With full coverage of the 39 Shakespearian plays (including a synopsis, full character list, stage history, and a critical essay for each), this comprehensive guide is both a quick reference and an in-depth background guide for theatre goers, students, film buffs, and lovers of literature. Along with an exploration of the Bard's sonnets and narrative poems, this illustrated book features fascinating accounts of Shakespeare's life and the Globe Theater itself, with colorful details about each play's original performance. Surveying the ever-changing ways we interpret these timeless masterworks, the guide includes up-to-date reviews of the best films and audio recordings of each play, from Laurence Olivier to Akira Kurosawa.