Alas poor Yorick, he looks not at all well. I knew him, Horatio; a fellow of infinite jest, though sadly finite breath. Though thy gibes be still, yet still thou grins. I seldom saw thy teeth look quite so clean
To celebrate the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare's death, this is the fourth of a new collection of the Bard's greatest plays, digested to a few thousand words with invaluable side notes from John Sutherland. Funny and incredibly clever, these parodies are a joy for those who know their Shakespeare, perfect for the theatre goer needing a quick recap, and a massive relief for those just desperate to pass their English exam.
John Crace (Author) John Crace is the Guardian's parliamentary sketch writer and author of the Digested Read columns and he writes regularly forGrazia. He is the author ofI Never Promised you a Rose Garden: A short guide to modern politics, the coalition and the general electionand alsoBaby Alarm: A Neurotics Guide to Fatherhood,Vertigo: One Football Fan's Fear of Success,Harry's Games: Inside the Mind of Harry Redknapp,Brideshead Abbreviated: the Digested Read of the Twentieth CenturyandThe Digested Twenty-first Century. He lives in London.
John Sutherland (Author) John Sutherland is Lord Northcliffe Professor Emeritus of Modern English Literature at University College London and previously taught at the California Institute of Technology. He writes regularly for theGuardian, The Timesand theNew York Times, and is the author of many books includingCuriosities of Literature,Is Henry V a War Criminal? (with Cedric Watts), biographies of Walter Scott, Stephen Spender and the Victorian elephant Jumbo, andThe Boy Who Loved Books, a memoir.
