Macbeth (Simply Shakespeare) - Softcover

William Shakespeare

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0764120867 ISBN 13: 9780764120862

Publisher: Barrons Educational Services, 2002

Synopsis

This tragedy tells of a power-hungry Scottish nobleman and his lady, and the price they pay for violently seizing the royal throne. Books in this new, illustrated series present complete texts of Shakespeare's plays. However, the lines are set up so students can see the bard's original poetic phrases printed side-by-side and line-by-line with a modern "translation" on the facing page.

Starting in the late 1580s and for several decades that followed, Shakespeare's plays were popular entertainment for London's theatergoers. His Globe Theatre was the equivalent of a Broadway theater in today's New York. The plays have endured, but over the course of 400+ years, the English language has changed in many ways—which is why today's students often find Shakespeare's idiom difficult to comprehend.

Simply Shakespeare offers an excellent solution to their problem. Introducing each play is a general essay covering Shakespeare's life and times. At the beginning of each of the five acts in every play, a two-page spread describes what is about to take place. The story's background is explained, followed by brief descriptions of key people who will appear in the act, details students should watch for as the story unfolds, discussion of the play's historical context, how the play was staged in Shakespeare's day, and explanation of puns and plays on words that occur in characters' dialogues.

Identifying icons preceding each of these study points are printed in a second color, then are located again as cross-references in the play's original text. For instance, where words spoken by a person in the play offer insights into his or another character's personality, the "Characters" icon will appear as a cross-reference in both the introductory spread and the play proper. Following each act, a closing spread presents questions and discussion points for use as teachers' aids. Guided by the inspiring format of this fine new series, both teachers and students will come to understand and appreciate the genius of Shakespeare as never before.

About this title

From the Publisher:

An exciting new edition of the complete works of Shakespeare with these features: Illustrated with photographs from New York Shakespeare Festival productions, vivid readable readable introductions for each play by noted scholar David Bevington, a lively personal foreword by Joseph Papp, an insightful essay on the play in performance, modern spelling and pronunciation, up-to-date annotated bibliographies, and convenient listing of key passages.

From the Inside Flap:

Infamously known as the cursed Scottish play, Macbeth is perhaps Shakespeare's darkest tragedy. When General Macbeth is foretold by three witches that he will one day be King of Scotland, Lady Macbeth convinces him to get rid of anyone who could stand in his way including committing regicide. As Macbeth ascends to the throne through bloody murder, he becomes a tyrant consumed by fear and paranoia.

An L.A. Theatre Works full-cast performance featuring:

James Marsters as Macbeth

Joanne Whalley as Lady Macbeth

Josh Cooke as Banquo and others

JD Cullum as Macduff and Second Murderer

Dan Donohue as Ross

Jeannie Elias as Second Witch and others

Chuma Gault as Lennox and Servant

Jon Matthews as Malcolm

Alan Shearman as Angus and others

Andr Sogliuzzo as Donalbain, Third Witch and others

Kate Steele as Lady Macduff, First Witch and Apparition

Kris Tabori as Duncan and others

Directed by Martin Jarvis. Sound effects by Tony Palermo. Recorded at the Invisible Studios, West Hollywood.

About this edition

• Publisher: Barrons Educational Services
• Publication date: 2002
• ISBN 10: 0764120867
• ISBN 13: 9780764120862
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 256