Macbeth

Paperback / softback

Main Details

Title Macbeth
Authors and Contributors      By (author) William Shakespeare
Edited by John Wilders
SeriesShakespeare in Production
Physical Properties
Format:Paperback / softback
Pages:244
Dimensions(mm): Height 227,Width 154
Category/GenreShakespeare plays
ISBN/Barcode 9780521534826
ClassificationsDewey:822.33
Audience
Professional & Vocational
Tertiary Education (US: College)
Illustrations 12 Halftones, unspecified

Publishing Details

Publisher Cambridge University Press
Imprint Cambridge University Press
Publication Date 17 June 2004
Publication Country United Kingdom

Description

This is a detailed account of the theatre history of Shakespeare's Macbeth from 1607 to the present day. The shortest of the tragedies, Macbeth is compressed, complex and ambiguous and has been variously interpreted. The Introduction describes major productions and performers including David Garrick, Sarah Siddons, Henry Irving, Ellen Terry and Laurence Olivier. Sarah Siddons, the greatest Lady Macbeth, portrayed her as a ruthlessly ambitious woman who dominated her husband. Irving, on the other hand, saw Macbeth as 'a bloody-minded villain', unlike his wife, played by Ellen Terry, who was gentle and devoted. Ian McKellen and Judi Dench, in the most successful production of the last century, were united in their ambition and pursuit of evil. A detailed commentary alongside the New Cambridge Shakespeare text of the play describes how specific episodes and passages have been interpreted in the theatre.

Reviews

'I cannot recommend too highly the whole series (a bargain at GBP16.99 for each play) to all theatre lovers, theatregoers, theatre practitioners, and anybody who enjoys Shakespeare.' Robert Tanitch, What's on in London