Macbeth (Modern Library Classics) - Softcover

Shakespeare, William

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0812969162 ISBN 13: 9780812969160

Publisher: Modern Library, 2009

Synopsis

One of Shakespeare’s most popular plays, filled with fierce, violent action, Macbeth is a human drama of ambition, desire, and guilt in a world of blood and darkness, with whispers of the supernatural.

Under the editorial supervision of Jonathan Bate and Eric Rasmussen, two of today’s most accomplished Shakespearean scholars, this Modern Library series incorporates definitive texts and authoritative notes from William Shakespeare: Complete Works. Each play includes an Introduction as well as an overview of Shakespeare’s theatrical career; commentary on past and current productions based on interviews with leading directors, actors, and designers; scene-by-scene analysis; key facts about the work; a chronology of Shakespeare’s life and times; and black-and-white illustrations.

Ideal for students, theater professionals, and general readers, these modern and accessible editions from the Royal Shakespeare Company set a new standard in Shakespearean literature for the twenty-first century.

About this title

Book Description:

This is the most extensively annotated edition of Macbeth currently available, offering a thorough reconsideration of one of Shakespeare's most popular plays.A full and accessible introduction studies the immediate theatrical and political contexts of Macbeth's composition and treats such celebrated issues as whether the Witches compel Macbeth to murder and whether Lady Macbeth is herself a witch. An extensive, well-illustrated account of the play in performance examines several cinematic versions, such as those by Kurosawa and Roman Polanski, and other dramatic adaptations.

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: Modern Library
• Publication date: 2009
• ISBN 10: 0812969162
• ISBN 13: 9780812969160
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 224
• Editor: Bate Jonathan, Rasmussen Eric