A Midsummer Night's Dream (No Fear Shakespeare) [Paperback]

SparkNotes Editors (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 3, 2003

No Fear Shakespeare gives you the complete text of A Midsummer Night's Dream on the left-hand page, side-by-side with an easy-to-understand translation on the right.

 

Each No Fear Shakespeare contains

• The complete text of the original play
• A line-by-line translation that puts Shakespeare into everyday language
• A complete list of characters with descriptions
• Plenty of helpful commentary

Product Details

• Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: SparkNotes (July 3, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1586638483
• ISBN-13: 978-1586638481
• Product Dimensions: 7.5 x 5.3 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #5,193 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #2 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Reference > Education > Book Notes
  • #4 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Literature & Fiction > Authors, A-Z > ( S ) > Shakespeare, William
  • #5 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Literature & Fiction > World Literature > British > Shakespeare

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

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Very Helpful Book, October 19, 2005

By 

Mel G. - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Midsummer Night's Dream (No Fear Shakespeare) (Paperback)

This book is great. It does a great job of breaking down the text of "Midsummer" and telling what it really means. On one page is the actual text of the play; On the direct opposite page is the translation. The only translation I've found so far that is way out there is the translation of "Tary rash wanton...." The translation is "Wait a minute, you brazen hussy...." Now, HOW is that an understandable translation?? This is the only thing that puts a damper on a perfect score. While I was in a production of "A Midsummer Night's Dream," our director frequently had us refer to the book to figure out what in the world we were saying. I highly reccommend buying this book.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars no fear shakespear a mid summers night dream, May 12, 2007

By 

Michelle Boyer (Prince Frederick, MD USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A Midsummer Night's Dream (SparkNotes Literature Guide) (Paperback)

This book is very useful if you are reading this play for a class. Sometime a word or line is switched but other than that it's been very helpful.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent book!, July 9, 2008

By 

K. Amber Morgan "AmberGlow" (Arizona, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: A Midsummer Night's Dream (No Fear Shakespeare) (Paperback)

The No Fear series allows quick understanding! I was going back and forth between reading the original first, and reading the modern first. Either way I read it, it made it easier to understand, faster to read, and very enjoyable.