As You Like It (Folger Shakespeare Library)

Book Description

Each edition includes:

• 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

• An essay by an outstanding scholar providing a modern perspective on the play

• Illustrations from the Folger Shakespeare Library's vast holdings of rare books

Essay by Susan Snyder

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.

Customer Reviews:

Shakespeares' best romantic comedy.......2007-05-24

This is a pastoral romantic comedy that is set in the Middle Ages. The story is about four different sets of lovers who each represent the different faces of love. The characters are wonderfully portrayed. The setting is bucolic, and it is just so much fun. And, of course, the language is exquisite.

All the world is a romantic comedy........2006-08-21

I recently re-read AS YOU LIKE IT prior to attending The Colorado Shakespeare Festival's performance of this play under the summer stars here in Boulder. Shakespeare (1552-1616) produced this romantic comedy in 1599 and published it in the First Folio in 1623.

Summarizing the play is rather challenging. It basically tells the story of Duke Frederick, who has banished his brother, Duke Senior, into the Forest of Arden, thereby usurping the kingdom. In his exile, Duke Senior has found a humble life of merriment with his court. Following a wrestling match, Duke Frederick also banishes Orlando (son of the late Sir Roland de Boys) and Rosalind (daughter of Duke Senior) into the forest. At the match, the two have fallen into love at first sight. Out of friendhip, Duke Frederick's only child, Celia, and the court jester, Touchstone, follow Rosalind (now disguised as a boy, "Ganymede") into the forest. Soon, Orlando, Rosalind, Celia, and Touchstone are all welcomed into the merry life of banished Duke Senior. Orlando, however, is lovesick for Rosalind, and Rosalind (still disguised as a boy) decides to cure Orlando of his lovesickness. While counseling him in the ways of true love, Rosalind (disguised as Ganymede) finds herself falling deeper in love with Orlando. Meanwhile, Celia has fallen in love with Orlando's brother, Oliver. The two decide to get married the next day. Even witty Touchstone has fallen in love with a dull-witted goatherd girl, Audrey. In the final scene, and after many hilarious mixups, all romantic entanglements are resolved by marriage; and after a sudden religious conversion, Duke Frederick returns the throne to his brother--thereby righting all wrongs and uniting all couples by love and happiness.

G. Merritt

All The World's A Stage.......2005-08-28

As You Like It is one of Shakespeare's most beloved pastoral comedies. Banishment, disguises and love are the elements with which Shakespeare weaves his tale of several pairs of lovers who ultimately wind up marrying in the forest of Arden.
The melancholy Jaques delivers one of Shakespeare's most familiar speeches regarding the seven ages of man. If you haven't read or seen a performance of As You Like It I highly recommend this paperback edition.
The Folger Library editions are my favorite. Each page has a facing page that explains obscure terms and helps as a handy reference to make reading the plays pleasurable and educational. These paperback editions of Shakespeare's works are a great value and fit in your pocket.

The Tempest (Folger Shakespeare Library)

Average customer rating:

A later work of Shakespeare
Good Seller
Great textbook
The storms that lead us to "ourselves."
The Tempest

The Tempest (Folger Shakespeare Library)
William Shakespeare
Manufacturer: Washington Square Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

Greek & Roman | Drama | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

General | Drama | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Classical & Early | Drama | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

All 4-for-3 Deals | 4-for-3 Books Store | Stores | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 0743482832

Book Description

Each edition includes:

• 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

• An essay by an outstanding scholar providing a modern perspective on the play

• Illustrations from the Folger Shakespeare Library's vast holdings of rare books

Essay by Barbara A. Mowat

Customer Reviews:

A later work of Shakespeare.......2007-05-25

This play is a fantasy and romance. The story is of a wise old magician and his unworldly daughter. There is a gallant young prince and a cruel, scheming brother. It is very much like a fairy tale written in Shakespeare's wonderful prose. In it ancient wrongs are righted and true lovers live happily ever after. The play is also an allegory, and it holds so much of Shakespeare's mature reflections on life. It is enjoyable.

Good Seller.......2007-02-20

The book was recieved in good shape and very fast. We ordered several bookes from different places and this was the first one we recieved.

