Reviews for An Approach to Shakespeare

The average rating for An Approach to Shakespeare based on 2 reviews is 3 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2009-01-08 00:00:00 Lawrence Nagy Roman women and women of today have much in common, and I just don't mean they still make babies. Sure, hair and clothing styles have changed, and that might take some getting use to if they could magically trade places, but when they look at how society treated them, they might say not much as changed. It wasn't that long ago that a woman had few rights. Like in ancient Rome, she could not vote, or be involved in politics, unless she was the real power behind the throne. Most women could not own property, and if they were divorced from their husband, he automatically got the kids. Women caught in adultery were treated worst than the men. Women were not in the military, and if one of rank did march her husband's troops about, it was considered a joke that they had to tolerate. A woman's place was in the home, raising the kids and running the household. Women loved to shop. It was they who picked out furniture, bought perfumes, couldn't get enough jewelry, and spent small fortunes on clothes, makeup and hair styles. I forgot, was I talking about Roman women or those of today? Kidding aside, not much has changed over the centuries. Arranged marriages between the rich or those with political aspirations were the norm, just like in Washington. Famous people and those with power or money were quick to divorce and remarry, just like in Hollywood. Mistresses and concubines were more common than official marriages for legal or financial reasons, just like in my neck of the woods. Roman laws were harsh. The more children you had, the bigger tax brakes you got, but not so you could save money for college. Rome needed soldiers. If a couple did not have kids then those could be grounds for divorce, as was a wife who liked to drink. Although a man could have a mistress or concubine, a husband finding an adulterer in his bed could kill him. He could then divorce his wife and the courts would sentence her to death. Punishment for white slavery (meaning Roman women) were brutal, but foreign women slaves were allowed. There was a point where married Roman women could have affairs if they registered as prostitutes. Talk about a loop hole in the law! This book made for fascinating reading. The author repeated some things but it was all cross-referenced. The main reason I am not giving this a five star rating is that I grew tired of looking up words in the dictionary.

Review # 2 was written on 2011-08-29 00:00:00 Gary Puszakowski very interesting and detailed book which covers the history of Rome from its mythological beginnings until the late empire. The first part of the book deals mainly with historical,characters, mainly empresses and noble women. The second part of the book deals with daily life, describing marriage customs, domestic life, children, religious life, divorce etc. Originally published in 1962, when there weren't very many books exclusively devoted to women's history, there's a lot of useful information here.