Shakespeare Made Easy: Macbeth

by William Shakespeare

Shakespeare Made Easy

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Presents the original text of Shakespeare's play side by side with a modern version, discusses the author and the theater of his time, and provides quizzes and other study activities.

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5 reviews
I read this in high school. I have tried to read several times over the years, but the language was a barrier I wasn't able to overcome on my own. This time I did the dual translation, and in the beginning I read a graphic novel version. It made it easier, and I was able to read and imagine the accompanying action without much help by the end.
George R R Martin can't hold a candle to Shakespeare. What a glorious, bloody story. Ambition destroys. Madness ensues. I'm glad I read this again 40 years later. Shakespeare was wasted on me in high school. The language and issues just weren't that relevant to me as a 16-18 year old.
I've read this play so many times and I never get tired of it. A prime example of "patience is a virtue." But, I wonder if the prophecy the Weird Sisters provide Macbeth would have come to pass at all if he hadn't done everything he'd done.

Did what the Weird Sisters say happen only because they said it? Or would their predictions have come true if Macbeth had simply waited for it?

This particular edition, with the Shakespeare Made Easy translations, made the whole thing a little troublesome to read, as I would often find myself naturally moving to the opposite page (the modern translation page) as if it was any other book. This caused a few moments of irritation simply because I found myself rereading a part I'd just finished and not show more catching it right away due to the altered wording.

Still, it will make a worthy addition to my Little Free Library.
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I consider this as one of the great shakespearean tragedies. A story of ambition, murder and dark mystery. Blinded by his ambition to power he committed murder after murder but was then consumed by guilt, anguish, fear and later on by death. A fast paced and exiting book to read.
Great book (if thats what you call it, maybe play is more accurate) obviously a classic. The modern english parts make it easier to read, but please do not just read those parts, the great thing about Shakespeare is how he wrote and the language that he used.
½
This book makes understanding the Shakespearean language of the play a lot easier.

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6,107+ Works 442,120 Members
William Shakespeare, 1564 - 1616 Although there are many myths and mysteries surrounding William Shakespeare, a great deal is actually known about his life. He was born in Stratford-Upon-Avon, son of John Shakespeare, a prosperous merchant and local politician and Mary Arden, who had the wealth to send their oldest son to Stratford Grammar School. show more At 18, Shakespeare married Anne Hathaway, the 27-year-old daughter of a local farmer, and they had their first daughter six months later. He probably developed an interest in theatre by watching plays performed by traveling players in Stratford while still in his youth. Some time before 1592, he left his family to take up residence in London, where he began acting and writing plays and poetry. By 1594 Shakespeare had become a member and part owner of an acting company called The Lord Chamberlain's Men, where he soon became the company's principal playwright. His plays enjoyed great popularity and high critical acclaim in the newly built Globe Theatre. It was through his popularity that the troupe gained the attention of the new king, James I, who appointed them the King's Players in 1603. Before retiring to Stratford in 1613, after the Globe burned down, he wrote more than three dozen plays (that we are sure of) and more than 150 sonnets. He was celebrated by Ben Jonson, one of the leading playwrights of the day, as a writer who would be "not for an age, but for all time," a prediction that has proved to be true. Today, Shakespeare towers over all other English writers and has few rivals in any language. His genius and creativity continue to astound scholars, and his plays continue to delight audiences. Many have served as the basis for operas, ballets, musical compositions, and films. While Jonson and other writers labored over their plays, Shakespeare seems to have had the ability to turn out work of exceptionally high caliber at an amazing speed. At the height of his career, he wrote an average of two plays a year as well as dozens of poems, songs, and possibly even verses for tombstones and heraldic shields, all while he continued to act in the plays performed by the Lord Chamberlain's Men. This staggering output is even more impressive when one considers its variety. Except for the English history plays, he never wrote the same kind of play twice. He seems to have had a good deal of fun in trying his hand at every kind of play. Shakespeare wrote 154 sonnets, all published on 1609, most of which were dedicated to his patron Henry Wriothsley, The Earl of Southhampton. He also wrote 13 comedies, 13 histories, 6 tragedies, and 4 tragecomedies. He died at Stratford-upon-Avon April 23, 1616, and was buried two days later on the grounds of Holy Trinity Church in Stratford. His cause of death was unknown, but it is surmised that he knew he was dying. (Bowker Author Biography) show less

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Canonical title
Shakespeare Made Easy: Macbeth

Classifications

Genres
Poetry, Fiction and Literature
DDC/MDS
822.33Literature & rhetoricEnglish & Old English literaturesBritish DramaShakespeareShakespeare, William 1564–1616
LCC
PR2823Language and LiteratureEnglishEnglish LiteratureEnglish renaissance (1500-1640)
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529
Popularity
56,450
Reviews
5
Rating
(3.77)
Languages
English
Media
Paper, Ebook
ISBNs
9
ASINs
1