Macbeth

Publisher Marketing: Twentyfirst Century Shakespeare is a new and exciting approach that opens up Shakespeare to a new generation of students. The text is the full traditional Shakespearean text presented in a more familiar, friendly, helpful format. If you are a student you will probably find reading Shakespeare easier than you thought possible. You will be able to read through scenes more quickly, more fluently and with greater understanding. The notes in the margins make things easier by shedding light on tricky words and phrases. You do still have to do some work but you will be surprised by how quickly you can become familiar with Shakespearean English. This is warm fuzzy Shakespeare designed to make your life a little easier. But don't take my word for it, open the book and take a look inside. If you are teaching Shakespeare you will hear your students read with more fluency and confidence, with greater expression and comprehension. This edition can save you so much time and energy. You can concentrate on developing your student's breadth and depth of knowledge and understanding. You can cover more ground and concentrate on what you feel is most important. You can help your students make a real connection with Shakespeare. Take a look inside and see how Twentyfirst Century Shakespeare can make life easier in your classroom. This book evolved from my experience in the classroom. The students I taught were used to reading other plays and came to Shakespeare with a genuine enthusiasm and a willingness to participate in a classroom reading. To be fair, they had no trouble reading the short exchanges but they did struggle when confronted with longer passages. At first I assumed that the problem lay in the language - unfamiliar vocabulary, archaic grammar and syntax and the sheer complexity of Shakespeare's verse. But many students also struggled with longer passages that weren't intrinsically difficult - just long. The solution came to me when I realised that they were reading to the rhythm of the blank verse, ignoring intonation, punctuation and meaning. I knew that actors often use the technique of marking their scripts at each punctuation mark. This helps them get the sense and structure of a speech. I wondered if this would also work in the classroom. So I reformatted the blank verse into lines based on meaning rather than iambic pentameters. I also paragraphed the longer speeches to give a more modern, less daunting look and feel. It worked. In fact it worked like magic. Since then I have added annotations to help with difficult words and phrases; stage directions that indicate who the speaker is speaking to and other features unique to these editions. But Shakespeare re-formatted is the essence of Twentyfirst Century Shakespeare. When I was a school boy, many years ago, only Grammar school pupils read Shakespeare in the UK. Even so, many of these brightest of pupils were turned off Shakespeare. Many of my generation found Shakespeare boring. Now we have an educational system in which all pupils, regardless of academic ability are expected to make some sort of sense of at least one Shakespeare play. The least we owe them is a text they can read. And who knows, they may even enjoy it. Many people find that removing the strait-jacket of blank verse makes the plays easier to read. They also find that it liberates the dramatic spirit of the plays and actually enhances the beauty, power and natural rhythms of Shakespeare's language. If blank verse is of primary importance to you, then this book may not be for you. But think about it, if we can give students a way in to Shakespeare, if they can get a grasp of what's going on, if they can tune in to the language and if they can breathe life and drama into their readings, they may well develop an enjoyment of and even a passion for Shakespeare. Twentyfirst Century Shakespeare is the way forward. Twentyfirst Century Shakespeare is Shakespeare for the twenty first century. Review Citations: School