Rating: 
Summary: What a great concomitant to Shakespeare himself
Review: It's really all been said in the other reviews: get it, read it if you like shakespeare and want to know more. Asimov was an amazing writer, and his gifts were not spared in the writing of this tome.
Rating: 
Summary: Excellent Reading!
Review: My only complaint about this book is that Asimov gets too strong in some of his personal opinions. (Harsh opinions of Banquo, Brutus, Richard II etc.) But aside from that I value this book highly. He helps us to see some things Shakespeare's original audience would be able to pick up on WITHOUT being told. This helps one to understand Shakespeare's plays more. Also for the most part he DOES avoid the absurd marxist views that tend to over simplify the anaylisis. He is especially helpful in the history plays. Understanding Shakespeare's historical plays depends to a large extent on knowing the facts that Shakespeare does not mention (but that the original audience would have known). He also offers educated speculation that offers deep insights. While I do not agree with him on EVERYTHING, his views are interesting.
Rating:
Summary: Outstanding Insight
Review: This book has proven to be an invaluable resource to me in understanding the subtleties of Shakespeare's written word. As a dealer in antique prints, it was necessary for me to identify and understand the scenes portrayed in my collection of etchings from the 19th Century, Asimov provided outstanding detail and context. If you are an audience member for Shakespearean plays, a review of this volume will give you a better understanding of the construction and meaning of the works. I strongly recommend this book.
Rating:
Summary: Outstanding Insight
Review: This book has proven to be an invaluable resource to me in understanding the subtleties of Shakespeare's written word. As a dealer in antique prints, it was necessary for me to identify and understand the scenes portrayed in my collection of etchings from the 19th Century, Asimov provided outstanding detail and context. If you are an audience member for Shakespearean plays, a review of this volume will give you a better understanding of the construction and meaning of the works. I strongly recommend this book.
Rating:
Summary: Chockfull of interesting analysis of each play.
Review: This book is a dream come true for any Shakespeare addict! The massive volume covers each and every play in great detail giving the vital statistics on historical background, characters, plots,sett- ings, etc. The sections on all the history plays were worthwhile and fascinating.
Rating: 
Summary: Poorly Done
Review: This is one of those books I wish I had borrowed from the local library before buying it. The author's style is crude and preumptuous suggesting (for exampmle) Shakespeare was a homosexual because of many scenes of fraternal friendship in his plays. While the author gives some interesting history as the basis of Shakespeare's plays, he contradicts what other authors wrote, making me wonder who to believe about Shakespeare. Opinionated and self righteous in style, the studies do not go too deeply into the morality of the plays or explain the mind and culture of Shakespeare's England. For a better - more objective study I recommend Cliff's Notes on Shakespeare's Tragedies, Comedies, and Histories.
Rating:
Summary: Accessible to scholars and novices alike
Review: When I first saw Asimov's Guide to Shakespeare in a bargain book section of a local bookstore, I was a bit surprised that Asimov had a guide to Shakespeare. I decided to pick it up because it was on sale and read his entries on some plays that I have read.I didn't know what to expect, but after reading a few pages into it, I was hooked. Asimov, with amazing astuteness, has given a thorough analysis of twenty three of Shakespeare's plays and the poems Venus and Adonis and the Rape of Lucrece. At the beginning of every play he has a map of all the locations pertinent to the play. I found this to be very helpful in understanding the varied settings in Shakespeare's plays. The chapters on the plays read a bit like something you might find in Monarch or Cliffs notes. He goes through the tale and gives pertinent information along the way. However this book isn't merely a substitute for reading Shakespeare, nor is the aim of it to prepare you for an exam. Rather this book's aim is to guide the modern reader, who is distanced by time and geography from Shakespeare's stories, along to better understand Shakespeare. If you're looking for a down-to-Earth book on Shakespeare, this is it. No one, quite as well as Asimov does, can make the reader feel so at ease in reading the fancy language of Shakespeare.
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