Great textbook.......2007-01-17

I bought this for one of my classes, and I like this as a text because of the notes are way down in the footnotes, but on the opposite page,

The storms that lead us to "ourselves.".......2006-08-21

I recently re-read THE TEMPEST prior to attending The Colorado Shakespeare Festival's performance of this play under the summer stars here in Boulder. Shakespeare (1552-1616) produced this emotionally-moving, poetic romance at the end of his career, in 1611, and published it in the First Folio in 1623. In fact, it was his last play.

It tells the story of Prospero, the exiled duke of Milan, and his beautiful daughter, Miranda, who have been stranded for twelve years on a desert island with two servants, the airy sprite Ariel (who Prospero rescued from being imprisonment in a tree) and the savage Caliban. Upon learning that his usurping brother Antonio is sailing near the island with the Neopolitan King Alonso's party, he uses his magic powers to conjure a sea storm that not only leaves the ship and its passengers wrecked on the island, but which also sparks a courtship between his daughter and the king's son, Ferdinand. The survivors of the wreck are separated into several groups, believing one another dead. Three subplots then alternate through the play. In one, Caliban befriends two drunken crew members, whom he believes to have come from the moon, and drunkenly attempts to raise is own rebellion against Prospero. In another, Prospero works to establish the romantic relationship between Ferdinand and Miranda. In the third subplot, Ariel thwarts a murder plot at Prospero's command.

The shipwrecked passengers are eventually reunited by island spirits to discover the marriage of Miranda and Ferdinand. In the end, as its title suggests, THE TEMPEST is as much about the opening scene's violent storm, as the journey that brought Prospero to the island and the psychological storm--"the sea change"--leading him to quit his magic and his remote island to return to Milan.

G. Merritt

The Tempest.......2006-06-16

This was Shakespeare's final piece of work. He created the character of Prospero in the image of himself. Being the main character, he was toppled in a coup set in his homeland of Milan, was a God-like magician capable of initiating storms and other kinds of magic. By coincidence he saw his enemies in a ship riding towards his island. Where he lived with his daughter Miranda and the native "savage" Caliban.He brought his enemies on his island. And in turn he made them do many interesting things on the island. yet in the end it was all nice and happy, unlike the tragic mood of "Hamlet" or "Romeo and Juliet".

The language was great as usual with all of Shakespeare's great works. Prospero's last lines said also became Shakespeare's last words in terms of writing was concerned. There were plenty of comedy scenes in the play involving the mean spirited native Caliban, who was a servant of Prospero and attempted to rape his daughter, Miranda and later tried to kill him. As the plot went, all became comedies as Prospero saw through everything, the good and the evil, the well planned and the silly.

As many of his contemporaries during the time. Shakespeare despised the natives and saw them as savages. This became clear with Caliban. I found Shakespeare's depictions of him relentless and cruel, almost as if he was describing a pig.

But, overall, the story was very interesting. If you like Shakespeare, then you are sure to like this.

Average customer rating:

The Tempest (Norton Critical Editions)
William Shakespeare
Manufacturer: W. W. Norton
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Drama | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Look Inside Fiction Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books

All Titles | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books

Literature & Fiction | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 0393978192

Book Description

The Tempest presents some of Shakespeare's most insightful meditations on the cycle of life—ending and beginning, death and regeneration, bondage and freedom. This Norton Critical Edition is based on the First Folio text and is accompanied by explanatory annotations.

"Sources and Contexts" offers a rich collection of documents on the play's central themes—magic and witchcraft, politics and religion, geography and travel. Writers include Ovid, Giovanni Pico della Mirandola, Gabriel Naudé, Michel de Montaigne, and William Strachey.

"Criticism" collects eighteen responses to The Tempest, from John Dryden and Samuel Taylor Coleridge to Stephen Orgel and Leah Marcus.

"Rewritings and Appropriations" includes creative reactions to The Tempest, by playwrights, filmmakers, and poets, among them H.D., Peter Greenaway, and Ted Hughes.

A Selected Bibliography is also included.

