William Shakespeare was born in April 1564 in the town of
Stratford-upon-Avon, on England’s Avon River. When he was eighteen,
he married Anne Hathaway. The couple had three children—an older
daughter Susanna and twins, Judith and Hamnet. Hamnet,
Shakespeare’s only son, died in childhood. The bulk of
Shakespeare’s working life was spent in the theater world of
London, where he established himself professionally by the early
1590s. He enjoyed success not only as a playwright and poet, but
also as an actor and shareholder in an acting company. Although
some think that sometime between 1610 and 1613 Shakespeare retired
from the theater and returned home to Stratford, where he died in
1616, others believe that he may have continued to work in London
until close to his death.
Barbara A. Mowat is Director of Research emerita at the
Folger Shakespeare Library, Consulting Editor of Shakespeare
Quarterly, and author of The Dramaturgy of Shakespeare’s
Romances and of essays on Shakespeare’s plays and their
editing.
Paul Werstine is Professor of English at the Graduate School and at
King’s University College at Western University. He is a general
editor of the New Variorum Shakespeare and author of Early
Modern Playhouse Manuscripts and the Editing of
Shakespeare and of many papers and articles on the printing
and editing of Shakespeare’s plays.
""Macbeth" is a blast...ghoulish...beguiling...sardonic...an
expression of how captivating an evening of crackling Shakespeare
can be." -- Peter Marks, "The Washington Post"
"The explosive and overwhelming effect of a truck bomb...this
horrific, riveting "Macbeth" ought to be seen by as many people as
possible." -- Terry Teachout, "The Wall Street Journal"
Shakespeare's tragedy about the ill-fated thane of Cawdor is brought to life via this one-man interpretation from Alan Cumming. Motivated by his scheming wife, Macbeth lusts for and then takes power, which leads to regicide and his own undoing. Building upon his performance in the audio edition of A.J. Hartley and David Hewson's Macbeth: A Novel, Cumming executes a captivating solo performance of this classic play. With an authentic Scottish accent, Cumming ably embodies Lord Macbeth. He shifts from character to character seamlessly, capturing the tone, attitude, and emphasis of each, while providing an increasing intensity that conveys the reprehensible, irreparable nature of the title character's actions. In addition to embracing the various characters, Cumming's powerful performance even elevates the play's stage directions, which-rather than feeling like crude interruptions to the dialogue-slip in smoothly like the knife used to slay King Duncan. (July) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
The Yale annotated editions of these dramatic polar opposites include loads of textual notes and scholarly introductions, plus essays by Harold Bloom, all for the price of lunch at Mickey Ds. Supersized Shakespeare on the cheap. Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.
""Macbeth" is a blast...ghoulish...beguiling...sardonic...an
expression of how captivating an evening of crackling Shakespeare
can be." -- Peter Marks, "The Washington Post"
"The explosive and overwhelming effect of a truck bomb...this
horrific, riveting "Macbeth" ought to be seen by as many people as
possible." -- Terry Teachout, "The Wall Street Journal"
Ask a Question About this Product More... |