"Too often guides are written by specialists who have zoomed in so closely and become so accustomed to the tone of their guild that they cannot see the forest for the rhytidome. Anyone familiar with Peter Leithart's guides to literature--he's written on Dante, Shakespeare, Austen, and Dostoevsky--knows to expect theological depth and literary astuteness without any scholarly pretense. Great Stage of Fools offers a Christian reading of five Shakespearean tragedies and two comedies with an eye on the character of the plays' characters. Always the teacher, Leithart provides questions for reflection and deeper thought, so that this guide may not be the end of interpretation but the beginning of a conversation. If you know Shakespeare is important but fear that such literature does not come easy, here is your starting point--whether you're a scholar, teacher, or student." --Jessica Hooten Wilson, author of Giving the Devil his Due: Flannery O'Connor and The Brothers Karamazov.