"This book is for people who love Shakespeare, or love language, or both. David Crystal, one of the world's foremost authorities on the English language, with his actor son, Ben, have taken a fresh look at the vocabulary of Shakespeare's poems and plays and compiled a glossary of nearly 14,000 words and meanings. They have included every word which presents the reader with difficulty arising out of the differences between Elizabethan and modern English." "This collaboration of linguist and actor is unique, enabling the authors to add fascinating nuances to our understanding of Shakespeare's language. The book departs from the usual type of glossary in several ways. Meanings are brought into sharp focus through the use of multiple glosses; and each entry is supported by at least one illustrative quotation. A scene-setting caption puts the quotation in its dramatic context and helps to clarify the meaning. Cross-references to further uses of a word are made to other plays."--Jacket.