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393rd out of 8,322 books
—
39,503 voters
Four Great Tragedies: Hamlet / Othello / King Lear / Macbeth
@BigMAC @LadyMac: THERE’S NOTHING ON YOUR HANDS, YOU’VE WASHED THEM 100 TIMES ALREADY!!
From Twitterature: The World's Greatest Books in Twenty Tweets or Less
Paperback, 592 pages
Published
June 1st 1998
by Signet Classics
(first published 1000)
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If there is a lesson common to all of these tragedies, it is not to go jumping to conclusions. You may have an enemy muddying the waters (Othello). You may have mispercieved the situation because your ego is in the way (King Lear). You may think you are avoiding fate, when actually you are placing yourself right in the way of it by doing something ethically questionable (Macbeth). Or you may just be a little to self-righteous for your own good (Hamlet). Tragedy in these works is usually brought...more
Up front, I love Shakespeare. I love the sonnets, the comedies, some of the histories, and all of the tragedies. The first play I ever saw onstage was Richard Burton's rehearsal dress "Hamlet" back in the Sixties when I was in my teens. I was so astounded to discover such a thing, such language, that I literally could not get out of my seat for the standing ovation. A whole world had opened up to me. I knew I did not understand everything that had transpired on that stage--I was too naive, too l...more
Thoroughly enjoyed these with great productions on DVD from Netflix and The Teaching Company course "Shakespeare's Tragedies" with lecturer Claire McKinney from University of Virginia.
Movie versions I watched and recommend:
Hamlet: Compare the Royal Shakespeare Company's production of Hamlet starring David Tennant and Patrick Stewart as Claudius (2009) with Kenneth Branagh's chandelier-swinging version (1996).
Othello: Oliver Parker starring Laurence Fishburne as Othello and Kenneth Branagh as Iag...more
Movie versions I watched and recommend:
Hamlet: Compare the Royal Shakespeare Company's production of Hamlet starring David Tennant and Patrick Stewart as Claudius (2009) with Kenneth Branagh's chandelier-swinging version (1996).
Othello: Oliver Parker starring Laurence Fishburne as Othello and Kenneth Branagh as Iag...more
What can really be said about Shakespeare that does him justice or hasn't been said before?
'Not much' is the answer, but I always loved the following quote by Robert Graves:
"The remarkable thing about Shakespeare is that he is really very good - in spite of all the people who say he is very good."
And it's a thought that continues to shine in truth every time I read Shakespeare. He really is the grandaddy, the quarterback, the star, the most beautiful girl in school and so on and so forth.
In sh...more
'Not much' is the answer, but I always loved the following quote by Robert Graves:
"The remarkable thing about Shakespeare is that he is really very good - in spite of all the people who say he is very good."
And it's a thought that continues to shine in truth every time I read Shakespeare. He really is the grandaddy, the quarterback, the star, the most beautiful girl in school and so on and so forth.
In sh...more
Apr 03, 2013
Alexander Arsov
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
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William Shakespeare
Four Tragedies:
Hamlet
Othello
King Lear
Macbeth
Penguin Classics, Paperback, [1994].
8vo. 951 pp. Introduction and Notes to all plays by the editors, except Hamlet: Introduction by Anne Barton.
Hamlet edited by T. J. B. Spencer.
Othello edited by Kenneth Muir.
King Lear and Macbeth edited by G. K. Hunter
These editions first published in the New Penguin Shakespeare, 1967-80.
Contents
The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark
Introduction
Further Reading
An Account of the Text
Hamlet [pp. 73-3...more
Four Tragedies:
Hamlet
Othello
King Lear
Macbeth
Penguin Classics, Paperback, [1994].
8vo. 951 pp. Introduction and Notes to all plays by the editors, except Hamlet: Introduction by Anne Barton.
Hamlet edited by T. J. B. Spencer.
Othello edited by Kenneth Muir.
King Lear and Macbeth edited by G. K. Hunter
These editions first published in the New Penguin Shakespeare, 1967-80.
Contents
The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark
Introduction
Further Reading
An Account of the Text
Hamlet [pp. 73-3...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
First off you will be surprised to find out that 'Hamlet' alone was this lengthy.
Secondly, it takes unbelievably long because of old archaic words that needs translation almost word by word.
Yes, same English but how words have changed over time!
Last but not least, you thought you knew about the story, maybe so, but not Hamlet himself until you read it with great concentration.
Forget about different versions and missing parts.
'Cause you still have enough to carry on!
Secondly, it takes unbelievably long because of old archaic words that needs translation almost word by word.
Yes, same English but how words have changed over time!
Last but not least, you thought you knew about the story, maybe so, but not Hamlet himself until you read it with great concentration.
Forget about different versions and missing parts.
'Cause you still have enough to carry on!
