Shakespeare Books

graphic shakespear,its a rare apportunity to find such life in some way playfull play .lovely.

First off, King Lear has always been my favorite play, followed closely by Othello and After The Fall. I like comic books, but I'm skeptical of the "Illustrated Classics" approach. So I was a bit leery buying this (pun unintended, but not bad).

It's fantastic. The art is lovely and has a timeless, surreal quality. The stylizations only enhance it. Especially watch the Fool: he's always been one of the best of Shakespeare's characters, and the capering, size-changing, conjuring presence Ian Pollock has granted him lifts him above and beyond. This artist knows what he's doing and is worth watching.

As for the writer: well, I know he's got name-recognition, but people often wonder if he's any good. But this Shakespeare guy, I think he's got potential. I mean, the slant rhyme and Jedi syntax bugs me sometimes, but otherwise, he has skills worthy of his art.

I LOVE love love these books. This one on King Lear is excellent and makes this play very approachable and readable.

Years ago when my husband's father, a farmer for many years, first saw large round-style hay bales, he wept with joy because, since these new bales could not be lifted by hand, he knew farmworkers would no longer need to risk the heavy, injurious previous work of stacking and transporting their hay.

I know how he felt. It nearly brought tears to my eyes to first experience reading a No Fear Shakespeare. I cannot overstate the ease this text brings to the pleasure and excitement of a Shakespeare play. If you have wanted to read Shakespeare but found the language too archaic to understand, if you have enjoyed reading Shakespeare but not the time it took to plow through the footnotes and concordances, if you have been assigned to read Shakespeare plays for a class and want to know which edition to use, if you have always meant to read Shakespeare to find out for yourself what "all the fuss" is about - this is the version to read.

As for the play King Lear itself, it is a beautiful, painful, truthful story of a human being in all his prideful flaws, who learns to understand himself and his relations with others, even though paying the ultimate tragic price. Shakespeare's genius is telling a story that we all can relate to, and part of you will be right there on the heath in the storm raging with Lear.

Tal vez sea uno de los mejores cuentos pergeñados por Georgie.

Este libro incluye los cuatro últimos cuentos escritos por Borges. Su idea era completar un nuevo volumen de relatos, pero la muerte se adelantó y la tarea quedó inconclusa.

Resulta increíble pensar que si cada uno de los grandes artistas de la historia hubiese vivido, digamos, uno o dos años más, tendríamos quizás un puñado extra de obras que sólo pueden ser hechas por ellos, nadie más, y que el resto del mundo no puede ni siquiera llegar a imaginar.

Los cuentos son:

1. 25 de agosto, 1983, donde un Borges futuro conversa con un Borges más joven, y le explica, entre otras cosas, que publicó un libro bajo otro nombre, que la gente no reconoció y tachó de "torpe imitador de Borges".

2. Tigres Azules. Uno de los cuentos más extraños de Borges, en donde un grupo de objetos se comportan de manera caótica, en contra de las leyes de la lógica, pero empiezan a sugerir que quizás nuestro orden, nuestros hábitos y nuestro mundo sean igualmente aberrantes e inexplicables.

3. La Rosa de Paracelso recuerda, por su ambiente casi de cuento folklórico, a Las Ruinas Circulares.

4. La Memoria de Shakespeare. Uno de los mejores cuentos de Borges. Un hombre acepta la "memoria" de Shakespeare, que poco a poco empieza a convivir con la suya propia. Planea escribir un libro aprovechándola, pero empieza a darse cuenta que "la memoria de Shakespeare no podía revelarme otra cosa que las circunstancias de Shakespeare. Es evidente que éstas no constituyen la singularidad del poeta; lo que importa es la obra que ejecutó con ese material deleznable".

De la misma manera, algún escritor (y hay más de uno dando vueltas) podrá imitar ciertos manerismos, ciertos giros, ciertas expresiones, ciertas ideas de Borges, pero no puede escribir la página que Borges hubiese escrito, sencillamente porque los artistas mediocres se parecen, comparten lo que es común a los que se dedican a una misma "profesión"; pero los grandes artistas son únicos e irrepetibles. Nosotros vivimos bajo sus luces, bajo sus sombras.

