Published by Isaac Asimov in two volumes in 1970, an Omnibus was later published with both volumes included. A work of Non-Fiction with the primary purpose of explaining each and every Shout-Out that William Shakespeare was making in his plays.
Due to the depth of allusions, homages, and references, to events historical, mythological, and pop cultural, the volumes are quite packed, and only certain passages are excerpted for line-by-line analysis. Dr Asimov also made an unusual decision when ordering the plays. Most often, the plays are grouped as comedies, histories, and tragedies. In these volumes, however, the plays are grouped by region/time, with Greek, Roman, and Italian plays in the first volume, and the English plays in the second volume. note
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Greek
Roman
Italian
The English Plays
Tropes used in annotating the Shakespearean plays:
- Adaptation Name Change:
- Because William Shakespeare was adapting the Greek stories mostly from Ovid, a Roman author, many of the characters have Roman names, rather than their proper Greek names. Dr Asimov handles that by explaining the two names and occasionally using both at the same time. Otherwise, he defaults to the name as Shakespeare used it (bemoaning that it feels "incorrect" to do so).
- [Discussed Trope] Dr Asimov explains the source of Cressida's name in Troilus and Cressida: In The Iliad, there are two women, named Chryseis and Briseis. In Roman De Troie, the second woman's name changes slightly, making the women Chrysies and Briseide. When Geoffrey Chaucer wrote about them, the names merged into Criseyde. William Shakespeare misspelled the name as well, telling the tale of Troilus and Cressida.
- Anachronic Order: Each of William Shakespeare's plays are linear stories, but he wrote them in non-chronological order, and due to copies/revisions, it is difficult to say which was written first. To that end, Dr Asimov says, many folios of the plays are categorised and ordered as comedies, histories, and tragedies. In these volumes, however, the plays are listed in chronological order of the events they portray.
- The Annotated Edition: These volumes provide an overview of many details that are otherwise lost on people who are unfamiliar with the environment in which William Shakespeare was writing. So many details, in fact, that most of the lines are absent from the book itself, making this more of a companion book than a republished copy of William's folios. Dr Asimov recommends The Signet Classic Shakespeare books to read alongside these notes.
- Doorstopper: The Omnibus is over 800 pages.
- Lemony Narrator: Dr Asimov takes delight in conversing directly to the reader, as if he and his audience is in the same room and holding a conversation about William Shakespeare.
- Minimalistic Cover Art: At least one cover forgoes even a dust jacket, merely having a tan-brown blank cover, with the title printed on the spine. Due to the size of the Omnibus, said title takes up three lines.
- Multi-Volume Work: Because of the word count, it was decided to release this work as two volumes at first. Volume One contains the Greek, Roman, and Italian plays. Volume Two contains the plays set in England. When binding technology improved, the work was re-released as an Omnibus.
- Omnibus: Asimov's Guide to Shakespeare was originally printed as two separate volumes, both released in the same year.
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Once Original, Now Common: [Discussed Trope] Dr Asimov relates a legend of someone who read Hamlet for the first time and didn't understand why everyone enjoyed it; "I don't see why people admire that play so. It is nothing but a bunch of quotations strung together." - Real Life Writes the Plot: [Discussed Trope] Dr Asimov identifies the period of mid-1592 to mid-1594 as a period of time where theatres were closed to prevent the spread of plague. Unable to work on plays, Shakespeare wrote two Narrative Poems; Venus And Adonis and The Rape Of Lucrece.
- Shout-Out:
- In the introduction, Dr Asimov says reading The Signet Classic Shakespeare books inspired him to create this work, and uses this series when quoting lines.
- Huon Of Bordeaux is where A Midsummer Night's Dream got the name Oberon from, and while explaining this, Dr Asimov goes off on a tangent about Huon being a representation of the French culture's Gaul, Roman, and Germanic roots.
- Dr Asimov references The King Must Die by Mary Renault because she has a conjecture for why Theseus deserts Ariadne (from Crete).
- Dr Asimov uses The Private Life Of Helen Of Troy by John Erskine as an example of authors doing their own version of Homer's The Iliad.
- Dr Faustus, by Christopher Marlowe, is referenced for its line "Was this the face that launched a thousand ships—".
- In a footnote, Dr Asimov says The Anger Of Achilles, by Robert Graves, is the English translation of The Iliad he uses when comparing William Shakespeare to the "original" Homer.
- Tristan and Iseult is referenced as an example where stories of courtly love cast the woman's husband as the villain (because the male love interest must overcome challenges).
- Testament Of Cresseid is mentioned as a possible source for Shakespeare, but ultimately unrelated to the fifth act of Troilus and Cressida''
- Dialogues Of The Gods, by Lucian Of Samosata, is referenced as another fictional account of the title character in Timon of Athens, contrasting Lucian's humorous treatment with Shakespeare's harsh denouncement.
- Self-Deprecation: [Discussed Trope] Dr Asimov explains that Romeo and Juliet was being written around the same time as A Midsummer Night's Dream, and the subplot of Pyramus and Thisby shares similarities to Romeo and Juliet. Dr Asimov wonders at the order; did Shakespeare write the satire and decide to rewrite it seriously, or did he write it seriously first, and satirize his own work? The records are insufficient for a conclusion.
- Tagline: "A guide to understanding and enjoying the works of Shakespeare"
- Ur-Example: [Discussed Trope] Dr Asimov claims the association between Titania and the Queen of Fairies began with A Midsummer Night's Dream. Shakespeare took the name from the moon being a female Greek Titan.
- Willing Suspension of Disbelief: [Implied Trope] Dr Asimov mentions a number of anachronisms in Shakespeare's plays, and usually dismisses them as irrelevant to the enjoyment of the story. Still, he's compelled to point them out and often give corrections.
