Measure for Measure (Arden Shakespeare: Second Series) [Paperback]

William Shakespeare (Author), J. W. Lever (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 12, 1967

The Arden Shakespeare is the established edition of Shakespeare's work. Justly celebrated for its authoritative scholarship and invaluable commentary, Arden guides you a richer understanding and appreciation of Shakespeare's plays. This edition of Measure for Measure provides, a clear and authoritative text, detailed notes and commentary on the same page as the text, a full introduction discussing the critical and historical background to the play and appendices presenting sources and relevant extracts.

Product Details

• Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: Arden Shakespeare; 2nd edition (October 12, 1967)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1903436443
• ISBN-13: 978-1903436448
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5.2 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #545,543 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

William Shakespeare was born in Stratford-upon-Avon in April 1564, and his birth is traditionally celebrated on April 23. The facts of his life, known from surviving documents, are sparse. He was one of eight children born to John Shakespeare, a merchant of some standing in his community. William probably went to the King's New School in Stratford, but he had no university education. In November 1582, at the age of eighteen, he married Anne Hathaway, eight years his senior, who was pregnant with their first child, Susanna. She was born on May 26, 1583. Twins, a boy, Hamnet ( who would die at age eleven), and a girl, Judith, were born in 1585. By 1592 Shakespeare had gone to London working as an actor and already known as a playwright. A rival dramatist, Robert Greene, referred to him as "an upstart crow, beautified with our feathers." Shakespeare became a principal shareholder and playwright of the successful acting troupe, the Lord Chamberlain's Men (later under James I, called the King's Men). In 1599 the Lord Chamberlain's Men built and occupied the Globe Theater in Southwark near the Thames River. Here many of Shakespeare's plays were performed by the most famous actors of his time, including Richard Burbage, Will Kempe, and Robert Armin. In addition to his 37 plays, Shakespeare had a hand in others, including Sir Thomas More and The Two Noble Kinsmen, and he wrote poems, including Venus and Adonis and The Rape of Lucrece. His 154 sonnets were published, probably without his authorization, in 1609. In 1611 or 1612 he gave up his lodgings in London and devoted more and more time to retirement in Stratford, though he continued writing such plays as The Tempest and Henry VII until about 1613. He died on April 23 1616, and was buried in Holy Trinity Church, Stratford. No collected edition of his plays was published during his life-time, but in 1623 two members of his acting company, John Heminges and Henry Condell, put together the great collection now called the First Folio.

Customer Reviews

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2 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A great help for a beginners!, April 14, 2009

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Jerrie C. Perkins (Phoenix) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Measure for Measure (Arden Shakespeare: Second Series) (Paperback)

I have a 40 year old friend who has never been exposed to Shakespeare's works in any form. So, I colluded with another Shakespeare fan and we decided that Measure for Measure would be a fine place to start him on his journey.We researched many different versions of the play and decided that this one gave the kind of 'helps' that we were looking for ~ It would lead him in the right direction to find out more for himself without spoonfeeding him too much easy information. He is a well-educated, clever man and so I expect him to be able to round out his general knowledge of English literature to some extent in this way....I am not aiming to make a Shakespeare scholar out of him as he is training to become a doctor (medical).However, I genuinely feel that his knowledge of so much and his outlook on so many subjects can only be broadened by the addition of some awareness of thr Bard, however small.