Product Description: Among Shakespeare's plays, Hamlet is considered by many his masterpiece. Among actors, the role of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, is considered the jewel in the crown of a triumphant theatrical career. Now Kenneth Branagh plays the leading role and co-directs a brillant ensemble performance. Three generations of legendary leading actors, many of whom first assembled for the Oscar-winning film Henry V, gather here to perform the rarely heard complete version of the play. This clear, subtly nuanced, stunning dramatization, presented by The Renaissance Theatre Company in association with Bbc Broadcasting, features such luminaries as Sir John Gielgud, Derek Jacobi, Emma Thompson and Christopher Ravenscroft. It combines a full cast with stirring music and sound effects to bring this magnificent Shakespearen classic vividly to life. Revealing new riches with each listening, this production of Hamlet is an invaluable aid for students, teachers and all true lovers of Shakespeare -- a recording to be treasured for decades to come.
Perfect! I ordered this book for my sister who was struggling with an online college English course. She could not understand Shakespeare and was really having a hard time. I found this book on Amazon and had it sent to her. She not only understands Shakespeare now, she actually enjoys it! The original writing is on one side of the page, and the plain English version is right beside it. Wonderful!! I have no doubt my sister will now make an A in her class as well as become a fan of Shakespeare!
Best Shakespeare editions - for students and wannabe students I'm not ashamed to admit it. I find Shakespeare difficult. I need help. The Cambridge School Shakespeare editions, with the classroom activities and assignments on each facing page, give me the focus and direction I need to finally truly enjoy the text.
I thought I didn't like Shakespeare until I took a class on several of the plays. It turns out that I love Shakespeare when I'm doing close reading or studying it carefully but for whatever reason I find it extremely difficult to do on my own. The Cambridge School editions allow me to replicate the classroom experience on my own, providing enough background and questions for critical thought that I keep a close focus on the text. Previous times I've attempted to read 'Hamlet' I was struggling just to figure out what was going on; reading this edition I was analyzing the characters and considering different acting and directing choices. It's amazing.
Very Useful if you know what you're looking for As a college student who had to write a paper on Hamlet,Again,I of course had to get away from any classic ideas about the play. Being a student with a talent for writing I would never be able to "get away with," these common theories, as professor's expect much more. This book really helped me to create a rather ambitious and interesting thesis; one which went against the criticisms in the book, and was refreshingly new.
I like the individual criticisms in this book as they really force you to look harder for textual evidence. One of the BEST things about the book was that it included the whole play as well. That was so useful because I didn't have to juggle two books -one of them being the complete works of Shakespeare which weighs about 20lbs. I was able to take this book everywhere and work on it whenever I had spare time.
However, I would not sugesst this book for an individual who does not have a very strong background in Hamlet. You need to know the play Extremely well in order for this book to benefit you. If you do not know Hamlet inside and out, then this book will only cause confusion and you should probably stay away from it, as the theories may be difficult to comprehend.
A Great tool, but... Shakespeare Made Easy is a great tool for anyone interested in Shakespeare. It provides the inquisitive Shakespeare amateur with means of understanding passages they do not decipher in the original text. However, it is important to note, this is not the right book for a high school classroom. It allows students to "read one of Shakespeare's plays" without actually reading a word of what Shakespeare himself wrote. Half of what makes Shakespeare so captivating is his style and wordplay. Deprived of those two elements Shakespeare's plays are only stories with good plot. Ultimately, students who don't take the challenge of reading the original text before reading the translation will be less interested in Shakespeare after because they will not have experienced the witticism in his literature. In essence this version of Shakespeare provides a cheep way out for unmotivated students that ultimately rewards neither their teachers nor themselves.
Hamlet: Now and Easy Read With this generation's youth it is difficult to find many students interested in Shakespeare. Shakespeare Made Easy is the key. The general stories that William Shakespeare put down on paper are truly remarkable and quite fun to read. However, these days there is hardly any interest in deeply analyzing pages and pages of Shakespearian English, especially with his longest play, Hamlet. With the original text on one page and a modern translation on the opposing page this version of Hamlet can be an insightful read as well as a pleasure read. By having the option of both translations the reader will be fully immersed in the story, rather than the text, and come out on the other end singing the praises of Shakespeare and Hamlet. This is a breakthrough version of Hamlet and should be the premier choice of teachers and students alike. Nothing, except perhaps the movie, will excite the adolescent world to Shakespeare more than this version of Hamlet.
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