About the series: No other series of classic texts equals the caliber of the Norton Critical Editions. Each volume combines the most authoritative text available with the comprehensive pedagogical apparatus necessary to appreciate the work fully. Careful editing, first-rate translation, and thorough explanatory annotations allow each text to meet the highest literary standards while remaining accessible to students. Each edition is printed on acid-free paper and every text in the series remains in print. Norton Critical Editions are the choice for excellence in scholarship for students at more than 2,000 universities worldwide.

Average customer rating:

Best Book Ever

Shakespeare Is To Be Enjoyed and This Edition Lets You Do It

Book does what it promises

The Tempest (No Fear Shakespeare) (No Fear Shakespeare)
SparkNotes Editors
Manufacturer: SparkNotes
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Book Notes | Education | Reference | Subjects | Books
Shakespeare | British | World Literature | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
Shakespeare, William | ( S ) | Playwrights, A-Z | Drama | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
General | Drama | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
General | Shakespeare, William | ( S ) | Authors, A-Z | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
Look Inside Fiction Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books
Look Inside Reference Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books
Similar Items:

Spark Notes No Fear Shakespeare: The Merchant of Venice (SparkNotes No Fear Shakespeare)

Spark Notes No Fear Shakespeare Othello (SparkNotes No Fear Shakespeare)

A Midsummer Night's Dream (No Fear Shakespeare)

King Lear (No Fear Shakespeare) (No Fear Shakespeare)

Hamlet (No Fear Shakespeare)

ASIN: 1586638491

Book Description

Get your "A" in gear!

They're today's most popular study guides-with everything you need to succeed in school. Written by Harvard students for students, since its inception SparkNotes™ has developed a loyal community of dedicated users and become a major education brand. Consumer demand has been so strong that the guides have expanded to over 150 titles. SparkNotes'™ motto is Smarter, Better, Faster because:

· They feature the most current ideas and themes, written by experts.
· They're easier to understand, because the same people who use them have also written them.
· The clear writing style and edited content enables students to read through the material quickly, saving valuable time.

And with everything covered--context; plot overview; character lists; themes, motifs, and symbols; summary and analysis, key facts; study questions and essay topics; and reviews and resources--you don't have to go anywhere else!

Customer Reviews:

Best Book Ever.......2007-07-21

The story line was a little silly; however, if this is a college requirment, then I highly recommend this book. It was so easy to read.

Shakespeare Is To Be Enjoyed and This Edition Lets You Do It.......2006-03-16

As has been stated, this format, original text on the left page, modern text on the right, is extremely helpful, the best of both worlds. The beauty and lyricism of the original text and the quick, easy to read and understand modern text on the right...read this editon, saw the play the next night and appreciated it more than ever before. Scholars may not like this format, but to the public and to the casual, but interested reader, this format can't be beaten.

Book does what it promises.......2005-02-01

This is a very simple review to write. The book does what it promises. Left hand page is the text of the play, to the right what each character says is given the literary equivalent of subtitles in colloquial english.

For example, a character says about men in a shipwreck: "Not a hair perished. On their sustaining garments not a blemish, but fresher than before."

Confused? Look to the translation on the opposing page: "Nobody was hurt in the slightest. Even their clothes were unstained, and look fresher than before the storm."

Works better than a mere glossary because it puts the meaning of the characters' statements into 21st century English. And Shakespeare is much more enjoyable and comprehensible when you know what is going on.

As You Like It (The Pelican Shakespeare)

Average customer rating:

Cambridge School Shakespeare: Nice Explanations for the Lay Reader
Recommended
All the world is a romantic comedy.
Arguably Shakespeare's Greatest Comedy.
One of the most entertaining of Shakespeare's comedies.

As You Like It (The Pelican Shakespeare)
William Shakespeare
Manufacturer: Penguin Classics
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Drama | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

All 4-for-3 Deals | 4-for-3 Books Store | Stores | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 0140714715
Release Date: 2000-08-01

Book Description

"I feel that I have spent half my career with one or another Pelican Shakespeare in my back pocket. Convenience, however, is the least important aspect of the new Pelican Shakespeare series. Here is an elegant and clear text for either the study or the rehearsal room, notes where you need them and the distinguished scholarship of the general editors, Stephen Orgel and A. R. Braunmuller who understand that these are plays for performance as well as great texts for contemplation." (Patrick Stewart)

The distinguished Pelican Shakespeare series, which has sold more than four million copies, is now completely revised and repackaged.

