Books for/about - William Shakespeare

World of Shakespeare: The Complete Plays and Sonnets of William Shakespeare (38 Volume Library)

Publisher: Penguin
Authors: William Shakespeare

ISBN: 0143104802
List Price: $299.00
Amazon Price: $149.50
Usually ships in 24 hours

Buy this book
from amazon.com
or from
amazon.co.uk

Avg Cusomer Rating: 5
Reviews:
Summary: Cheaper than buying the individual paperbacks
The individual paperbacks are priced at $5.00 and $6.00 each. The full set (in hardbound) averages $3.94 a book. The text appears to be identical to the revised paperback edition. Having the plays in single volumes makes it easier to read them (see Al Pacino discussing this issue in Looking for Richard). This is a great deal for a great set.

Summary:

search for William+Shakespeare at amazon.com, amazon.co.uk, google.com

Macbeth (Folger Shakespeare Library) (Folger Shakespeare Library)

Publisher: Washington Square Press
Authors: William Shakespeare

ISBN: 0743477103
List Price: $5.99
Amazon Price: $5.99
Usually ships in 24 hours

Buy this book
from amazon.com
or from
amazon.co.uk

Avg Cusomer Rating: 5
Reviews:
Summary: A Tale of Unbridled Ambition
Macbeth by William Shakespeare is a captivating story, resplendent with ambition, betrayal, and corruption. This is the shortest of Shakespeare's tragedies, and with each turning of the page the protagonist spirals along a course of startling immorality.

Macbeth is an opportunistic Scot who makes a series of moral choices which propel him to power and ultimately result in his downfall. His wife, Lady Macbeth, is also interesting and rife with traits worth analyzing.

I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in character-driven plots.

Summary: Yale's may be the best edition of Macbeth
Virtually all editions of Macbeth will have at least some annotations. Rummaging through five different editions, I preferred the Yale University Press version, edited by Burton Raffel, as having the most comprehensive and comprehensible notes, as well as an excellent introduction to Shakespeare's play. Raffel not only explains the meanings of obscure words, but also gives brief notes pertaining to relevant history, geography, stage directions, etc, that are rarely addressed as fully by other editors. In addition, Raffel frequently gives the proper way to stress the syllables in a line when reading it aloud, which can be extremely helpful. (However, in most places these stresses need to be very subtle, so that you don't sound like "taDUM taDUM taDUM".) And Yale's page layout is among the clearest that I've seen.

(To find this edition: at Avanced Search, enter ISBN 0300106548; or, enter Macbeth as title, and either Raffel as author or Yale as publisher.)

As a bonus, this edition includes at the back a long essay on the play by Harold Bloom. This is not an uninteresting commentary, but Bloom desperately needs a good editor. His essay is not only at least three times longer than it should be, but is startlingly repetitious. Yale would have been wise to have asked Bloom for a rewrite.

Summary: Macbeth does murder sleep - finish it tonight
One of the great Shakespearian tragedies. It deals with political avarice in the royal family and the consequences thereof on the personal lives of those involved.

What else can I say that has not already been said. The play has survived so long with such esteem for a reason. It's brilliant.

Summary:

search for William+Shakespeare at amazon.com, amazon.co.uk, google.com

	Hamlet (Folger Shakespeare Library) Publisher: Washington Square Press Authors: William Shakespeare
ISBN: 074347712X List Price: $5.99 Amazon Price: $5.99 Usually ships in 24 hours Buy this book from amazon.com or from amazon.co.uk	Avg Cusomer Rating: 5 Reviews: Summary: The Tragedy of Hamlet Hamlet is the finest Shakespearean play, and one of the most celebrated literary works in the world. It is essential reading for anyone interested in canon literature. The "To be, or not to be" soliloquy is a frequently quoted passage. The play concerns young Hamlet, Prince of Denmark and the revenge he seeks against the royal court for the murder of his father, King Hamlet. Despite trickery and deception occurring on all sides, Hamlet manages to avenge the death of King Hamlet, though at a terrible price. I enjoyed this book a great deal, and would recommend it even to those readers who do not ordinarily enjoy classics. Summary: I love the play Hamlet! Shakespeare, William. Hamlet Heart Barrowed from Library Fiction If you have never read Hamlet or at least seen the movie, well you are missing out on an all time great, and must read book. I have only read a few of Shakespeare plays, such as, Romeo and Juliet, Macbeth, and of course Hamlet, and I must say, Hamlet is his best play. Of course I have seen the movie and it is great too, but nothing compares to the book. Yes, it can get a little confusing reading the book because we don't talk in such ways they do during that time period, but when you do understand it you will love it. Shakespeare, for his time had a great way of expressing humor and how things were during that time, in his play Hamlet. When Hamlet wanted to show the people how his Uncle had killed the king, (Hamlets Father), in a play he put together, I thought Shakespeare had a very created way for Hamlet to express his feelings towards his Uncle, and reenacting his fathers murder. Then people couldn't believe what they heard and had to leave the stage. Hamlet is determined to get revenge on his Uncle, and his Uncle starts thinking what he had done and can't handle the pain. When the book jumps into the next scene when Hamlet starts talking to him-self about what he will do to his Uncle, it gives you chills, and the sense that Hamlet isn't messing around anymore. Then it starts jumping back and forth to Hamlet and his Uncle talking to them-selves, expressing their deep down feelings. The rest of the book is great from that point, but you have to read the rest of the book to be able to find out. This play is a must read! Summary: Best Shakespeare It's a good edition in terms of footnotes that help to describe what is happening throught the course of the play. Hamlet is Shakespeare's longest play and in my opinion his best. The speaches are beautiful and everything comes together so nicely. Hamlet is such a great character brcause he is so colpletely loveable and yet ridiculously frustrating. I definitley reccomend this if you are starting out with Shakespeare because it is likely to leave you wanting to read more of his works! Summary:

search for William+Shakespeare at amazon.com, amazon.co.uk, google.com

William Shakespeare: The Complete Works, Deluxe Edition

Publisher: Gramercy
Authors: William Shakespeare

ISBN: 0517053616
List Price: $19.99
Amazon Price: $19.99
Usually ships in 24 hours

Buy this book
from amazon.com
or from
amazon.co.uk

Avg Cusomer Rating: 5
Reviews:
Summary: Excelent
What can I say? Shakespeare is the man. For any of you who love shakespeare, or just need a good reference for class; this book is amazing... not only that but you will look really intelligent if you have a thick leather bound shakespeare book on your bookshelf haha

Summary: Remember......
Remember, this is a rating of not the WRITING of Shakespeare, but of the VOLUME that it is in. For those who have railed on against Shakespeare (And about how they wrote better plays about ninjas or whatever--tis true, stupid people do make themselves look like idiots on a regular basis.) this is for the book that it is in, not the writing, because there are so many books about Shakespeare, and that is what the potential consumers need. (Rated on the product's average, so as not to throw it off much.)

Summary: Shakespeare idiot here
can i just say i so totally agree with joe. shakespeare is just so totally boring. i wrote a play yesterday too and it's called 'wassup' and it's about three samurai. i mean, my title is so much more imaginatory than 'all's well that ends well' and 'much ado about nothing', you know what i'm saying? and, like, he totally died four hundred years ago, so who gives? dude, i'm still alive, why isn't anyone reading my stuff? will someone please stand up and tell me what all the fuss is about? he dead man, get over it.

Certainly he had a cornucopian vocabulary whose myriad lexical inflections help paint in broad and fine strokes the multi-layered chromaticism of human experience, but dude, that is soooo old skool. Certainly there is a Hamlet in each of us, a troubled, trembling, self-interrogative subjectivity whose solipsism is his delay, but yo, chekkit, he needed to get a reality check. And I suppose one of the most crucial questions to ask is how precisely did Shakespeare reach that formidable, infallible pedestal of his? How is it that pronouncements like Harold Bloom's 'Shakespeare invented the self' can be authoritatively thundered in a climate infected with uncritical, reflexive and completely overblown idolatry? And if the academies are responsible for deifying the Bard, how is it that this admiring hypnotism is by and large a minority response? If Shakespeare is so great, why does he transcend class-boundaries so infrequently? Why does this pillar of high-culture have to stand apart from popular culture to an extent that is nothing if not rebarbative? We have to start asking questions about the nature of a culturally guaranteed, self-legitimating, homogenuous valorisation that isn't impartial, but institutionalised, puppeted by bureaucracy, perpetuated by the ruling classes. Answer me this question. His insertion into the school syllabus is, at the present time, irreversible. What does it mean when a writer is turned into a cornerstone of the curriculum? Is it simply because Shakespeare is a great writer whose masterpieces move, provoke, delight, edify and enrich? yo props to my main man joe.

