William Shakespeare was a poet right up until his death. On his tombstone is written, “Good friend, for Jesus’ sake forbear/ To dig the dust enclosed here/ Blessed be the man that spares these stones/ And cursed be he that moves my bones.”

So Shakespeare likes being dead. But today he seems to be reborn or at least back from the dead. The movie “Shakespeare in Love,” though based mostly on fictional accounts of Shakespeare’s life, has been praised by critics as one of the best movies of the year and has been nominated for a record number of Oscars.

Old fans of Shakespeare can probably recite all of “Romeo and Juliet” and most of “Henry V.” But for the new movie generation of Shakespeare-heads, a short collection of the bard’s most well-known love poetry and sonnets have now been published.

Titled “Shakespeare in Love: the Love Poetry of William Shakespeare,” the tiny book is made complete for movie buffs with pictures of the movie’s beautiful stars and some quotes from the film mixed in with the legitimate stuff.

Although the movie is focused mainly on the events that led to the writing of Shakespeare’s famous “Romeo and Juliet,” excerpts from other classic works are included as well. Obviously, “Romeo and Juliet” isn’t the only love story Shakespeare was inspired to write.

In “Twelfth Night,” Shakespeare asks, “Oh mistress mine! where are you roaming?/ O stay and hear; your true love’s coming …”

From “Much Ado About Nothing,” also a Shakespearean film, comes comfort for the women of the world. Shakespeare writes, “Sigh no more, ladies, sigh no more!/ Men were deceivers ever …”

For those strictly interested in Shakespeare the artist, there’s a small biography about the playwright’s life at the end of the collection.

It really is about time someone weeded out all of the best and sappiest of Shakespeare’s works. This way, some people may just be able to extend their knowledge of poetry past “Romeo, Romeo!/ Wherefore art thou, Romeo?”

If Shakespeare going Hollywood isn’t enough to get everyone psyched about classic poetry, then nothing ever will be.

3 stars out of five

Kelsey Foutch is a sophomore in journalism and mass communication from Waterloo.