Macbeth (Arden Shakespeare: Second Series) - Softcover

William Shakespeare

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1903436486 ISBN 13: 9781903436486

Publisher: Arden Shakespeare, 1997

Synopsis

Kenneth Muir was King Alfred Professor of English Literature at Liverpool University from 1951-1974. He edited a wide array of Shakespeare's plays, including King Lear, Othello, Richard II, and Troilus and Cressida.  His books include Shakespeare as Collaborator, Shakespeare's Tragic Sequence, and Last Periods of Shakespeare, Racine, Ibsen. Muir's introduction to Macbeth delves first into the history of the text itself, including notes on the first printings and when they were produced.  Next, the editor analyzes the Porter scene and other portions of the play that have raised the question of its authorship. A discussion of the play's sources precedes Muir's edition of the play itself.  The book includes four appendices: "Holinshed," "Bucganan," "Leslie," and additional notes from the 1984 reissue of this text.  A list of abbreviations used also appears.

The Arden Shakespeare has developed a reputation as the pre-eminent critical edition of Shakespeare for its exceptional scholarship, reflected in the thoroughness of each volume. An introduction comprehensively contextualizes the play, chronicling the history and culture that surrounded and influenced Shakespeare at the time of its writing and performance, and closely surveying critical approaches to the work. Detailed appendices address problems like dating and casting, and analyze the differing Quarto and Folio sources. A full commentary by one or more of the play’s foremost contemporary scholars illuminates the text, glossing unfamiliar terms and drawing from an abundance of research and expertise to explain allusions and significant background information. Highly informative and accessible, Arden offers the fullest experience of Shakespeare available to a reader.

About this title

Book Description:

This edition of Macbeth is part of the groundbreaking Cambridge School Shakespeare series established by Rex Gibson. Remaining faithful to the series' active approach it treats the play as a script to be acted, explored and enjoyed. As well as the complete script of the play, you will find a variety of classroom-tested activities, an eight-page colour section and a selection of notes including information on characters, performance, history and language.

From the Publisher:

Are you frustrated by obscure words and unidiomatic phrases in Shakespeare's plays? The new "Access to Shakespeare" series removes the mystery, not the magic, from MACBETH, and makes reading or studying a breeze. This translation of MACBETH into contemporary English -- alongside the original text -- has modernized the difficult passages and expressions which used to make Shakespeare's language such heavy weather.

This unique translation is NOT a literal-minded prose version. It retains the feel and the rhythm of the original, letting you experience the play in the same enjoyable way an Elizabethan audience did. The text is immediately clear to today's readers, making those tedious footnotes unnecessary. You'll find easy-to-follow line numbering, and a glossary of place names and mythological references.

Are you a high school or junior-college student working on an assignment? Do you wish to preview the play before a performance, or are you perhaps learning English as a Second Language? This translation is ideal for you. You will never again hesitate to read THE TRAGEDY OF MACBETH because you're mystified by such lines as, "... keep my bosom franchised." The facing page of this edition of MACBETH makes clear what Shakespeare meant, "... keep my conscience free."

The translation reads like a modern book and it's fascinating.

About this edition

• Publisher: Arden Shakespeare
• Publication date: 1997
• ISBN 10: 1903436486
• ISBN 13: 9781903436486
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 2
• Number of pages: 256
• Editor: Kenneth Muir