but anyways, that ain't my point. books are for losers, and shakespeare was a loser. to be or to not be? i'd rather jump off sears towers. seriously dudes, have you tried reading him? it's all like:

I fear the benighted age countermured
In the future shalt, like unlit dark that
Wept after noble Rome was sacked, bemire
Its forgetful seat in an ignorant
Unschooled abyss o'ercast, opaque, no 'lumed
Tapers casting out the inky air, no
Gold-gild voices honeying i'th'earth,
But hollow, O hollow echo of past
Deeds bright, sounding in a profane cave
Rattled by savages, their babbling words
Signifying nothing.
('Sure I can', III.iv.34-44)

So yo, put dat Shakespeare down, big yoself up, get a life and chill. peace out to ma home boys, cos shakespeare just ain't cool. long live 2pac.

Summary:

search for William+Shakespeare at amazon.com, amazon.co.uk, google.com

The Complete Arkangel Shakespeare: 38 Fully-Dramatized Plays

Publisher: Audio Partners
Authors: William Shakespeare Eileen Atkins Joseph Fiennes John, Sir Gielgud Imogen Stubbs Claran Hinds Simon Russell Beale

ISBN: 1932219005
List Price: $600.00
Amazon Price: $378.00
Usually ships in 24 hours

Buy this book
from amazon.com
or from
amazon.co.uk

Avg Cusomer Rating: 5
Reviews:
Summary: "...poesis, poesis, the literal characters, the vatic lines..."
I give this project five stars, but a qualified five. Like one of the other reviewers, I agree: there were certain scenes/characters I would have liked to hear performed differently, but considering the enormity of the project, 100% sustained satifaction seems an unreasonable expectation (indeed, the bard himself has some weak moments across the 38 plays--he was only human, after-all). And I would have liked it if the nondramatic poetry were included (there are several wonderful recordings of the sonnets available--I recommend Helen Vendler's rather introspective performance and Alex Jennings has recorded a fine complete version of the same--he also plays Berowne in the Arkangel "Love's Labor's Lost", a fine touch, considering the connections between the sonnets and that play!). But overall, how can you argue with an effort like this? Shakespeare is the greatest poet the Western world has known, and these recordings give overwhelming support to that critical commonplace. As literary values change (decline?), the eminence of Shakespeare becomes more important. To hear these plays is to hear the english language bursting at the seams. To know these plays is to know what poetry is capable of, which is nothing less than a sanction of life. And the audio format is perfect for poetry, which MUST be heard. Long live the audiobook!

Some notable strengths of this collection include, first & formost, the use of reliable, unabridged texts. An industrious student, armed with the Pelican Shakespeare, can become intimately familiar with Shakespeare's glory. The sound engineers deserve special praise, they have created a most sophisticated aural enviroment: these recordings love the headphones. I recommend some fine wine, candles, and comfy furniture. My love and I have been transported nightly for weeks, and it has been an incomparable bonding experience for us. Also lovely is the original music by Le Gendre, who helps us to realize that the Bard also wrote the most memorable songs in English. Overall, the acting is well balanced between serving the poetry and serving the drama--which is as it should be. I could go on, but I'm tired. It is a fine investment for lovers, for families, for school-children, for adults, or for solitary dreamers. Shut off the idiot box: strongly recommended!

