Outlines of Shakespeare's Plays

The title says it all. This book outlines all of Shakespeare's plays, act by act, and describes each character and his/her relationship to others, where applicable. Each summary is about 3-5 pages (average of about 3.5pgs), and some include important quotations. In addition to the outlines, the book features notes on Shakespeare's life, his theatre, the structure of his plays, sources of his inspiration, by play, and suggestions on reading Shakespeare. Of course, they are not meant as a substitute to the plays, nor are they as thorough as Cliff's Notes, but the succinct format allows you to get a decent sense of the play. Best use: read it before reading the play. It makes for a faster understanding of what is going on and lets you focus on the language, art, plot devices, etc.

There is a more recent edition than this one. I thought it MUST still be in print since I have found it to be such a useful little book over the years. Nothing profound, just the dramatis personae for each play with a brief summary of each act, but extremely useful for one who is looking for a bird's eye view of Shakespeare's plays.