Customer Reviews

Macbeth (Cliffs Complete)

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I read the play with this book and was able to understand it because of the commentaries. It was very helpful for writing a great thesis paper. It identifies reoccuring themes throughout the book to assist in writing reports of thesis papers. I would recommend this to anybody who is doing a report or just want to read the play and understand it all.

There is an even better DVD for this play that has all the same sort of stuff that this has and a performance. Check it out. It's easy to understand the play because they explain it in modern english and there's this thing that lets you look up words while you're watching the DVD. You can get it here at Amazon. It's the one directed by J. Bretton Truett and EJ Kerwin. I bought it and these Cliff's Notes and the DVD had way better stuff and it was easier to use when I was studying for a test for this play.

I homeschool my kids and found this "Cliffs Complete" version to be so comprehensive that I substituted this material for the curriculum I normally use (ABEKA) because this material was so much better. It includes pertinent questions and answers that any teacher can use to see if the student is comprehending the inferences and nuances of the play. I highly recommend it for anyone interested in a better, in-depth understanding of one of Shakespeare's greatest works.

I am taking a Shakespeare course at my high school and I bought this to help me in my study of Macbeth. I didn't want a book that "translated" Shakespearean verse into modern English, because that actually hurts more than it helps. You may "understand what's going on" if you read something like that, but Shakespeare chose the words he did for a reason: he rhymed, made allusions, used alliteration, metaphors, similes, backspeak, poetic compression, and all the rest, for a reason. And you can't find that complexity when you use the modern English versions. So I really loved the Cliffs Complete version. It has the original (or as close as you can come to it) text on one page, and helpful definitions of outdated words on the adjacent page, as well as interpretations of certain references and allusions.
I like that the book starts out by talking about Will's life and times. It helps put things into historical context. Readers need to know that King James VI of Scotland and I of England had just ascended the thrown, and that Shakespeare would be performing this with his fellow actors infront of him. They need to know that attempts to take the King's life using "black magic" were made, and tales of witches and sorcery abounded. It also talks a bit about the play's themes/motifs, and the writing style/language used.
At the beginning of each scene is a brief summary, and at the end a very thorough one. Commentary is easy to understand, and helpful for the more complex bits. My only beef is the lack of interpretation of certain lines of verse - most things can't be taken at face value, and have multiple interpretations that need to be unearthed and mulled over.
The margins are good for taking notes, and it's not that tan, grainy book paper that doesn't take lead well. There's also note pages. If there's one thing a reader should do, it's make notes. Annotate! I never thought I'd say that...teachers always beat you over the head with it, and I never found it necessary before, but it is with Will.
All in all, I love this book. I actually went and bought most of Shakespeare's other plays in the Cliffs Complete version. It couldn't hurt to also buy the Folger's Library version too...the text is a bit different (some word and poetic compression changes) and additional accompanying definitions. Regardless, I've never understood a Shakespearean play so thoroughly, and I enjoyed Macbeth incredibly.
I highly recommend this book!!!

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