Filthy Shakespeare: Shakespeare's Most Outrageous Sexual ... (ISBN 1592403271)

FIVE STARS:
The great strength of Filthy Shakespeare is that is has been written by a Shakespeare scholar who is also a dramatist. Dr. Kiernan shows that Shakespeare often used sexual puns as a serious dramatic device for important issues such as morality, politics, and war. Some of the best parts of the book are where she demonstrates how Shakespeare used sexual puns to intensify the the dramatic impact of the scene. The introduction which describes the social and political world of the playwright is excellent. This is an important book. It will be appreciated not just by playgoers and readers of the plays but by all Shakespeare actors and directors.

Fantastically Filthy:
Saw this @ Barnes and Noble and was intrigued - I had read about Shakespears's puns in another book. I think it's great that someone is trying to show the dual meanings in so many of Shakespeare's famous scenes. Loved it!

Wow!:
This is a way cool book. Yes, it's a bit over the top, but it's also an introduction to the subject, and it doesn't pretend to be comprehensive, either. Dr. Freud would have had a field day in Shakespeare's London. As did Shakespeare. I never dreamed there were so many layers of meaning in Shakespeare's texts. I knew about a few of these examples, but I never realized quite how explicit some of the sonnets were. In fact, this book would have helped me write my document (dissertation, only shorter), only I didn't discover it until I was done. Way to go, Dr. Kiernan!

Pauline Kiernan's Most Outrageous Misinterpretations:
This book appears to be well-researched and accurate if you've never read any of these plays. Some of the puns are obvious enough, but Kiernan really goes over the top on the rest(mostly taking passages out if context), even going so far as to suggest that Iago and Roderigo have a homosexual relationship. The book is self-consciously vulgar, attempting to surprise rather than to inform. Sure, Shakespeare had an incredibly filthy mind, but it seems that Kiernan has one far filthier.

Marvellous:
Dr Kiernan has unearthed centuries of censorship to reveal to us how Shakespeare used his plays, Sonnets and extended poems to make very serious comments about the political, philosophical and sociologically important issues of his time, many of which still have bearings on society today. The book works on several levels. On a more basic level it is entertaining for the casual reader whilst at a more, perhaps, sophisticated level provides serious textual analysis, from a Shakespearean Scholar from the University of Oxford, for the more scholarly reader. Thoroughly recommended!