

Until recently, according to Ko (English, Wellesley College), scholars have tended to dismiss as naive critical readings of Shakespeare that delved into the motives and backstories of the characters. The tides have changed, and there's a resurgence of scholarly interest in this approach. He and co-editor Shurgot (emeritus, South Puget Sound Community College) have brought together 14 contributions. A sampling: Stanislavski and characterization, counter-intuition and character in The Merchant of Venice, theory and practice in acting, and Henry V's character conflict, among many other topics. Annotation c2013 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Yu Jin Ko, is Professor of English at Wellesley College, USA. Michael W. Shurgot is Professor of Humanities at South Puget Sound Community College, USA.