1. Shakespeare's Use of Prose2. A Critical Method3. From Clown to Character4. The World of Falstaff5. Gay Comedy6. Two Tragic Heroes7. Serious Comedy8. Tragic Prose: Clowns, Villains, MadmenThe Return of Comedy
First published in 1968. This re-issues the revised edition of 1979.
The Artistry of Shakespeare's Prose is the first detailed study of the use of prose in the plays. It begins by defining the different dramatic and emotional functions which Shakespeare gave to prose and verse, and proceeds to analyse the recurrent stylistic devices used in his prose. The general and particular application of prose is then studied through all the plays, in roughly chronological order.