Focus on Macbeth

by John Russell Brown (Editor)

First published in 1982.

Macbeth exercises a strange influence over readers and theatre the words of the text offer no easy clue to meaning or significance and in dramatic structure the play is very different from other Shakespearean tragedies. Many kinds of study are needed in order to understand the tragedy of Macbeth and this book provides a wide range of studies that respect the individuality of the text and examine it from different viewpoints.

Contents Themes and Structure; Characterization and Narrative, Visual Effects, Performance in the Eighteenth, Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries; Historical and Political Background; Role of Witchcraft; Game Theory.

Contributors John Russell Brown, Derek Russell Davis, Gareth Lloyd Evans, R A Foakes, Michael Goldman, Robin Grove, Peter Hall, Michael Hawkins, Brian Morris, D J Palmer, Marvin Rosenberg and Peter Stallybrass.

Genres: Shakespeare

268 pages, Hardcover

First published December 31, 1982

Reviews

[Satia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good to read alongside the Play Macbeth. Part 1 'Themes and Structure' is brilliant in understanding the character of Macbeth and bringing the play to life. It reveals the subtleties hidden in the text and brings to attention the different atmospheres created. This part is excellent! Part 3 'Enacting the Text' is also very good and complements Part 1. Hurt Minds in Part 4 (Special Studies) is also noteworthy delving into the psychology of the character and offering some different ideas on how Macbeth's mental health would be viewed today. If it had just been these chapters I would have rated it 5 stars and purchased rather than borrowed the book. However, for me personally Part 2 'Play in the Theatre', Much of Part 4 (except one chapter), and Part 5 'A Directors view of the Play' were superfluous to what I needed - an understanding of the character of Macbeth and the subtle non-textual understanding of trying to 'feel' the essence of the play and what drives it along. I will re-read this Play many times as it has become a firm favourite and this book has helped in understanding it.

[David Loveland · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty relevant dissertation reading. Not the most engaging or spectacular of criticism books, but I've come not to expect anything great from them...

[Oscar · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fairly engrossing collection of essays and interviews. Undone near the end by outdated Freudian analyses of Lady Macbeth um.