The Swords of Shakespeare: An Illustrated Guide to Stage Combat Choreography in the Plays of Shakespeare
by J. D. Martinez
Category: Performing Arts

Romeo and Juliet, Macbeth, Richard III and many other of Shakespeare's plays have at least one thing in common: they all have fight scenes, usually requiring swordfighting. This is a step-by-step guide to choreographing the stage combat scenes in the plays of Shakespeare, particularly the principal duels (both comic and tragic) in Henry IV, Henry VI, Richard III, Romeo and Juliet, Hamlet, Troilus and Cressida, Othello, King Lear, Macbeth, Coriolanus, Cymbeline and The Two Noble Kinsmen. The safety and training of actors is also covered as well as a brief history of Elizabethan swordplay. The work includes 473 illustrations.