Macbeth

This second edition of Macbeth features a new section on modern productions of the play.

William Shakespeare (Author), A. R. Braunmuller (Edited by)

9780521862400, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 27 November 2008

320 pages, 19 b/w illus. 1 map
23.4 x 15.6 x 2 cm, 0.63 kg

'This updated edition of Macbeth reveals thorough research, it is conscientiously annotated, and it appears a superb tool for researchers and students involved in Shakespeare scholarship.' Year's Work in English Studies

The New Cambridge Shakespeare appeals to students worldwide for its up-to-date scholarship and emphasis on performance. The series features line-by-line commentaries and textual notes on the plays and poems. Introductions are regularly refreshed with accounts of new critical, stage and screen interpretations. This second edition of Macbeth provides a thorough reconsideration of one of Shakespeare's most popular plays. In his introduction, A. R. Braunmuller explores Macbeth's immediate theatrical and political contexts, particularly the Gunpowder Plot, and addresses such celebrated questions as: do the Witches compel Macbeth to murder; is Lady Macbeth herself in some sense a witch; is Macduff morally culpable? A new and well-illustrated account of the play in performance examines several cinematic versions, such as those by Kurosawa and Roman Polanski, as well as other dramatic adaptations. Several possible new sources are suggested and the presence of Thomas Middleton's writing in the play is also proposed.

Introduction: Macbeth in legend, Macbeth in history
Macbeth in the mind
Macbeth in performance
Macbeth in the mind and in performance
Recent performances and adaptations
Note on the text
List of characters
The play
Supplementary notes
Textual analysis
Appendixes: 1. Casting Macbeth
2. Additional text and music
3. Relineation of the Folio
Reading list.

Subject Areas: Shakespeare studies & criticism [DSGS], Shakespeare plays [DDS]