Synopses & Reviews
andlt;iandgt;Macbeth: The DVD Editionandlt;/iandgt; includes everything you've come to expect from the Folger Shakespeare Library editions of Shakespeare's plays -- facing-page explanatory notes, scene-by-scene plot summaries, illustrations from the Folger archives -- combined here with a bonus DVD of a performance of andlt;iandgt;Macbethandlt;/iandgt; recorded before a rapt audience in the Folger's intimate Elizabethan Theatre. Conceived and directed by Teller (of Penn and Teller) and Aaron Posner, this acclaimed production showcases the inventive magic of Teller, who, with Posner, contributes a new foreword to this edition, writing about their vision of the play as a "supernatural horror thriller." andlt;iandgt;Macbeth: The DVD Editionandlt;/iandgt; is the perfect volume for those encountering the play for the first time and for those finding brilliant new insights into a classic. andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt; andlt;bandgt;THIS DVD EDITION INCLUDES:andlt;/bandgt; andlt;BRandgt; and#149; DVD of the 2008 Folger Theatre/Two River Theater Company production -- with over 50 minutes of special features, including interviews with the directors, actors, designers, and scholarsandlt;BRandgt; and#149; Foreword by directors Teller and Aaron Posner on the staging of andlt;iandgt;Macbethandlt;/iandgt;andlt;BRandgt; and#149; Freshly edited text based on the 1623 First Folioandlt;BRandgt; and#149; Full explanatory notes conveniently placed on pages facing the text of the playandlt;BRandgt; and#149; A key to the play's famous lines and phrasesandlt;BRandgt; and#149; An introduction to reading Shakespeare's language in andlt;iandgt;Macbethandlt;/iandgt;andlt;BRandgt; and#149; Illustrations from the Folger Shakespeare Library's vast holdings of rare booksandlt;BRandgt; and#149; An essay by Susan Snyder that provides a modern perspective on the play
Review
"The explosive and overwhelming effect of a truck bomb...this horrific, riveting andlt;iandgt;Macbethandlt;/iandgt; ought to be seen by as many people as possible." -- Terry Teachout, andlt;iandgt;The Wall Street Journalandlt;/iandgt;
Review
"andlt;iandgt;Macbethandlt;/iandgt; is a blast...ghoulish...beguiling...sardonic...an expression of how captivating an evening of crackling Shakespeare can be." -- Peter Marks, andlt;iandgt;The Washington Postandlt;/iandgt;
Synopsis
The Folger Shakespeare Library's definitive edition of Macbeth is combined with a DVD of its 2008 production directed by Teller and Aaron Posner.
Synopsis
The authoritative edition of Macbeth from The Folger Shakespeare Library, the trusted and widely used Shakespeare series for students and general readers. In 1603, James VI of Scotland ascended the English throne, becoming James I of England. London was alive with an interest in all things Scottish, and Shakespeare turned to Scottish history for material. He found a spectacle of violence and stories of traitors advised by witches and wizards, echoing James's belief in a connection between treason and witchcraft.
In depicting a man who murders to become king, Macbeth teases us with huge questions. Is Macbeth tempted by fate, or by his or his wife's ambition? Why does their success turn to ashes?
Like other plays, Macbeth speaks to each generation. Its story was once seen as that of a hero who commits an evil act and pays an enormous price. Recently, it has been applied to nations that overreach themselves and to modern alienation. The line is blurred between Macbeth's evil and his opponents' good, and there are new attitudes toward both witchcraft and gender.
This edition includes:
-Freshly edited text based on the best early printed version of the play
-Newly revised explanatory notes conveniently placed on pages facing the text of the play
-Scene-by-scene plot summaries
-A key to the play's famous lines and phrases
-An introduction to reading Shakespeare's language
-An essay by a leading Shakespeare scholar providing a modern perspective on the play
-Fresh images from the Folger Shakespeare Library's vast holdings of rare books
-An up-to-date annotated guide to further reading
Essay by Susan Snyder
The Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington, DC, is home to the world's largest collection of Shakespeare's printed works, and a magnet for Shakespeare scholars from around the globe. In addition to exhibitions open to the public throughout the year, the Folger offers a full calendar of performances and programs. For more information, visit Folger.edu.
Synopsis
The Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington, D.C., is home to the world's largest collection of Shakespeare's printed works, and a magnet for Shakespeare scholars from around the globe. In addition to exhibitions open to the public throughout the year, the Folger offers a full calendar of performances and programs. For more information, visit www.folger.edu.
Barbara A. Mowat is Director of Academic Programs at the Folger Shakespeare Library, Editor of Shakespeare Quarterly, Chair of the Folger Institute, and author of The Dramaturgy of Shakespeare's Romances and of essays on Shakespeare's plays and on the editing of the plays.
Paul Werstine is Professor of English at King's College and the Graduate School of the University of Western Ontario, Canada. He is the author of many papers and articles on the printing and editing of Shakespeare's plays and was Associate Editor of the annual Medieval and Renaissance Drama in England from 1980 to 1989.
Synopsis
The Folger Shakespeare Library offers the definitive, updated edition of Macbeth, with newly edited text, explanatory notes, scene summaries, and more.Macbeth, one of Shakespeare’s most popular plays, is among the most powerful and influential tragedies in the English language. Promised a golden future as ruler of Scotland by three sinister witches, Macbeth murders the king in order to succeed to the throne. Tortured by his conscience and fearful of discovery, he becomes fatally enmeshed in a web of treachery and deceit.
This authoritative edition of Macbeth features:
· Freshly edited text based on the best early printed version of the play
· Full explanatory notes conveniently placed on pages facing the text of the play
· Scene-by-scene plot summaries
· A key to famous lines and phrases
· An introduction to reading Shakespeare’s language
· Illustrations from the Folger Shakespeare Library’s vast holdings of rare books
· An essay by a leading Shakespeare scholar providing a modern perspective on the play
About the Author
The Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington, D.C., is home to the world’s largest collection of Shakespeare’s printed works and a magnet for Shakespeare scholars from around the globe. In addition to exhibitions open to the public throughout the year, the Folger Shakespeare Library offers a full calendar of performances and programs. For more information, visit Folger.edu.
Barbara A. Mowat is Director of Academic Programs at the Folger Shakespeare Library, Editor of Shakespeare Quarterly, Chair of the Folger Institute, and author of The Dramaturgy of Shakespeare's Romances and of essays on Shakespeare's plays and on the editing of the plays.
Paul Werstine is Professor of English at King's College and the Graduate School of the University of Western Ontario, Canada. He is the author of many papers and articles on the printing and editing of Shakespeare's plays and was Associate Editor of the annual Medieval and Renaissance Drama in England from 1980 to 1989.