Shakespeare's plays are difficult, not simply because the vocabulary and style are unfamiliar, but because he went far beyond simply telling a story. His plays express his ideas about human nature, society and man's place in the universe. This book attempts to guide the reader through twenty of his plays by gathering together and integrating the interpretations of some of the leading Shakespearean scholars into a single coherent discussion. Each chapter of the book progresses sequentially through a single play, focusing on passages that are either particularly beautiful or that are important in bringing out Shakespeare's meaning.