Henry V, War Criminal? and Other Shakespeare Puzzles, by John Sutherland and Cedric Watts

Retrieved from: Sauk Valley Community College library
0192838792, 2000
Suggested by: me; I've read all his other books, with one exception; the original suggestion came from Jasper Fforde's bibliography in (I think) The Well of Lost Plots
My Ratings: 8 Merit, 7 Interest, 7 Fun

I've read a lot of Shakespeare, not by any means all of his plays. Luckily Sutherland and Watts start with the well-known ones--Anthony and Cleopatra, Julius Caesar, Hamlet--before moving to Titus Andronicus at the end. I found myself reading chapters about puzzles in plays I've never bothered to read, because they had a fascinating hook. The one in Titus deals with cannibalism, making me think perhaps I should read it!

There are no surprises here. He and Watts deconstruct some of the confusing aspects of Shakespeare's plotlines. For instance, on chapter--on Hamlet--is entitled "Where is the Ghost from? Is he stupid? and: Is Hamlet really Hamleth?" It delves into what 16th century Christians thought ghosts were (devils, sent from hell), whether he was malevolent or benevolent, and where Shakespeare got his plot idea.

Then there is the chapter on Romeo and Juliet entitled "What's in a name? Why does Juliet confuse 'Montague' with 'Romeo'?" The lines in question are:

O Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou Romeo?
Deny thy father and refuse thy name,
Or if thou wilt not, be but sworn my love,
And I'll no longer be a Capulet"

Since she's really asking why he has to be a Montague, why is she asking why his name is Romeo? That is 'explained' (not very well, I think), but they authors also delve into his name and let us in on a secret: "Romeo" at that time was well-known to mean 'pilgrim ... going to Rome' or the Holy Land. If that's not meaningful, you'll have to go read the scene where they first meet each other.

I love this stuff. I still have a mental picture of Shakespeare rolling his eyes and laughing at all the ink spilled in pursuit of his 'real meaning.' I'm sure he had plenty of intent, but he was trying to entertain his audience, too, and sometimes things just didn't hold perfectly together.