Library Journal 03/01/2009 pg. 171 (EAN 9780764161407, Hardcover) Hornbook Guide to Children 01/01/2009 pg. 82 (EAN 9780764161407, Hardcover) Wilson Senior High Core Col 01/01/2008 pg. 64 (EAN 9780791095942, Hardcover) Wilson Senior High Core Col 01/01/2011 pg. 603 (EAN 9780791095942, Hardcover) Kliatt 11/01/2006 pg. 57 (EAN 9781594835483, Compact Disc) Kliatt 11/01/2005 pg. 53 (EAN 9781932219203, Compact Disc) - *Starred Review Library Journal 04/01/2005 pg. 134 (EAN 9780300106541, Paperback) Univ PR Books for Public Libry 01/01/2006 pg. 1 (EAN 9780300106541, Paperback) Booklist 10/15/2005 pg. 40 (EAN 9780142404096, Paperback) Wilson Middle/Junior Hi Catalo 01/01/2005 pg. 287 (EAN 9780142404096, Paperback) Kliatt 01/01/2006 pg. 24 (EAN 9780142404096, Paperback) School Library Journal 03/01/2006 pg. 254 (EAN 9780142404096, Paperback) Voice of Youth Advocates 06/01/2006 pg. 158 (EAN 9780142404096, Paperback) Wilson Senior High Core Col 01/01/2006 pg. 57 (EAN 9780142404096, Paperback) Wilson Senior High Core Col 01/01/2007 pg. 489 (EAN 9780142404096, Paperback) Wilson Middle/Junior Hi Catalo 01/01/2009 pg. 492 (EAN 9780142404096, Paperback) Wilson Senior High Core Col 01/01/2011 pg. 601 (EAN 9780142404096, Paperback) Kirkus Review - Children 10/01/1997 pg. 1530 (EAN 9780803719002, Hardcover) School Library Journal 12/01/1997 pg. 134 (EAN 9780803719002, Hardcover) Booklist 11/01/1997 pg. 464 (EAN 9780803719002, Hardcover) Wilson Children's Catalog 96 01/01/1998 pg. 42 (EAN 9780803719002, Hardcover) Wilson Middle/Junior Hi Catalo 01/01/2000 pg. 276 (EAN 9780803719002, Hardcover) Wilson Children's Catalog 01/01/2001 pg. 326 (EAN 9780803719002, Hardcover) Kirkus Review - Children 10/01/1997 pg. 1530 (EAN 9780803718999, Hardcover) School Library Journal 12/01/1997 pg. 134 (EAN 9780803718999, Hardcover) Booklist 11/01/1997 pg. 464 (EAN 9780803718999, Hardcover) ALA Recmd for Reluctant YA's 01/01/1998 pg. 1224 (EAN 9780803718999, Hardcover) Hornbook Guide to Children 07/01/1997 pg. 157 (EAN 9780803718999, Hardcover) Wilson Children's Catalog 96 01/01/1998 pg. 42 (EAN 9780803718999, Hardcover) Wilson Middle/Junior Hi Catalo 01/01/2000 pg. 276 (EAN 9780803718999, Hardcover) Wilson Children's Catalog 01/01/2001 pg. 326 (EAN 9780803718999, Hardcover) Wilson Children's Catalog 01/01/2006 pg. 459 (EAN 9780803718999, Hardcover) Wilson Children's Catalog 01/01/2010 pg. 703 (EAN 9780803718999, Hardcover) Hornbook Guide to Children 01/01/1993 (EAN 9780679938750, Hardcover) Hornbook Guide to Children 01/01/1993 (EAN 9780679838753, Hardcover) Publishers Weekly 03/01/1993 (EAN 9780679838753, Hardcover) Publishers Weekly 08/27/2012 (EAN 9781442355934, Compact Disc) - *Starred Review Audio File 10/01/2012 pg. 33 (EAN 9781442355934, Compact Disc) - *Starred Review Publishers Weekly 01/30/2012 (EAN 9781580818384, Compact Disc) - *Starred Review School Library Journal 04/01/2012 pg. 59 (EAN 9781580818384, Compact Disc) Contributor Bio:  Shakespeare, William Arguably the greatest English-language playwright, William Shakespeare was a seventeenth-century writer and dramatist, and is known as the "Bard of Avon." Under the patronage of Queen Elizabeth I, he penned more than 30 plays, 154 sonnets, and numerous narrative poems and short verses. Equally accomplished in histories, tragedies, comedy, and romance, Shakespeare's most famous works include Romeo and Juliet, Hamlet, Macbeth, King Lear, The Taming of the Shrew, and As You Like It. Like many of his contemporaries, including Christopher Marlowe, Shakespeare began his career on the stage, eventually rising to become part-owner of Lord Chamberlain's Men, a popular dramatic company of his day, and of the storied Globe Theatre in London. Extremely popular in his lifetime, Shakespeare's works continue to resonate more than three hundred years after his death. His plays are performed more often than any other playwright's, have been translated into every major language in the world, and are studied widely by scholars and students.