I originally bought this book years ago when we read Macbeth and Hamlet. I just finished King Lear and it was good (we read Othello earlier in high school). The thing I Telly like about this text is that it leaves the text itself pretty much alone. It does make notes, but they are all at the bottom of the page leaving the reader as interrupted as they choose. Its also really nice to have four of Shakespeare's greatest tragedies right there.
I loved it. I have read Hamlet and watched the Branagh film of it too many times to count. I first read Hamlet in November of 2005. I read King Lear in the fall of 2008 and was in a play called Lear's Daughters where I played Regan. Othello I also read in the fall of 2008. I am embarrassed to admit I have never read Macbeth. There is nothing better than Shakespeare in my opinion.
well.. my liking to these four tragedies varies from one to another. Yet I enjoyed the whole collection!! Feel like I would have never enjoy if I read some of them & left the others!!
It was a pleasure to meet four different glorious personae, regfardless their flaws. It just helped me heave a deep sigh of releif saying to myself: it's not only me who make disateroud things :-|
It was a pleasure to meet four different glorious personae, regfardless their flaws. It just helped me heave a deep sigh of releif saying to myself: it's not only me who make disateroud things :-|
Jul 15, 2011
Kenny
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
books-i-own,
breadloaf
Introductions for each play give a brief synopsis, inserting factoids like, Hamlet is the longest play, Macbeth is the shortest, as well as, the ways Shakespeare himself adapted many of the plays from earlier sources.
According to Prof. Huang, "Folgers is good for K-12, but this is for serious grad students." Emphasis on serious.
According to Prof. Huang, "Folgers is good for K-12, but this is for serious grad students." Emphasis on serious.
Excellent collection of Shakespeare's finest tragedies at a reasonable price. The footnotes are a nice addition that eases the unfamiliar reader into Shakespeare. The one problem with this edition is the book's quality itself, and for that, I took away a star. The content itself earns a five.
this isn't the exact book i read, but it was the best one i could fine to represent othello, especially since ive already read the others, lol.
i thought othello was pretty good, i really enjoy shakespeares tragedies for the most part.
i thought othello was pretty good, i really enjoy shakespeares tragedies for the most part.
One of Shakespeare's greatest tragedies. At one time I had 100 lines memorized from this, but only remember, "Beware my Lord of jealousy, It is the green-ey'd monster, which doth mock the meat it feeds on.. ."
So much can be learned from Shakespeare's tragedies. I guess it simply comes down to not letting your ego get in the way. These four protagonists were responsible for their own undoing.
Just a scratch about the Signet 1968 editions--I find myself pursuing all of them thanks to beautiful cover illustrations by Milton Glaser (from Susan!).
Really, just read Hamlet . . . everyone dies . . . interesting to think about how the main characters' actions/intentions had so many unintended results.
OK, I've read all of these plays (in high school), just not in this particular edition. But I read them, and they were very very good . . . ;-)
So far, just Hamlet. It takes some time to wade through, that's for sure. Sometimes I ask myself, why am I reading this? But then I see how many of our idioms are (mis)used that come from the Bard.
These stories are very effective and heart touching stories not only that its gives most valuble morel thinking about the man life
(Just to clarify: 5 Stars for Hamlet and Macbeth, 4 stars for King Lear, and I haven't read Othello yet but it's next on my list!)
Aug 27, 2012
Steve
added it
I read Shakespeare's Macbeth after reading A.J. Hartley's Macbeth. Hartley fills in a lot of gaps and creates a very credible novelization of this famous tragedy.
May 09, 2010
Miles
added it
I just read Macbeth for the first time the other day and I haven't read Othello yet. That's embarrassing.
This guy's a pretty fair writer! Othello is my pick for his finest work.
boy, that hamlet. what a p*ssy.
othello -- it's not a race thing.
othello -- it's not a race thing.
My favourite Shakespeare book ever...great read
Aug 02, 2012
Chelsea
is currently reading it
I finished _Hamlet_ in
Apr 30, 2010
egagne
added it
all amazing plays
Technically this is the third time I've read Hamlet, and I only read this one of the four. Funny how I pick up on different things each time I've read it.
Jun 01, 2010
Shawn
marked it as partially-read
Finished King Lear. I'd appear a codpiece if I attempted to rate any of Shakespeare's work. Maybe after I've read more I'll come back and give them ratings relative to each other.
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William Shakespeare (baptised 26 April 1564) was an English poet and playwright, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon" (or simply "The Bard"). His surviving works consist of 38 plays, 154 sonnets, two long narrative poems, and several other poems. His plays have been tr...more
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“Zounds, sir, you are one of those that will not serve God if the devil bid you...I am one, sir, that comes to tell you your daughter and the Moor are making the beast with two backs.”
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