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Amazon.co.uk Review
One of Shakespeare's greatest, but also bloodiest tragedies, was written around 1605/06. Many have seen the story of Macbeth's murder and usurpation of the legitimate Scottish King Duncan as having obvious connection to contemporary issues regarding King James I (James VI of Scotland), and the Gunpowder Plot of 1605. King James was particularly fascinated with witchcraft, so the appearance of the witches chanting "Fair is foul, and foul is fair" at the opening of the play seemed particularly topical, as was Macbeth's betrayal of Banquo, from whom James claimed direct descent.
However, the play is clearly far more than a piece of royal entertainment. It is also a fast-moving and dramatically satisfying piece of theatre. Macbeth's existential struggle between loyalty to his King and his "Vaulting ambition" is fascinating to watch, as his is struggle with Lady Macbeth, and her own terrifying refusal of her maternal role. The play shows an intensification of Shakespeare's interest in mothers and their effect upon ruling masculinity, and also contains some of the most memorable speeches in the entire canon, including Macbeth's reflections that ultimately life "is a tale / Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, / Signifying nothing". --Jerry Brotton --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Review
"An outstanding text for teaching Macbeth to college students."--Alvaro Ribeiro, S.J., Georgetown University
"Excellent! Covers an enormous amount with scholarship and imagination in the introduction. A brilliant antidote for anyone who has suffered Macbeth in high school--excites further inquiry and a burning desire to see it performed again."--Nell Altizer, University of Hawaii
"Invaluable, both as an introductory text and as an authoritative edition for serious scholarship. Students find the notes at the bottom of the page (as oposed to at the end of the text) handy and useful."--Sarah Liu, University of California, Berkeley
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
"Excellent! Covers an enormous amount with scholarship and imagination in the introduction. A brilliant antidote for anyone who has suffered Macbeth in high school--excites further inquiry and a burning desire to see it performed again."--Nell Altizer, University of Hawaii
"Invaluable, both as an introductory text and as an authoritative edition for serious scholarship. Students find the notes at the bottom of the page (as oposed to at the end of the text) handy and useful."--Sarah Liu, University of California, Berkeley
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Inside This Book
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First Sentence
Macbeth was first produced at a time of radical theatrical change in England. Read the first page Browse Sample Pages
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
Macbeth was first produced at a time of radical theatrical change in England. Read the first page Browse Sample Pages
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I really like these Oxford individual editions of Shakespeare, under the general editorship of Stanley Wells. The introductions and notes are generally up-to-date and informed by relatively recent research, and are attentive to performance as well as poetic text.
Macbeth is a well-known play, dark, tight and swift-moving as it charts a narrative of ambition, assassination, murder and - perhaps above all - guilt. The psycho-pathology of both Macbeth and the superlative though chilling Lady Macbeth makes this seem very 'modern' in lots of way. The poetry here is magnificent, and new readers will find themselves coming across many well-known quotes.
So all in all this is a great edition of this play and especially useful for students, teachers and readers new to Shakespeare since it includes glosses and notes.
Macbeth is a well-known play, dark, tight and swift-moving as it charts a narrative of ambition, assassination, murder and - perhaps above all - guilt. The psycho-pathology of both Macbeth and the superlative though chilling Lady Macbeth makes this seem very 'modern' in lots of way. The poetry here is magnificent, and new readers will find themselves coming across many well-known quotes.
So all in all this is a great edition of this play and especially useful for students, teachers and readers new to Shakespeare since it includes glosses and notes.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
1 review
5 of 11 people found the following review helpful
Shakespeare is an entertainer
18 Dec 1999
Format:Paperback
Macbeth is a great play. If you forget the symbolism, the imagery, the metaphors, the similes, the hyperboles and whatnot, it is a greatr play. The youth hates Shakespeare because we focus so much on analyzing everything he did. (Cough, cough, sarcasm) But all in all, he was an entertainer, much as a director is now. He wrote so that people would enjoy, not spend countless hours trying to decipher the "Secret code" that he must have put into every one of his plays, seeing as he had so much time to do this between the 30 some odd plays he did. Just take it as it is, and have fun with it. Or, with Macbeth, be sad, or disturbed, but enjoy it. I'm 16 years old, and I love Shakespeare... just don't take it too seriously.
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