SHAKESPEARE: MACBETH

Explanatory notes and guidance to help students understand Shakespeare's plays. The story of Macbeth is based on events in remote eleventh-century Scotland and critics have argued that Shakespeare was writing in response to concerns around 1603 when the Scottish King James succeeded Elizabeth on the English throne. Yet these particular historical origins have not made the play feel remote from contemporary audiences. It is constantly performed worldwide and has universal appeal because of the way Shakespeare dramatises corruptible human nature and Macbeth's tragic fall from greatness to catastrophe.These guides help students to evaluate the historical, social and cultural contexts for a broader understanding of Shakespeare’s plays. The content of each book in the series follows the pattern of an introduction; detailed running commentary on the text; insight into historical, social and cultural contexts; analysis of the language; an overview of critical approaches and different interpretations; essay-writing tips and lists of recommended resources.
The first Shakespeare A Level study guide series to be published since the major changes to A Levels Rex Gibson as series editor Complements the play editions of both Cambridge School Shakespeare and New Cambridge Shakespeare or any other edition