This revised second edition of the Oxford Companion to Shakespeare preserves the accessible, authoritative, and comprehensive scholarship completed by the original editors and authors while gently expanding and updating its remit. New discoveries in theatre archaeology and history since the original Companion’s publication in 2001 have been included, as have recent findings relating to Shakespeare’s collaborative working practices and authorship. The past fifteen years have also seen the release of several major film adaptations of Shakespeare’s plays and many innovative stage productions, the best and most influential of which are discussed in entries across this new edition. Many notable Shakespearians from the theatrical and academic worlds, either those who have risen to prominence or who were perhaps regrettably overlooked the first time, are given their own entries, while several who have, sadly, died in the intervening years are memorialized through formal discussions of their life and work, and, in some cases, through the preservation of the precise and illuminating work they contributed to the original work. Guides to further reading have been updated, as have entries exploring Shakespeare’s digital presence, and new pictorial content has been added. Perhaps the most significant development has been in the attempt to honour Shakespeare’s restless movement across cultural and linguistic borders. Through the addition of many new individual country entries, commissioned from a wide range of international scholars, we have attempted to document different manifestations of this politically and sociologically complex spread, examining the cultural translations, transformations, and appropriations that continue to make Shakespeare the most global of authors. In total, over 30,000 new words have been added, and upwards of 100 entries newly commissioned or substantially enhanced.
will sharpe
erin sullivan
November 2014