Summary: Shakespeare sounding fabulous!
I have studied, listened to, and viewed Shakespeare's plays in all available formats for thirty years and I am thoroughly pleased with the Archangel Complete Shakespeare audio. Having listened now to Hamlet and Macbeth, I judge these two productions to be perhaps the best vocal interpretations I have heard ever, any where. They are easy to listen to and easy to understand. The actors interpretations are neither over-done nor under-done. If the remaining plays are as good, this production of the totality of the plays is a gift to scholars and to groundlings as well. Thank you Archangel et al.

Summary: Try your local library first
This collection of recordings is really outstanding. The other reviewers have done an excellent job of articulating the strengths and minor weaknesses of the renditions, so I will not duplicate their efforts here. My main point is that at about $400+ for this series of CDs I would recommend that you first check you local library for a copy, and if they do not have it yet in their collection encourage them to do so (from Amazon of course!). That way you can sample an entire play or two before you pluck down your cash for the complete set. Unfortunately for those of use who prefer to listen now to their audio via an MP3 player, you will find that the titles on the disks are done very inconsistenly, and occasionally just wrong. So make sure that you check each disk after you make the conversion to ensure that the titles are correct and in a form that you can properly use. Don't forget about donating a set to your local libarary too, to share this great set of recordings with those who are just discovering Shakespeare.

Summary:

search for William+Shakespeare at amazon.com, amazon.co.uk, google.com

	Othello (Folger Shakespeare Library) Publisher: Washington Square Press Authors: William Shakespeare
ISBN: 0743477553 List Price: $5.99 Amazon Price: $5.99 Usually ships in 24 hours Buy this book from amazon.com or from amazon.co.uk	Avg Cusomer Rating: 1 Reviews: Summary: Absurd And Overrated. For the most part, I really do like Shakespeare's plays. But this one play I consider an utter flop. It would seem any time romance is involved, people tend to make the material more than it is. Sometimes it works, but sometimes it fails miserably. The most annoying thing about this play is that except for Iago, all of the characters are major simpletons. And while this may work in comedy (like it does in Shakespeare's "The Comedy of Errors") it does NOT work here. The sotry revolves around Othello who marries Desdemona to the disapproval of many parties, including Roderigo who wanted Desdemona for himself. Basically Iago (the so called villain) is willing to help destroy Othello supposedly to aid Roderigo. While Iago is supposedly a villain, the truth is any reasonable person in Iago's shoes would have been angered. (1) He was turned down for promotion in favor of Cassio, and everything from the play indicates that Cassio is Iago's inferior. (2) He has reason to believe that his wife has been messing around with Othello AND Cassio.) While some people have tried to write this off as another lie, this isn't too sound seeing that Iago expresses these reasons in a soliloquy where this no point whatsoever in being dishonest. One of the major annoying things about this play is that everyone keeps saying how nobel Othello is, but nothing in the play really justifies this. And as term 'noble' keeps repeating, it ends up sounding increasingly sarcastic. (Not unlike the way Antony destroys Brutus by the repeated term of 'honorable'.) Anyway, it doesn't take long for Othello to show his hypocrisy. He claims to love Desdemona, but the truth is it would seem more that he is just sexually attracted to her. (Most of you saw the "Titanic." And Rose's fiance Calvin SEEMED nice at first. But he didn't love Rose. He was only attracted to her and saw her as a piece of property. Later, he didn't have any problem with slapping her or firing gunshots in her direction. Jack LOVED Rose, and he sacrificed his life so she could live!) I think "Romeo and Juliet" is overrated, but AT LEAST Romeo LOVES Juliet, and he kills himself because he thinks she is dead. If Othello loves Desdemona, why is he so ready to jump on the issue of adultery? Iago manipulates Othello so much it is laughable. And here the devil would have such a great time confronting Othello with his own hypocrisy. (1. Iago has reason to believe that Othello has been messing around with his wife. 'Shame to him, whose cruel striking, kills for faults of his own liking!' (2) Even in "Dante's Inferno," crimes of passion and adultery are the most lightly punished ones in hell.) Iago continues to walk Othello through his degeneration until Othello becomes guilty of the unforgivable murder of someone he CLAIMED to love for something she didn't even do. Othello proves himself to be the most repulsive and unsympathetic protagonist in any of Shakespeare's writings. By the way in "Excalibur" King Arthur SAW his wife sleeping with Lance A Lot and he could NOT bring himself to kill them! In "King Lear," Albany's wife Goneril is plotting his death AND messing around with Edmund. And he remains calm and just doesn't kill his wife! In "The Scarlet Letter" Roger KNEW Hester was cheating on him, and he remained more respectable: "Even if I imagine a scheme of vengeance, what could I do better for my object than to let thee live...Live therefore and bear about thy doom with thee in the eyes of men and women in the eyes of him who thou didst call thy husband." I find it most fitting to conclude with a quote to Othello from Slayer: "Hell Awaits." Summary: Deliciously villainous. Out of all the villains Shakespeare has crafted, Iago and Richard III take the cake. What I love about Iago is his passion for evil. While Richard III is evil because he wants something, it's sort of detached while simultaneously sexual. Iago's brand of evil is passionate and emotional. Some might say that Othello was Shakespeare's greatest hero, and therefore his downfall was the greatest tragedy in Shakespeare. Whatever the case may be, it's a riveting read and a definite must for anybody even remotely interested in Shakespeare. Summary: Shakespeare's best Villain Is there any other character in all of literature who is as calculatingly evil as Shakespeare's Iago? His jealousy over being passed over in favor of Cassio engenders a revengeful scheme that turns jealousy into a weapon used to destroy the noble Othello. Here innocence and trust is contrasted with pure manipulation and evil in what is one of Shakespeare's most revealing tragedies. The characters act exactly as they would be expected to based on the overriding quality that they represent. Othello is wonderful Shakespearean drama that ranks among his greatest works. The Folger Library editions are my favorite. Each page has a facing page that explains obscure terms and helps as a handy reference to make reading the plays pleasurable and educational. These paperback editions of Shakespeare's works are a great value and fit in your pocket. Summary:

search for William+Shakespeare at amazon.com, amazon.co.uk, google.com

Romeo and Juliet (Folger Shakespeare Library)

Publisher: Washington Square Press
Authors: William Shakespeare

ISBN: 0743477111
List Price: $5.99
Amazon Price: $5.99
Usually ships in 24 hours

Buy this book
from amazon.com
or from
amazon.co.uk

Avg Cusomer Rating: 5
Reviews:
Summary: Hate, Love and Fate
In one of Shakespeare's most famous and beloved plays, true love is thwarted at the cruel hands of fate.

The Capulets and the Montagues have been rivals for years. However, this doesn't stop Juliet Capulet and Romeo Montague from falling in love with one another. And so the timeless and beautiful story of Romeo and Juliet begins.

Both the play and the romance of the two main characters take off almost unrealistically quickly; the play is set only over the course of a few days. But what a few days it is. Shakespeare expertly captures the naive and innocent viewpoints of the two teenagers and his language is always metaphorical and flawless.

I found this version of the play extremely helpful, as it was the first Shakespeare play I had read and I wasn't yet accustomed to the unique language of the era. On one side of the page is the actual text of the play and on the opposite side is a list of words and phrases that modern-day citizens may not be accustomed to. This greatly increased my comprehension level of the book, and is a definite asset to anyone who isn't yet "Shakespeare-savvy". Happy reading!

Summary: Beautiful Love Story
Romeo and Juliet is a compelling romantic tragedy which I first read at secondary school. I suppose that since the play is simple, it was a good introduction for me to the wealth of Shakespeare's genius. I thoroughly enjoyed the moving exchanges between Romeo and Juliet.

Here were two families, the Capulet and Montague that were in perpetual feud. The quarrel was going on for a long time that no one in the two families really cared to find out the root cause and if it could not be resolved. All that the two families cared about was to kill each other wherever possible.

Romeo (a Montague) falls in love with Juliet (a Capulet). However, because of the long-running feud between their families, they were married in secret by Friar Lawrence. They decide to flee Verona since Juliet was due to be married to another man. Romeo gets banished from Verona following his killing of Tybalt when he was avenging the death of his friend Mercutio.

