Sean Barrs 's Reviews > Shakespeare

So after yesterday’s post it seems only fair to reveal what my hidden quotes were. Everything in bold is a Shakespeare quote. I did say they were hidden. Perhaps even in plain sight! (Don't hate me when you read the first one)

(1)“There’s Rosemary. That’s for remembrance.”



It’s the 400th anniversary since Shakespeare’s death! I just had to post something Shakespeare related on this day of all days. I mean can you blame me? Shakespeare’s just awesome. Also to liven things up a bit, I’ve discretely layered my review with Shakespeare phrases. Can you spot any? Some are obvious, but I don’t think you’ll find them all. There are thirteen in total.

So here goes.

This is the most unscholarly scholarly book I’ve ever read. It’s witty, supremely entertaining, and no less informative than a standard biography. It’s also quite concise; there’s no waffle:(2) brevity is the soul of wit. (3)It’s the best of both worlds really. I really enjoyed this, and I learnt a great deal about the Bard in the process. (4)It’s the be-all and the end-all of Shakespeare biographies really. In (5)one fell swoop Burgess provides a great level of detail about Shakespeare’s background; it provides a great level of detail about the man himself and the time in which he wrote. Burgess isn’t bias; he just provides as much information as possible. He starts from the beginning, from Shakespeare’s (6)flaming youth, (7)to his death bed where he breathed his last.

The chapters are organised for easy reference. It really is a good little book. In case you didn’t know, Anthony Burgess is the author of the famous A Clockwork Orange. So there’s going to be some skill in the writing. I tend to find biographies dry and boring; however, this was almost uplifting in places. (8)And that’s the naked truth.



My edition is the beautiful folio society one. The only way I could justify buying more of these lovely, and expensive, books was if they were university related, so I was very pleased to find this. Even if I’m no longer studying Shakespeare! (9)There's the rub.But who cares? Despite finishing with this a university, I think I will always be studying Shakespeare. Shakespeare’s verses are (10) as swift as a shadow, and his plays are (11)such stuff as dreams are made on. His writing, his legacy, is everlasting. (12)In my heart of heartsI can tell you that there will never be a day when Shakespeare’s words aren’t relevant to the world. All people have to do is open their ears and hear them. (13)That’s the short and the long of it.

How many did you spot?