Synopsis by Dr. Karen Love:

Have we ever really believed in the division of human beings into "male" and "female"? Lies Before Our Eyes examines canonical narratives as well as popular media to find that the answer is, simply, "no." The tran-scengenderist mucosa--a metaphor derived from our own deep physical structures, our permeable cellular membranes--confirms the illegitimacy of the binary definition of gender. Through the agency of characters that operate in the liminal space between male and female, our stories reveal what we have always known: that "gender" does not exist in reality, and, further, that the violence and destruction inherent in the binary definition of gender can be transcended--must be transcended--to bring salvation to the human community.

The theories of Luce Irigaray, Mikhail Bakhtin, and Roland Barthes are applied in a strong mis-reading of Bible stories, nursery rhymes, Greek myths, Antigone, The Scarlet Letter, To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything, Julie Newmar, and Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, with special emphasis given to Shakespeare's Falstaff. This mis-reading reveals a character--the transcendgenderist mucosa--whose presence and agency in Western narratives deny the "reality" of binary gender definition--shows us, in fact, the "lies" which have been set before our eyes.

The ideas laid out and the connections made in this book are astonishing. It's the first book I've read in a long time where I had to set it down in my lap and just let what she's written sink in. Essentially, Dr. Love is asserting that gender is created by societies and culture, but that it doesn't really exist. She uses characters such as Shakespeare's Falstaff and the Native in The Scarlet Letter (to name but a few) to illuminate the recurrence of a character who is neither fully male nor female, but who transcends gender. This thesis alone intrigued me, but it was Love's impressive knowledge depth that kept me going. Let me warn you though--it's not light reading. She's writing for an academic audience, for sure. I can only hope she releases other books for a general audience.

As in his Readings on Hamlet, which I have also reviewed for Amazon, literary scholar Don Nardo has compiled an impressive collection of articles by well-known Shakespearean scholars and critics. In this case, they include Charles and Mary Lamb, D.A. Traversi, the great Harley Granville-Baker, and film critic Roger Manvell. I was especially intrigued with the article titled "Iago the Poisoner," an original and insightful piece by George W. Williams, of Duke University. Mr. Nardo must be commended for his own insights and skill in putting together this outstanding volume.

Don Nardo's "Readings on Othello" is the most readable book of essays on this play that I've ever come across. The book is geared toward students, but it's not dumbed-down; instead of a plot summary, you'll find intriguing essays on different themes and issues in Othello. The essays are all written by Shakespeare teachers/scholars, and they are thought-provoking without being too complex to grasp.

I especially liked the chapter in the beginning that deals with Othello's origins (the source that Shakespeare used for inspiration), offers background information on the locales and peoples in the play, and gives a brief yet thorough overview of Shakespeare's life.

If you are interested in some in-depth study of Othello, or need to write a paper on this play, I highly recommend that you read this book. It will make you see the play from so many different angles, and guide you towards better understanding of what Shakespeare was trying to say.

This book is full of Shakespeare's work, so if you don't like the way he uses the English language do not get this book. On the other hand, if you do enjoy and understand his plays, (Everyone should be familiar with at least one. Remember highschool?)this book is a must! All of the poems deal with love; lost love, unforgettable love, forbidden love, everlasting love, obsessive love, first love, life changing love, ect.,ect. These poems seem to be telling a story, each one different, but as emotional as the one before. If you have a hard time letting someone know how you feel or putting your emotions into words, this book could be the answer. To the women, there are so many different Sonnets that I could relate to situations during my lifetime that seemed to be telling the story of my life. If you know an unromantic guy, this would be a great gift. This would help him sweep ladies off of their feet! Actually, this book would really be good for anyone of all ages, I mean, it IS filled with LOVE. It is a welcome change to the fast,unforgiving world we live in today!

To be quite truthful I must say that I found Shakespeare's sonnets a little hard to digest until I decided to roll up my intellectual sleeves and work at it, because I thought it would be good for me.

They are short and easy to read, but in order to get the most out of them I found a quiet place, where noone would laugh, and read them aloud.

