Shakespeare

What pleasure to hear Harold Bloom teach us Shakespeare, both for the penetrating matter and deeply respectful manner of his presentation. The lectures are framed by the two great love stories. While Bloom begins with an analysis of Juliet's uniqueness and singular presence in the Shakespeare canon, he concludes his lectures with the very mature though cynical view of love in ANTONY AND CLEOPATRA. In between, we explore the range of intellect in Hamlet, the vanity of Brutus, the susceptibility of Othello, and the weakness of Macbeth and Lear. But Bloom is clearly in love with all of them. The texts are his children, and he reads from them lovingly, even passionately, with slow and careful deliberation, lest we miss something salient. A packed guide accompanies the lectures, very helpful to serious students, but they are accessible to anyone. Enjoy! P.E.F. (c) AudioFile 2006, Portland, Maine