by Alistair McCallum (Author) The Shakespeare Handbooks provide a helpful, straightforward guide to the work of the world's most celebrated dramatist. Along with a clear, easy-to-follow description of the plot, each book contains plenty of quotations from the text - with simple explanations of any unfamiliar words and phrases - and some thought-provoking comments from critics, past and present. The Shakespeare Handbooks include a few intriguing Shakespearean facts and figures, too. How old was Shakespeare when he wrote Macbeth? Why did the play appeal so strongly to the King? How does the Gunpowder Plot come into the play? And why is bear-baiting mentioned?