Pari Publishing

Reviews

The Use of English
The English Association Journal for Teachers of English
Volume 60 Number 1 Autumn 2009

A useful resource, then, in the study, the classroom, the pub and the pocket (it’s that small). Well worth having copies about.

Shakespeare's 100 Greatest Dramatic Images is a short, curious and interesting little book presented in two main sections. The first, a set of ten cloze exercises based on short excerpts that will recur later in the book, I had my doubts about; but when I tried a selection with some borrowed AS students I found that at least some of the exercises prompted discussion which enabled the students to consider meanings in some depth. They looked at the interplay of words and considered elements of style in relation to meaning, often showing insight and sensitivity (‘too obvious—and it would make the next line redundant’), and common sense (‘You wouldn’t eat a fly’). The need for contextual/linguistic clarification became apparent in places (in Shakespeare's time would ‘a mole cinque-spotted’ be considered an ornament or a blemish?), and there were some moments of humour (temporary preference for ‘cakes and crumpets’) and shared bafflement. This experiment left me feeling that a useful prologue to a study of a Shakespeare play might well be an exercise of this kind on some carefully selected lines.

The second and longer section is a sequence of short essays, one for each play (excluding Two Noble Kinsmen), in generic sections (Twelfth Night, interestingly, is included under ‘Tragi-Comedies’, presumably because of the unreconciled Malvolio). These essays, ranging in length from one page to four, all begin with one of the 100 images, which provide an initial focal point, and move out from there to an account of the play. What's remarkable is that the authors within their self-mposed limits range between straightforward explanation of plot (never the primary emphasis), analysis of how some of the images work, specific linguistic comment (for instance on ‘take’ in ‘take the winds of beauty’, unpicking the phrase ‘brave new world’, letting us know that Shakespeare only used ‘grinning’ three times), comments on dramatic structures, as well as occasional contextualising of various kinds. Where there is critical disagreement about a play this is often set out clearly, leaving a question to be investigated. There are one-sentence comments (of Much Ado, ‘the misuse of language is integral to both love stories’) whish might produce fruitful discussion (what kind of misuse? who says it’s a misuse? which speeches? how integral?). These aren't the only ways in which the book can open up debate. The initial focus can be surprising (Iago's ‘Nor poppy nor mandragora...’), and in some cases the emphasis is unexpected (I found it odd that the young lovers in the Dream are hardly mentioned. Launce and his dog get far more attention than the main story of Two Gents, the Nurse more than Romeo and Juliet), and so on. And there are more specific details we may take issue with. I think, for instance, that it is ridiculous to say that Beatrice arrives at the shattering ‘Kill Claudio’ immediately, and I question that, since she says so little, Hero can be said to speak in ‘slightly sugared’ verse. But I don't think such things are a problem; rather I think they are a part of the book's usefulness, especially to teachers.

We can ask of any or all the accounts such questions as: What has been significantly left out? Is the account de-centred? Are any surprises a prompt to further reading and thought? What other images might be chosen/present themselves as among the most striking or significant in the play? Which image would we select to focus the beginning of an account, and how would we develop from there? Whether teachers ask these questions of themselves in lesson preparation, of each other during INSET, or of their students during lessons, they should prove very productive. Further, it might be worth getting students to look at how the essays are constructed (why begin an account of The Tempest with Caliban and Ariel, and only then go on to Prospero and the main story line? Do the essays hang together, or are they arbitrarily sequenced sections?) before writing their own account along similar lines, starting form their own chosen images.

A final cluster of brief sections is comprised of a useful summary of the history behind the history plays, an explanation of what the authors mean by a ‘Shakespearian image’ (note that ‘dramatic’ has conveniently dropped out), a brief remark on Shakespeare's texts, and an anecdote on the genesis of the book. Finally we are referred to a website (www.shakespearesgreatestimages.co.uk) where we can see other people's selection and explanation, and contribute our own.

A useful resource, then, in the study, the classroom, the pub and the pocket (it's that small). Well worth having copies about.

John Haddo