Welcome to Shakespeare’s Verse: A User’s Manual. This book contains very important information for anyone with any interest in Shakespeare. Here is the problem and what the book aims to do to solve it:

Shakespeare wrote the world’s greatest verse plays. Almost all of them are performed or read as prose, by default, not by decision. This is a tragic waste, but it is fixable.

The book (and website) have two goals:

• Persuade you that the great rewards of verse speaking and reading are worth more than the modest effort required to master them and
• Provide the information and guidance needed to lead you down this path

THE FORMAT: I considered presenting my findings in traditional scholarly form but realized that if I put in every appropriate citation such effects as, bulk, weight, cost and my fear that it might add another forty years to the task, caused me to take another path. Also, most of us don’t love reading “academic” books. So, I decided to put the heart of my findings down in as simple, pleasing, accurate and useful style as I could. Experience has taught me that those who give the book a good study with an open mind will be convinced by the positive effects and won’t need or want 150 pages of citations.

HOW DARE I?: Much of what I have to say is a contradiction of the practice and beliefs of established artists and scholars. For those who like a bit of background, here is a brief story of my journey through Shakespeare’s world. Read on if you wish.

Here is a sketch of my life and career.