Shakespeare’s plays have influenced generations of writers, but who were the early modern playwrights who influenced him?

For non-actors, this book offers a window on the actor’s art; for the actor both an interrogation and a call-to-arms from a director whose passion for the theatre has clearly never dimmed.

In this 1st Folio Quatercentenary year, it is appropriate that we should be reminded that The Tempest, Twelfth Night, Antony and Cleopatra, and Macbeth are just some of the plays that were only preserved thanks to the astounding labour of love that went into creating the first collection.
Reviewed by Andrew Hilton

Looking for that Christmas gift idea?
From the acclaimed and bestselling biographer Jonathan Bate, a luminous new exploration of Shakespeare and how his themes can untangle comedy and tragedy, learning and loving in our modern lives. Reviewed by Andrew Hilton