Product Description

A balanced editorial approach, a highly respected editor, and comprehensive glosses, footnotes, and historical and cultural essays make this the most reader-friendly introduction to Shakespeare available today. The fifth edition of this comprehensive anthology addresses the two key issues confronted by readers approaching Shakespeare today: a lack of knowledge about the historical period and difficulty with the language of Shakespeare's plays. A richly illustrated general introduction offers insight into Shakespeare's England and background on the literary and cultural contexts in which Shakespeare wrote and produced plays. Each play is introduced by a descriptive essay designed to help the reader appreciate the cultural contexts and interpretive issues raised by the play -- without dictating their interpretations. Thoroughly revised and updated notes and glosses provide additional support to understanding the language of Shakespeare's time.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1072695 in Books
• Published on: 2003-11-13
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 2016 pages

Customer Reviews

Shakespeare, with understandable footnotes on modern meaning
This book, although expensive is just simply wonderful. The book contains all of shakespeares plays, poems and sonnets which puts a different meaning to the statement "complete works". Also, not only does the book give excellent essays on each play it also gives you exceptionally good footnotes on the modern meaning of difficult text within the play, with a usefull line index as to where these meanings come up. These notes are so helpfull I have not seen their equivalent or anything near it in any other edition of Shakespeares complete works. For those of you who have had problems in understanding Shakespeare, this book is your savior. Certainly a best buy in my opinion. Well done Bevington.