Shakespeare is hard, but so is life A radical guide to Shakespearian tragedy

O'Toole, a drama critic for the Irish Times and New York Daily News and author of numerous books of literary criticism, contends that the Victorian approach to interpreting Shakespeare turns the tragedies into unintelligible mush. Here he offers a new approach, recommending that we abandon three concepts beloved by the Victorians: all tragic heroes must have a tragic flaw, the tragic hero eclipses all other characters, and the soliloquy represents the character speaking privately to him/herself. Shakespeare did not use these concepts to construct his plays, argues O'Toole; instead, he reflected the turmoil and uncertainty of his time by depicting characters struggling to resolve contradictions between feudal and mercantile value systems. Offering new interpretations of Hamlet, Othello, King Lear, and Macbeth, O'Toole's study will serve best as an introductory text for students and teachers. This purpose is underscored by both its 8" x 5" paperback format and its sensible price. However, it may not hold up under heavy use. Recommended for public and school libraries.-Shana C. Fair, Ohio Univ., Zanesville (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.