Each volume features:

* Authoritative, reliable texts

* High quality introductions and notes

* New, more readable trade trim size

* An essay on the theatrical world of Shakespeare and essays on Shakespeare's life and the selection of texts

Customer Reviews:

Cambridge School Shakespeare: Nice Explanations for the Lay Reader.......2007-08-30

Note: This is a review of the particular "Cambridge School Shakespeare" edition [Edited by Rex Gibson, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2000] of As You Like it and not a review of the play itself.

This edition (a) contains the unabridged play and (b) tries to explain and elucidate Shakespeare's play to teenagers of the age of maybe 15-17. It clarifies difficult language, highlights the main conflicts, puts the play into a historical context and the context of the literary tradition that it belongs to. It encourages the reader to think of different possible ways to play the characters and different ways to understand the play.

I am not a teenager and I am not 16 years old any more, in fact, I am 53 years old with a PhD in Economics and a Masters in Psychology. I read Shakespeare for fun, to challenge my brain, and to grow personally. I found this edition of the play very helpful and enjoyable. The commentary neither spoiled my fun by overanalyzing or showing off its learnedness nor did it offend my intelligence by oversimplifying. In addition, the layout of the book is quite reader-friendly.

If you are a Shakespeare scholar or a scholar of English Lit, this edition will probably be too simple for you. For people of my caliber, however, I can really recommend this edition. Enjoy!

Recommended.......2007-05-09

The Caedmon recording of As You Like It is well worth the purchase just to hear two Redgraves soar in their performances.

All the world is a romantic comedy........2006-08-20

Arguably Shakespeare's Greatest Comedy........2006-07-16

As far as Shakesepare's comedies go, "The Comedy of Errors" will always be my favorite. And while this "As You Like It" never quite obtained the popularity of "A Midsummer Night's Dream" or "The Taming of the Shrew," one probably could argue that "As You Like It" is the best of Shakespeare's comedies. This play contains several plots that Shakespeare cleverly intertwines and it offers a happy ending with love triumphant. But more important than the triumph of love, the theme of reconciliation carries through to virtually everyone in the story. The story begins with the sibling rivalry of Orlando and his older brother Oliver who has hoarded the family inheritence. After a brief fight, Oliver hopes that Orlando may accidentally die in a wrestling match against Charles. This is where a 2nd plot comes in. The Duke Frederick (who has a daughter Celia) has banished his older brother (the true Duke who has a daughter Rosalind). But for now, Rosalind is allowed to stay and she has made good friends with Celia. Orlando meets these 2 girls and falls into favor with Rosalind. After the wrestling match, things start to go bad. Orlando learns that his brother Oliver is planning to kill him, and Rosalind is banished. But all is not lost. Orlando takes his loyal servant Adam and flees while Rosalind (in the male disguise of Ganymede), along with Celia, and the comical Touchstone will flee to look for Rosalind's father. And here is where the play becomes mostly comical. (Good comedies can often have a sad start. "The Comedy of Errors" shows this well.) Moving on, we meet Rosalind's father and his crew who have made exile into a paradise. From Duke Sr's party, we meet the melancholy Jaques. But he is arguably the most interesting character in the story. (In fact, the most famous passage from this play belongs to Jaques. The 7 stages of man which end in nothing. Perhaps Macbeth took lessons from Jaques: 'Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow.') Duke Sr welcomes Orlando and Adam, and it isn't long before Orlando and Rosalind run into each other. Shakespeare maintains the comedy when Rosalinde keeps her male disguise on and tells Orlando he must practice wooing on him/her. Touchstone has some comical romantic moments with Audrey. And there is an interesting triangle where the shepherd Silvius loves Phebe, but Phebe loves Rosalinde (seeing only Ganymede)! We may recall this from "the 12th Night" when Olivia loved Viola in her male disguise. But after this comical moment, all begins to resolve. Oliver comes on the scene and he and Celia fall in love. (So much so that Oliver is willing to reconcile with Orlando and grant him all.) The play ends with not only the reunion of Rosalind and her father, but the joyous weddings of Rosalind / Orlando, Celia /Oliver, Audrey /Touchstone, and Phebe / Silvius, but more good news comes. Celia's father mends his ways and returns all to Rosalind's father. Jaques offers the crowning touch. Despite his cynical nature, he is NOT a villain. Ironically, this hermit type man converses with more characters than anyone in the story, and while he can not take part in the play's final happiness, he DOES wish everyone well. As I said, my favorite comedy will always be "The Comedy of Errors." But don't make the mistake of overlooking this comedy.

