"In A Theatergoer's Guide to Shakespeare's Characters, Robert Thomas Fallon explores the world of characters created by the Bard. Like his earlier Guides to the plots and themes of Shakespeare's plays, this new book is designed to enhance the playgoer's enjoyment of a performance, but it also makes for enlightening reading after the show. Intended for the general reader, it is written in a plain but not inelegant English and avoids the specialized language of the theater and the academy." Mr. Fallon has chosen some sixty of Shakespeare's figures to examine. With few exceptions, they are the ones that modern theatergoers are most likely to encounter in performance. But some lesser-known characters are also offered for their inherent interest and their example of Shakespeare's "Infinite variety." Mr. Fallon locates each of them in the story of their play, relates them to other characters, shows how they change (or don't), and sums up their character and nature. Readers of his other Guides know they will find in Characters an entertaining and useful appraisal.