Review by Choice Review
Berry presents his book as an introduction to the issue of social class, following Muriel St. Clare Byrne's chapter "The Social Background" in A Companion to Shakespeare Studies, ed. by Harley Granville-Barker and G.B. Harrison (1934). He refers more often to the history of theatrical productions and to theater critics than to the work of literary critics and social historians (Kenneth Tynan has more entries in the bibliography than anyone else); this is not the place to learn about the structure and conflicts of Elizabethan society, or the class character of Shakespeare or his audience. Berry's observations, organized as remarks about each individual play with little in the way of general argument, will be most useful to theater directors and others wanting a better feel for the social attitudes displayed in the plays. He is best at catching social atmospheres, explicated with references to later periods of English culture (some of which may be lost on American readers, or those without the right class background)--e.g., "The general tone is closer to Fort Belvedere than one of the royal palaces." His remarks are sensible, and his style is pleasant. Undergraduate level. J. Haynes Bennington College
Copyright American Library Association, used with permission.
Review by Choice Review
