This companion is compact, portable, and comprehensive. It is the most respected pocket guide to Shakespeare's plays ever published and has been fully revised and updated to include the very latest key performances from around the world.<BR>The Pocket Companion to Shakespeare's Plays will quickly enlighten readers and enhance their enjoyment of both the written word and the plays in performance. For each of Shakespeare's 39 plays there is a synopsis of the plot, a list of characters and notes on the chief figures, and a resume of the performance history. The book also includes a critique on the poems and sonnets, a history of the Shakespearean theatre and the early players, a background to the Apocrypha of plays attributed to Shakespeare, and a selected glossary of Elizabethan English. The book is user-friendly, accessible and readily consultable on the spot. It will enhance the enjoyment of any Shakespeare production.