Shakespeare, That Is the Question! 100 Questions and Answers to Fully Enjoy Shakespeare

2024/01/24

Shakespeare is a playwright whose name is well known worldwide, yet he remains shrouded in mystery. When was he born? How did he enter the world of theater? What were his thoughts and beliefs? It is full of unanswered questions. This is no surprise, as no diaries, notebooks, or letters that would clarify his character or activities remain, and biographical materials are very scarce. All that remains are the 37 plays attributed to him and a few collections of poetry.

However, it is precisely because he is a playwright with many mysteries that biographical research becomes so fascinating. In Shakespeare's case, a relatively large number of works and documents still exist; for other English Renaissance playwrights, it is not uncommon for everything to be a mystery. Nevertheless, by carefully reading the works and remaining historical documents, applying the latest academic findings, and deducing the playwright's work style, worldview, religious beliefs, and the meaning of the works from the few remaining traces to gradually reconstruct the person—that is the true thrill of biographical research.

Of course, writing a single biography of Shakespeare might convey that excitement. However, in an era where "fast movies" (watching a film in 10 minutes) and "fast education" (easily and efficiently understanding history or thought) attract many viewers, how many readers will pick up a thick biography? Instead, wouldn't it be fun to summarize what the "problems" with Shakespeare are in a concise and clear 100-question-and-answer format? That was the starting point for writing this book.

On the other hand, the goal I aimed for was for this book to serve as a guide for getting to know Shakespeare as an author and becoming familiar with his works (preferably in the original language). Therefore, I included quotes from the original texts as if Shakespeare himself were answering each question. For example, for "Are you a dog person or a cat person?", the quote "I could endure anything before but a cat, and he is a cat to me" (4.3.242–3) from All's Well That Ends Well is provided. I would be delighted if readers thought, "I see, maybe I'll try reading some Shakespeare in the original." At the end of the book, there is a brief advertisement for the "Taishukan Shakespeare Library, Series 2" (8 volumes in total)...

Shakespeare, That Is the Question! 100 Questions and Answers to Fully Enjoy Shakespeare

Arata Ide

Taishukan Publishing

144 pages, 1,870 yen (tax included)

*Affiliations and titles are as of the time of publication.