- Shakespeare’s Words is for people who love Shakespeare, or who love language, or both. David Crystal, one of the world’s leading experts on the English language, and his actor son, Ben, have created an immensely practical and enlightening guide to understanding Shakespeare’s language for readers, audiences, students, directors and actors.They have collected over 14,000 words that can cause difficulty or be ambiguous to the modern reader. Each word is glossed and illustrated by at least one quotation. There are succinct précis of the plays, lists of dramatis personae and a unique diagrammatic circle for each play demonstrating the interaction of characters and their allegiances. With special panels on intriguing areas such as archaisms, greetings, farewells and swear words, as well as dialects, Greek mythology, weapons and money, Shakespeare’s Words will greatly enrich every reader’s understanding and appreciation of the plays, and will encourage a new generation to treasure them.