Macbeth (Dover Thrift Editions) [Paperback]

William Shakespeare (Author)

Book Description

Series: Dover Thrift Editions | Publication Date: December 23, 1993

Dark and bloody drama of ambition, guilt, and revenge centers on an ambitious Scottish nobleman who murders the king in order to succeed to the throne. Tortured by his conscience and fearful of discovery, he becomes fatally enmeshed in a web of treachery and deceit that spells his doom.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 14 and up
  
• Paperback: 96 pages
• Publisher: Dover Publications; Unabridged edition (December 23, 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0486278026
• ISBN-13: 978-0486278025
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #34,331 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #37 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Arts & Photography > Performing Arts > Theater > General
  • #44 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Literature & Fiction > World Literature > British > Shakespeare
  • #85 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Literature & Fiction > Drama > General

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars NOT a condensed version, May 21, 2005

By 

Allison M. Worthington - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Macbeth (Dover Thrift Editions) (Paperback)

Contrary to the two editorial reviews at the top of this page, the Dover Thrift Edition of MacBeth is NOT a condensed version of the play. It is the full text of MacBeth. I am grateful that such an inexpensive paperback is available, as I needed to purchase multiple copies for the students in my English class. Other versions of Shakespeare's plays contain more footnotes or short summaries of each scene and, thus, are more high school student friendly. However, if you provide a good study guide and outline, this edition of MacBeth is a great buy, especially for those of us who sometimes must purchase our own supplies.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Powerful, beyond words, lives forever in your mind, September 26, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Macbeth (Dover Thrift Editions) (Paperback)

This play is great! I've always liked Shakespearean comedy and tragic romance, and I didn't want to read this play at first, but when I did--it got me.

For those who want to read a play full of word play, appearance and reality in the world and for you, irony and Christian innuendoes, Macbeth is for you. The word play, especially the surprising comparison of murder with "Tarquin's ravishing", and the really effective ones like ambition with drunkeness, will make you read it again and again. There is a haunting soliloquy in Act 5 that Macbeth gives about life--it's famous and most would have heard of it, but nothing beats reading it together with the play.

Behind every successful man there is a woman, and behind every tragic hero there should be a tragic heroine. Lady Macbeth will repulse you and gain your pity. Don't despise her, folks, she just squashed her femininity thinking it was the best thing to do. She wouldn't have to ask evil forces to take away her human compassion if she didn't have any to begin with.

A must-read, and must-savour.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Macbeth, September 9, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Macbeth (Dover Thrift Editions) (Paperback)

Macbeth is a story of one man, his desire for glory and fame, ruins his life, and ultimately ends it. At first Lady Macbeth is the strong one, urging Macbeth to murder the king so he can take his place. But as the story progresses we see Lady Macbeth getting weaker and Macbeth getting stronger. At first Macbeth is afraid and unsure if he wants to go through with all the killings. However, the more praisehe receives for becoming king, the more motivated he becomes to gain more power. --Valerie Ciliento