With the dilemma that Romeo and Juliet were having, Friar Lawrence and Juliet come up with a plan for Juliet to take a poison that would make her appear dead and Romeo would come and take her when she wakes up 48 hours later. However, Romeo was not aware of the plan and when he turns up and sees Juliet apparently dead, he decides to kill himself. When eventually Juliet wakes up, she finds her lover dead so she also kills herself. When the two feuding families discover what happened, they decide to end their feud.

For those who want to start learning Shakespeare, this is a good place to start. The play is first class, simple and straightforward romantic tragedy. I love the play as it highlights the ultimate futility of all conflicts and teaches the often unfortunate and unnecessary tragic consequences of such conflicts.

Summary: Understandable notations
The Folger edition of Romeo and Juliet is very easy to read. The many notes and illustrations make it enjoyable.

Summary:

search for William+Shakespeare at amazon.com, amazon.co.uk, google.com

A Midsummer Night's Dream (Shakespeare Made Easy)

Publisher: Barron's Educational Series
Authors: William Shakespeare

ISBN: 0812035844
List Price: $6.95
Amazon Price: $6.95
Usually ships in 24 hours

Buy this book
from amazon.com
or from
amazon.co.uk

Avg Cusomer Rating: 5
Reviews:
Summary: Great Translation that Makes Shakespeare More Accessable
I purchased many titles in the "Shakespeare Made Easy" series. It has a modern English translation side by side with the original text. It helped tremendously when it came to school assignments.

Summary: A Midsummer Night's Dream
A Midsummer Night's Dream is certainly one of the most popular Shakespearean plays. Few other dramas display such a combination of theatrical appeal: comedy and dance, music and fairies, rustics and the moonlit woods. This unit examines the enchanting play and its theme of love and love's folly. A Midsummer Night's Dream contains some wonderfully lyrical expressions of lighter Shakespearean themes, most notably those of love, dreams, and the stuff of both, the creative imagination itself.
I believe that Shakespeare wrote A Midsummer Night's Dream as a light entertainment to accompany a marriage celebration.

Summary: Fun and Frivolous
On the first read, I thought this was really silly stuff, but on the second read I thought it had some of Shakespheare's best romantic poetry in it.

This story contains yet another authoritarian father of Shakespheare's creation, Egeus, telling his daughter Hermia who she will marry (Demetrius) and not marry (Lysander). There is also her sister Helena who is in love with Demetrius, but Demetrius does not love her. Enter the fairies, mainly Oberon and his servant Puck who muck things up further by enchanting Lysander and Demetrius into falling in love with Helena instead of their previous darling girl Hermia. Tension ensues as Helena thinks that she is being mocked and Hermia thinks that Helena has stolen away her men. Puck and the fairies eventually right things by enchanting Demetrius to match up with Hermia and Lysander with Helena.

There is a subplot with working class rustics who try to put on a play of Pyramus and Thisbe, two lovers that die tragically. (Imagine construction workers putting on a romantic play, for modern day comparison.) The leader Snug and his company of Bottom, Quince, Flute, Snout, and Starveling prepare a play at night in the woods and the mischievous fairy Puck attaches a donkey's posterior to Bottom's head and makes the queen fairy Titania fall in love with him and his fine feature. Eventually, Puck reverses this predicament before the night is over.

Bottom and company put on the play in the last act for the nobles of city who are Theseus, Duke of Athens, and his company of the soon to be married nobles Demetrius and Hermia and Lysander and Helena, among others. The play is so bad it's comical. The usual tragic romantic deaths in plays like Romeo and Juliet are parodied in this act. In fact, this play seems to be what Romeo and Juliet would have been if it were turned into a comedy.

As with most Shakespheare's plays this is better seen than read. The love rectangle is confusing at first given the similar names of Helena and Hermia and the switching match-ups. Not much mentally to chew on here, other than the observation that one can often love someone, but they don't love you back and it's frustrating.

Summary:

search for William+Shakespeare at amazon.com, amazon.co.uk, google.com

Computers and Electronics Books || Automotive Books || Misc Books

| home |