Shakespeare’s plays bring us face to face with the reality of evil, the magic of the natural world, the convolution of moral behaviour, and the brevity and preciousness of our existence. As founder of Australia’s Bell Shakespeare Company, renowned actor and director John Bell has spent his life in the company of these stories, and knows perhaps better than anyone what it takes to put these complexities on stage. In these pages, Bell draws on his lifetime of personal and professional experience as he speaks on Shakespeare’s most absorbing stories, questions and characters—from the complexities of casting Hamlet to an examination of the Bard’s malleable relationship with time. Peppered with passages, recommendations and anecdotes from on and off the stage, Living Shakespeare is the perfect mix of academic and personal, drawing from a lifetime of study, fellowship and performance to bring together a guided exploration of Shakespeare’s work through Bell’s eyes, perfect for enjoyers of theatre, literature, acting and, of course, Shakespeare.