One of the most entertaining of Shakespeare's comedies........2005-07-03

As with all of Shakespeare, the concept of love at first sight is given far too much credit, but other than that, this is a delightful romp filled with much amusement. The language is as beautiful as one expects in Shakespeare, but is somewhat less difficult for the modern reader to follow than in some of his plays; I found myself being more distracted than helped by most of the footnotes. As with most Shakespearean comedies, it was easy to see that this play was intended for the amusement of the common people; the similarities in style between the plot here and in much modern pop culture were striking (the sexual innuendo to be had when a woman passes for a man and finds another woman falling in love with her, for instance). If it had a flaw, it was that the ending was just a little TOO pat and contrived, even for a comedy, but that's just a minor quibble.

Average customer rating:

Engaging page turner
Characters not well-defined, convoluted story
Moving and Thought Provoking
home run
A captivating read - you can almost smell the high desert pines!

Set Me Free
Miranda Beverly-Whittemore
Manufacturer: Grand Central Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Literary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Look Inside Fiction Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 0446533319

Book Description

Elliot Barrow is a man of ideals. The founder of Ponderosa Academy, a school for Native Americans, he is a paragon of virtue. But when he is critically injured in a horrific fire, his family, colleagues, and friends begin to unravel the devastating catastrophe at the heart of his life. SET ME FREE is full of those who love Elliot: Amelia, his sixteen-year-old daughter, who has never imagined the violent, tragic truth behind the legacy of her dead mother; Helen, Elliot?s first wife, visiting the academy to direct a production of The Tempest; and Cal, Elliot?s closest friend and bitterest rival. Then there is the matter of Willa Llewelyn, hurtling across the country in a wheezing Volvo. She has never heard of Ponderosa Academy or Elliot Barrow. But she is vital to the great, beguiling mystery haunting Amelia, Helen, and Cal.In its frank depictions of friendship, fatherhood, race, class, love, and devastation, SET ME FREE is moving, incisive, and above all, wise.

Customer Reviews:

Engaging page turner.......2007-06-13

I thoroughly enjoyed Set Me Free from beginning to end. I didn't want to put the book down and when I did I found myself thinking about the characters. I loved the characters Amelia, Helen and Willa and felt that I personally knew them. For a book that spans decades and a continent, it was extremely easy to follow. Miranda Beverly-Whittemore's Set Me Free is a must-read.

Characters not well-defined, convoluted story.......2007-06-02

I ADORE Beverly-Whittemore's first novel. It's one of my all-time favorites and I bought several copies for my friends. Her follow up was a huge disappoint to me. After reading the 5 previous reviews, I wondered if we all read the same book. I do not feel that any of the characters except Helen, are completely developed. Even Cal, whose thoughts occupy a huge portion of the book, fails to deliver on his motivations. Although his story is developed, as far as his relationship with his father and his experiences at Harvard, I did not find his character particularly compelling or sympathetic. The character of Elliot Barrows remains a complete mystery to me. I am a fan of the Bard, but the secondary story of the Tempest seemed contrived and ill-fitted, considering the outcome of the story. I was so disappointed when I saw where this story was going. The ending was both unrealistic and boring.
I look forward to her 3rd novel, where hopefully she will return to characters that are fully developed.

Moving and Thought Provoking.......2007-04-22

In Set Me Free, Miranda Beverly-Whittemore has created a novel that brilliantly delves into the intangible elements that make up the human identity: background, culture, race, economic conditions, stature, nature vs. nurture. The soul-searching questions that each character asks of themselves as their lives combine in the page-turning plot, are both personal and general to us all. Their secrets, that Whittemore deftly unveils as the story moves towards its tragic and enlightening climax, are as much about self-preservation as self-awareness.

