At the heart of this book written by the renowned American actor, Ted van Griethuysen, is a fundamental idea: Shakespeare is only what he says and how he says it. How he says it, of course, is poetry, and what poetry is, why we need it, is central to an actor's study of Shakespeare. An actor must do two things at once (1) honor the poetry, and (2) sound like a human being talking. At the same time. It is for directors and theatre designers as well and for anyone, anywhere, who wants to know Shakespeare and his place in knowing the world and ourselves. What Is Shakespeare? is the accumulation of a remarkable life's work and offers this standing invitation: read on.