Shakespeare’s Language

Frank Kermode, Britain's most distinguished scholar of sixteenth-century and seventeenth-century literature, here restores Shakespeare's poetic language to its rightful primacy. How did this language develop? Something extraordinary happened in Shakespeare's plays during the first decade of the seventeenth century, and Kermode explores the nature and consequences of this dynamic transformation. The originality of his argument, the elegance and humor of his prose, and the intelligence of his discussion make this a landmark in Shakespearean studies.