The main protagonist, Elliot, has as much to prove to himself, given his on-the-surface life of opportunity as Cal, a man struggling against his perceived binds of heritage. Helen, the woman ultimately linked deeply to both, finally finds out who she really is, by leaving all she thought she was behind. And, by the time the story ends, the teenage girls, Amelia and Willa, gain more personal clarity at a younger age than the generation before them.

In all, Set Me Free, is a beautifully written, sensitive and provocative book, full of insights into the human condition and what makes us tick.

home run.......2007-04-19

Set Me Free is an engaging read about the facts and fictions that make up each character's identity and family. It is an absolute must read for Shakespeare fans. With its creative use of an old story to structure the telling of a new one, it would be a fun book to discuss in a class or book club. After the first few pages, I just couldn't put it down.

A captivating read - you can almost smell the high desert pines!.......2007-04-04

The story probes the heart of relationships (familial, romantic, friendships) - how we connect with others, how we hold on to ideas of people long after they have proved us wrong (or right), how we deceive people, even those we care deeply about and for.

A wonderful mixture of the past and the present. Different narrations and points of view keep the story captivating until the very end. Difficult to set down.

Average customer rating:

King Lear (The Pelican Shakespeare)
William Shakespeare , and Stephen Orgel
Manufacturer: Penguin Classics
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

ASIN: 0140714901
Release Date: 2000-01-31

Book Description

With new editors who have incorporated the most up-to-date scholarship, this revised Pelican Shakespeare series will be the premiere choice for students, professors, and general readers well into the twenty-first century.

Each volume features:
Authoritative, reliable texts
High quality introductions and notes
New, more readable trade trim size
An essay on the theatrical world of Shakespeare and essays on Shakespeare's life and the selection of texts

Average customer rating:

Great for English Class!
Fantastic Party Event
A Teacher's Dream

Shakespeare in a Box: King Lear
Carl Martin
Manufacturer: Workman Publishing Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Misc. Supplies

General | Puzzles & Games | Entertainment | Subjects | Books

Look Inside Fiction Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books

Look Inside Science Fiction & Fantasy Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 0761123822

Book Description

All the living room's a stage! And your friends and family merely players, with their exits and entrances--and 45 minutes of utter enjoyment. Created by an imaginative drama teacher, The Home Shakespeare Festival is a complete theater company in a box.

Home Shakespeare is like a host-your-own-murder game, but with an intellectual and artistic bent. Beginning with one of Shakespeare's best-known, best-loved works, the tragedy King Lear, each kit has everything needed to produce and act out a thoroughly entertaining 45-minute version of the play: cards for a director and technical director, showing how to cast the play, direct it, stage it, and create easy sets and sound effects; cards for each of the major parts, with a summary of the character and suggestions on how to play him or her; ten cleverly abridged copies of the script; and key props. For King Lear, the kit includes a retractable stage dagger, a plastic eyeball, and a jester's cap. Each kit also contains a booklet introducing the wonderful world of Shakespeare, acting tips and exercises, recipes for grog, and other good party games to play.

Customer Reviews:

Great for English Class!.......2005-11-11

As an introduction to our Shakespeare unit in my 12th grade AP English class, I divided the kids into two groups. One group prepared King Lear, and the other prepared The Taming of the Shrew. I gave them 4 class periods to prepare, then we had two days of performances. The kids added their own touches to the props in the box and suggested list of additional props. Other teachers brought their classes, and everyone had a great time.

Fantastic Party Event.......2004-06-20

Back in 2000, when Carl Martin first started selling his Home Shakespeare Festival, I bought his "Macbeth". I was going home for Christmas, and told friends and family to get ready to put on a play. The directions and set-up of the kit are fantastic, and couldn't possibly make it any easier. It even tells you which parts can be played by the same people, if you don't have enough bodies. And don't worry about costuming - we just set out a tablefull of my mom's aprons and scarves and told people to dress themselves for their part!

