There's a conspiracy out there that has spent the better part of a century trying to convince us that Shakespeare is really, really hard to understand; that there is no way into the plays without the sophisticated guidance of people who are smarter than we are. This is the work of bacon-fed knaves and milksops. "What?s the Word" comes dangerously close to being excessively authoritative, but manages to remember that the plays of Shakespeare are vibrantly alive and profoundly accessible with modest effort. The takes on three of Shakespeare?s queens presented here are open, informed and careful to avoid freezing the characters in official interpretations. The only thing that's missing, and it's a surprising exclusion, are samples of the plays themselves. The characters are discussed, but we never get to hear their words. Shakespeare wrote to be performed, and one wishes we could hear the speeches intercut with the commentary.