Macbeth (The New Cambridge Shakespeare) - Softcover

Shakespeare, William

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0521680980 ISBN 13: 9780521680981

Publisher: Cambridge University Press, 2008

Synopsis

The New Cambridge Shakespeare appeals to students worldwide for its up-to-date scholarship and emphasis on performance. The series features line-by-line commentaries and textual notes on the plays and poems. Introductions are regularly refreshed with accounts of new critical, stage and screen interpretations. This second edition of Macbeth provides a thorough reconsideration of one of Shakespeare's most popular plays. In his introduction, A. R. Braunmuller explores Macbeth's immediate theatrical and political contexts, particularly the Gunpowder Plot, and addresses such celebrated questions as: do the Witches compel Macbeth to murder; is Lady Macbeth herself in some sense a witch; is Macduff morally culpable? A new and well-illustrated account of the play in performance examines several cinematic versions, such as those by Kurosawa and Roman Polanski, as well as other dramatic adaptations. Several possible new sources are suggested and the presence of Thomas Middleton's writing in the play is also proposed.

About this title

Book Description:

This second edition of Macbeth offers a thorough reconsideration of one of Shakespeare's most popular plays. Edited and introduced by A. R. Braunmuller, this edition features a new introductory section on recent productions of the play, including cinematic versions by Kurosawa and Roman Polanski.

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: Cambridge University Press
• Publication date: 2008
• ISBN 10: 0521680980
• ISBN 13: 9780521680981
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 2
• Number of pages: 318
• Editor: Braunmuller A. R.