We had all ages participating, from 5 year olds (who played Birnham Wood) to retired people. Everybody from total hams (my six-foot brother as Lady McBeth) to shyer types (who had roles as prop managers and small one-line speaking roles) got into it. People still tell me it was one of the best parties they've every gone to - where else could you see someone holding a cabbage, and have to pretend it's a skull? Though I haven't had a King Lear party yet, I highly recommend the Home Shakespeare Festival as a total hoot. Don't forget to have someone videotape it! This is TOTALLY not-just-for-kids!

A Teacher's Dream.......2003-08-16

I am teaching King Lear for the first time next year. Having taught R/J, Macbeth, and Richard III, I found King Lear to be a little more intimidating. Teachers are constantly looking for anticipatory sets and this is the one! It gives the major facts in an abridged form while using the original language. It is also compeletly student driven (from director to actors). Casting is flexible from 6-12; for bogger classes I plan on staging two productions. Originally designed for parties (students will hardly believe people do this in their off-time), this is a great way to introduce one of Shakespeare's best and most tragic plays!

Average customer rating:

Helpful
Great Ideas--But Beware!
Good value for your money
Difficult to understand
North Korean dictator Kim Jung Ill and King Lear?

King Lear (Shakespeare Made Easy)
William Shakespeare
Manufacturer: Barron's Educational Series
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

History | Drama | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Book Notes | Education | Reference | Subjects | Books

General | Reference | Subjects | Books

General | Reference | 4-for-3 Books Store | Stores | Books

All 4-for-3 Deals | 4-for-3 Books Store | Stores | Books
Similar Items:

Accessories:

ASIN: 0812036379

Book Description

Here are the books that help teach Shakespeare plays without the teacher constantly needing to explain and define Elizabethan terms, slang, and other ways of expression that are different from our own. Each play is presented with Shakespeare's original lines on each left-hand page, and a modern, easy-to-understand "translation" on the facing right-hand page. All dramas are complete, with every original Shakespearian line, and a full-length modern rendition of the text.

Download Description

This is the first fully annotated critical edition of King Lear to appear for forty years. It includes a comprehensive account of Shakespeare's sources and the literary, political, and folkloric influences at work in the play; a detailed reading of the action, and a substantial stage history of major productions. Unlike previous editions, this one does not present a conflation of the Quarto and the Folio, but offers the latter as the authoritative text.

Customer Reviews:

Helpful.......2007-01-15

I have my degree in English... I like reading and teaching with this version as "help" not as a substitution. It gives a clearer understanding to Shakespeare for people who have difficulty with it.

Great Ideas--But Beware!.......2006-11-10

I bought this edition as a teaching supplement, not realizing that it is the folio version of the play. The words "quarto" and "folio" refer to the size of the pages in the two editions. Many secondary schools and universities use the quarto edition and a lot is left out of the folio--this version cuts out three hundred lines and adds one hundred new ones. The effect is that it alters the way the characters are shown. If you are reading the play with a class and they have a quarto version, while you are using your trusty teacher's Cambridge, chances are there will be a lot of blank expressions and confusion on their faces. The lines they see will not jibe with yours. The extra articles and class activities are great though--just make sure that if you use the Cambridge, you have your students buy only folio editions.

Good value for your money.......2006-09-08

Although this edition is not quite as exhaustive as the Arden Shakespeare paperbacks, it does have good commentary and even includes a fair bit of criticism. It's not expensive and the print is clear and readable, not small or cramped like some Shakespeare editions. The comments, which largely explain difficult words in the text, are printed on the same page as the text, which is helpful. I use a copy of this for studying Shakespeare - at such a good prize, you don't feel bad for scribbling notes in the margins.

Difficult to understand.......2006-04-01

It is not easy to understand the old style Eglish to non-native foreigner like me. But I read it cover to cover.

North Korean dictator Kim Jung Ill and King Lear?.......2005-07-08

Some have said that there are no memorable lines in the King Lear play. I would beg to differ. I am including a few: "Speak what we feel, not what we ought to say." -- King Lear (Act 5, Scene 3), Shakespeare. "This is the excellent foppery of the world : that when we are sick in fortune -- often the surfeits of our own behaviour -- we make guilty of our disasters the sun, the moon, and stars, as if we were villains on necessity, fools by heavenly compulsion, knaves, thieves, and treachers by spherical predominance, drunkards, liars and adulterers by an enforced obedience of planetary influence." ---- William Shakespeare; spoken by Edmond in *King Lear*, act 1 scene 2.

