The Bedford Companion to Shakespeare: An Introduction with Documents [Paperback]

Russ McDonald (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 20, 2001 | ISBN-10: 0312248806 | ISBN-13: 978-0312248802 | Edition: Second Edition

Providing a unique combination of well-written, up-to-date background information and intriguing selections from primary documents, The Bedford Companion to Shakespeare introduces students to the topics most important to the study of Shakespeare in their full historical and cultural context.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

RUSS McDONALD (Ph.D., University of Pennsylvania) is the editor of four plays in the revised Pelican series of Shakespeare's plays and the author of Shakespeare Reread (1994), Shakespeare and Jonson/Jonson and Shakespeare (1988), and numerous articles on early modern theater, comedy, and opera. A celebrated teacher, McDonald has taught at Mississippi State University, the University of Hawaii, and the University of Rochester. He has been actively involved with the NEH-sponsored Teaching Shakespeare Institute at the Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington, D.C., and he has also served as resident scholar, head scholar, and institute director of Teaching Shakespeare's Language.

Product Details

• Paperback: 451 pages
• Publisher: Bedford/St. Martin's; Second Edition edition (February 20, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312248806
• ISBN-13: 978-0312248802
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 5.9 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #146,554 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

32 of 34 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent and Informative, September 3, 2003

By 

C. N. White "neilicus107" (Raleigh, NC) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Bedford Companion to Shakespeare: An Introduction with Documents (Paperback)

Russ McDonald is not someone many people have heard of, unless you happen to live in the world of Shakespeare scholars, in which case, I would be surprised if you have not. Mr. McDonald was for a long time associated with the Folger Library, and has edited numerous volumes of the Penguin Shakespeare editions, among other credentials. I have had the good fortune to be in one of his classes, and I can think of no one else I have ever met that has so much love and appreciation for Shakespeare's genius, while simultaneously being able to pass that to his students. I honestly don't think there is anything this man *doesn't* know about Shakespeare.

That being said, The Bedford Companion is less about The Bard, and more so about the times in which he lived. While attention is given to his plays, equal attention is given to such things as the history of the Globe Theater, Shakespeare's early life, the economic situations of the time, and a history of Shakespeare appreciation, or "Bardolatry". It shows Shakespeare as a human, as a buisinessman, a family man, and how he eventually become know as the greatest writer in the English language. (Most of his plays weren't published until after his death.) This book may not help you fully understand Hamlet, but it can certainly make it more interesting.

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An excellent teacher resource, October 9, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Bedford Companion to Shakespeare: An Introduction With Documents (Bedford Shakespeare Series) (Paperback)

The original documents pertaining to Shakeseare's life and works is an excellent teacher resource. The text of his will, excerpts of newspaper accounts that sparked The Tempest and the DeWitt drawing of the Globe made our studies of Shakesperae more concrete.As a loyal fan of Shakespeare, I enjoyed the reading. I think the text is a little dry for most.

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Must Read for Any and All Interested in Shakespeare, December 18, 2003

By 

M. G. "molliebird84" (New York, NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Bedford Companion to Shakespeare: An Introduction with Documents (Paperback)

This book is a great overview of all things Shakespeare. It intorduces the man himself, the language of the works, the culture of the Elizabethans and the theatre, sosurces, and basic scholarly criticism and ideas. A wonderful foundational text with primary documents which greatly enhance the reading and give the subject a new life.