First published 2020
Jeremy Abrams believes reading Shakespeare should match the excitement of watching his plays performed on stage. His Bard's Eye View approach prepares readers by explaining historical context and unfamiliar language before each passage, then steps back like a skilled tour guide. Abrams edits out Shakespeare's most obscure and repetitive sections, arguing that the full texts were never meant to be read four centuries later when English has evolved significantly. Theater directors have always made similar cuts to sharpen the dramatic experience. This method offers an alternative to modern translations that place contemporary language alongside the original text, which Abrams argues can disrupt the flow and cause mental whiplash. Instead of constant interruptions, readers encounter Shakespeare's actual words after receiving the context they need to understand them. The result aims to make Shakespeare pleasant and absorbing rather than challenging.
Genres: adaptations, literary-criticism, literary-fiction, academic
Vibes: educational, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: educational, literary-analysis
Period: Twelfth Night, The Tempest
197 pages · Paperback · Independently published