When William Shakespeare wrote his plays, I doubt he thought much about the effect of his works hundreds of years in the future. Just as I write these words, I doubt they will have a lasting impression. Yet King Lear does leave us a lasting impression of power: even the strongest, more arrogant men can fall and faulter if the wrong conditions exist. May we all hope that one day North Korean dictator Kim Jung Ill meet the fate of King Lear.

Average customer rating:

Excellent activity based edition
Wonderful play, but no line numbers in Dover Thrift Edition.
helpful
Excellent edition for students.
The storms that lead us to "ourselves."

The Tempest (Shakespeare Made Easy)
William Shakespeare
Manufacturer: Barron's Educational Series
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

History | Drama | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Book Notes | Education | Reference | Subjects | Books

Look Inside Reference Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books

All 4-for-3 Deals | 4-for-3 Books Store | Stores | Books
Similar Items:

Accessories:

ASIN: 0812036034

Book Description

Download Description

This joyous play, the last comedy of Shakespeare's career, sums up his stagecraft with a display of seemingly effortless skill. Prospero, exiled Duke of Milan, living on an enchanted island, has the opportunity to punish and forgive his enemies when he raises a tempest that drives them ashore--as well as to forestall a rebellion, to arrange the meeting of his daughter, Miranda, with an eminently suitable young prince, and, more important, to relinquish his magic powers in recognition of his advancing age. Richly filled with music and magic, romance and comedy, the play's theme of love and reconciliation offers a splendid feast for the senses and the heart.

Customer Reviews:

Excellent activity based edition.......2007-02-02

The Tempest is rightly regarded as being one of the Bard's greatest works, containing some of his deepest thoughts on the nature of power and the relationship between rational man as controller of nature, and the animal man always to be at the mercy of the passions both of himself, others, and the world around him. In fact, this play could be thought of as representing Shakespeare's final and definitive statement on topics that he had explored throughout his cannon. But profound as the philosophy is, and despite the beauty of the poetry and the many magical elements contained within the play, the fact is that as far as the average attention lacking teenager is concerned, not a lot happens. This is why this Cambridge schools edition scores over most others. It is almost entirely activity focused, the expressed aim being to 'bring the play to life'. With at least one suggested activity beside each page of Shakespeare's text (as well as a decent amount of background notes and interpretation), every teacher armed with this book should be able to enthuse his charges with the very real relevance of this play to the world which we have bequeathed them.

Wonderful play, but no line numbers in Dover Thrift Edition........2007-02-02

Of course Shakespeare's TEMPEST is an enchanting--and enchanted--play, but my comments here concern the DOVER THRIFT EDITION of the play. Dover is to be commended for making texts such as these affordable for readers on a budget. However, students and teachers alike should note that the Dover edition does not supply line numbers. Students who are considering this text for a class and may have to write about it will not be able to cite specific line numbers as is convention (Act.scene.lines; e.g., 3.1.34-47). Professors and teachers should also be aware of this limitation and weigh it against the affordability of this text.

helpful.......2007-01-15

I have my degree in English... I like reading and teaching with this version as "help" not as a substitution. It gives a clearer understanding to Shakespeare for people who have difficulty with it.

Excellent edition for students........2006-11-09

I bought this copy admittedly because the magical artwork on the cover drew me towards this edition. I admit that it is shallow but I am very glad I ended up picking this one because it contains a wealth of information that is so perfect for helping students understand the context, background, themes and ideas contained within this beautifully written play.

Shakespeare is always difficult for us young people, but I can easily promise anyone that this edition does a fine job of explaining the play and it definately helps the reader to gain a better understanding of the play so you are prepared to go into an exam and write about it for two hours with the conviction that you will yield good results.

The storms that lead us to "ourselves.".......2006-08-20

Books:

Books Index

Books Home

Recommended Books