By the time I got to sonnet #50 they were making sense. I began to highlight my favorite ones. Some of them I read to other people. One or two made me laugh, several moved me emotionally. When I was finished I felt richer for having made the effort.

It is not hard to give these poems and sonnets 5 stars.

HOWEVER I'm not sure you should purchase the book. I found some dated used copies of "The Sonnets of William Shakespeare with the famous Temple Notes and an introduction by Robert O. Ballou" on Amazon.com for $ .14 each. Yes, that's fourteen cents for small hardback copies in great shape. Sure they're dated, but for me the contents are more important than the commentaries, so age doesn't matter much.

Macbeth has always been one of Shakespeare's most popular plays. It is vivid, has blood & murder, magic, visions, treachery, and just deserts. I mean, what is not to love? The play moves along quickly and isn't one of the longer plays. For all these reasons and more, audiences love it.

But there is a lot more to the play than the plot outline might suggest. Shakespeare brilliantly works out the subtleties of character through the action, interactions, and self-discussions in the play. It isn't a simple "action" play, it is also a masterwork of revealing the character of the characters even when they are themselves unaware of the trap they are leaping into.

I am partial to the Arden editions because I trust the text, love the extensive notes, and the introductory and additional material that helps give the play context and talks about sources Shakespeare almost certainly used. In this case Holinshed's "Chronicles of Scotland". Throughout this edition there are also discussions of the textural problems of this play: where some things seem to be missing, what might be interpolations, and so forth.

This is a very useful edition of a great play.

William Shakespeare's tragedy "Macbeth" was performed at the Globe Theater in 1605-06. The "Scottish" play was a calculated to be pleasing to James I, who took the throne of England after the death of Elizabeth Tudor in 1603. It was not simply that the play was set in the homeland of the Stuarts, but also that when Banquo's royal descendants are envisioned the last of them is the new King. (Note: Shakespeare does a similar sort of tribute to Queen Elizabeth when in the final act of "Henry VIII" the the Archbishop prophesizes great things for the infant Elizabeth. However, not only is there doubt that Shakespeare was the sole author of that particular history, it was not produced until 1612-13, ten years after Elizabeth's death.)

The play chronicles Macbeth's seizing the Scottish throne and his subsequent downfall, both aspects the result of blind ambition. However, one of the interesting aspects of "Macbeth" for me has always been its take on prophecy, which is decidedly different from the classical tradition. In the Greek myths there is no escaping your fate; in fact, one of the points of the story of Oedipus as told by Sophocles is that trying to resist your fate only makes things worse (the original prophecy was that Oedipus would slay his father; it was only after Jocasta sought to have her son killed to save her husband that the prophecy given Oedipus was that he would slay his father and marry his mother). In the Norse tradition prophecy is simply fate and manhood demands you simply resign yourself to what must happen.

But in "Macbeth" there is a different notion of prophecy that is compatible with what is found in the Bible: specifically, the idea that human beings simply cannot understand God's predictions. This is the case both with those who failed to understand the prophecies that foretold the birth of the Christ but also the book of Revelations, where the fate of the world is detailed in complex and essentially uncomprehensible symbolism. When Macbeth is presented with the first set of prophecies by the three witches, he is understandably dubious: he will become thane of Cawdor and then King, while Banquo will beget kings. However, when the first prophecy comes true, Macbeth begins to believe that the rest of the prophecy may come true. His fatal error, at least in the Greek tradition, is that he does not allow fate to bring him the crown, he takes active steps by slaying King Duncan. He compounds this error by projecting his ambitions onto Banquo; although Macbeth has Banquo killed, his son escapes to keep the prophecy intact.

Now the witches's prophecies are deceptively clear: no man born of woman may harm him and he is secure until trees start walking. Macbeth, who now believes in the inevitability of prophecy, fails to understand the fatal concept of loopholes. Thus, the nature of prophecy becomes an integral part of the play's dynamic.

wonderful, short dramatic exercises that illuminate the play and make it accessible and fun for students.

