The avowed purpose of this study is to demonstrate how Shakespeare used the rules of rhetoric to underpin the persuasive speeches in his plays. However, Crider (English, University of Dallas) expands upon this topic, showing how Shakespeare created his own rules and that he used them both within the dialogue as a standard of which his characters are aware. Crider uses examples from the tragedy, comedy, history and mystery plays to show that Shakespeare used an ethics of rhetoric throughout. Intention plays a large part in this, from the evil use of persuasion by Iago to the statue scene in The Winter's Tale in which dissimulation is practiced for good. Crider's section on "rhetorical torture" in All's Well That Ends Well is particularly interesting, with its consideration of how cruel rhetoric can be seen as comic. Crider proves that rhetoric is a dangerous weapon. Shakespeare knew that well and his own ethics of rhetoric reached far beyond the rules. Annotation ©2009 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)