Shakespeare on Page and Stage: Selected Essays

Wells (coeditor, The Oxford Shakespeare; Shakespeare, Sex, and Love) is one of today's preeminent editors and critics of William Shakespeare. His deep knowledge of the Bard and of Shakespearean criticism is reflected in this collection of speeches and articles spanning the last several decades. It has the feel of a miscellaneous collection, gathering writings and talks that didn't fit into Wells's other books. Still, it is a fascinating read, offering new insights into many of Shakespeare's characters and plays. Wells tackles a variety of topics, including the amusing speech of the nurse in Romeo and Juliet; the debate over the autobiographical content in the sonnets; and the practice, during Shakespeare's time, of using male actors in even the most complex roles written for female characters. Wells often focuses on the performance of the plays, citing prominent historical productions and tracing the development of the way Shakespeare has been presented on the stage. The most interesting essays discuss Wells's work editing Shakespeare's plays, a complex process that is always open to interpretation.