This is one of Shakespeare's plays I have liked best so far (I still have several ones left to read), along with Hamlet, King Lear and Julius Caesar. It is the tragedy of ambition and delusion, and the fatal results of those two vices combined. It is also one of Shakespeare's plays in which the supernatural has a greater participation. Just as Hamlet is driven to revenge by a ghost -his father's- Macbeth is driven to desperate ambition for power by three witches who tell him he is destined to occupy the throne of Scotland (way back in the Middle Ages). Though Macbeth is not a very resolute man and so has many doubts, his inescrupulous wife jumps in on the prophecy and pushes him all along. She must be one of the dreariest women to have appeared in fiction ever. You can imagine her truly as the mother in law from hell. Together, the Macbeths perpetrate a series of treasons and horrible murders, and even start up a war, all for the throne they will, of course, never enjoy. As always with Ol' Billy, the dialogues are incredibly strong and magnificent, full of passion and energy. The scene where the ghost of Banquo appears in the middle of a dinner is more than spooky, horrifying. This play is pure evil, violence, disaster and remorse, and the final transformation of Macbeth is necessarily too late, but worth contemplating.

William Shakespeare's tragedy "Macbeth" was performed at the Globe Theater in 1605-06. The "Scottish" play was a calculated to be pleasing to James I, who took the throne of England after the death of Elizabeth Tudor in 1603. It was not simply that the play was set in the homeland of the Stuarts, but also that when Banquo's royal descendants are envisioned the last of them is the new King. (Note: Shakespeare does a similar sort of tribute to Queen Elizabeth when in the final act of "Henry VIII" the the Archbishop prophesizes great things for the infant Elizabeth. However, not only is there doubt that Shakespeare was the sole author of that particular history, it was not produced until 1612-13, ten years after Elizabeth's death.)

The play chronicles Macbeth's seizing the Scottish throne and his subsequent downfall, both aspects the result of blind ambition. However, one of the interesting aspects of "Macbeth" for me has always been its take on prophecy, which is decidedly different from the classical tradition. In the Greek myths there is no escaping your fate; in fact, one of the points of the story of Oedipus as told by Sophocles is that trying to resist your fate only makes things worse (the original prophecy was that Oedipus would slay his father; it was only after Jocasta sought to have her son killed to save her husband that the prophecy given Oedipus was that he would slay his father and marry his mother). In the Norse tradition prophecy is simply fate and manhood demands you simply resign yourself to what must happen.

But in "Macbeth" there is a different notion of prophecy that is compatible with what is found in the Bible: specifically, the idea that human beings simply cannot understand God's predictions. This is the case both with those who failed to understand the prophecies that foretold the birth of the Christ but also the book of Revelations, where the fate of the world is detailed in complex and essentially uncomprehensible symbolism. When Macbeth is presented with the first set of prophecies by the three witches, he is understandably dubious: he will become thane of Cawdor and then King, while Banquo will beget kings. However, when the first prophecy comes true, Macbeth begins to believe that the rest of the prophecy may come true. His fatal error, at least in the Greek tradition, is that he does not allow fate to bring him the crown, he takes active steps by slaying King Duncan. He compounds this error by projecting his ambitions onto Banquo; although Macbeth has Banquo killed, his son escapes to keep the prophecy intact.

Now the witches's prophecies are deceptively clear: no man born of woman may harm him and he is secure until trees start walking. Macbeth, who now believes in the inevitability of prophecy, fails to understand the fatal concept of loopholes. Thus, the nature of prophecy becomes an integral part of the play's dynamic.

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.

This is a beautiful piece and looks wonderful in our library. Add class to any room.

As a lover of Shakespeare since high school I have a fairly large collection of Shakespeare books, audio cassettes and videos, and I regularly visit the festivals around the country. However ALL is surpassed by my One Page Book of Macbeth. When I opened the tube and unrolled the play, I was blown away ... it really is the whole play on one page. I took it to Deck the Walls to have it framed and now it sits in pride of place in my study. It works as a work of art and I can just walk up to it, look for familiar lines. I love it. I will eventually have the whole collection, if I can find enough wall space!!

It's such a great idea and I would recommend it to anyone, whether you're a Shakespeare scholar or just someone with a casual interest.

I tell you, if your short of ideas for a Christmas, this is definitely something different.