Heavily annotated editions of Shakespeare

[Olga]

Hello fellow Shakespeare fans,

I'm a beginner in exploring Shakespearean plays, and I'm looking into reading more works by him, however I've found that most editions I've come across (Wordsworth Classics, Pordes, etc.) contain little to no annotations.

I'm not an English/Literature major, and English isn't even my first language, so a lot of what I read goes "over my head". I'm not really looking for in-depth analysis of the plays; mostly I'd like to get into the story and understand and enjoy it, so that I will know what's going on later in the ecranisation/play/ballet, without having to read some sort of summary/sparknotes on the play.

So finally, my question: can some of you lovely advanced Shakespeare fan people recommend editions that are heavily annotated and easy to understand for "regular people"? I would really appreciate it :)

(Particularly, currently I'm looking for a good edition of the Tempest, but suggestions for any plays or entire series are very welcome!)

[Olga]

Thanks a lot Ingela! I will check out these editions.

[Olga]

Thanks again! I'll keep that in mind.

[Martin]

But surely, Ingela, The Arden editions of Shakespeare are the most heavily annotated editions of all? The most recent As You Like It has 140 pages of introduction, and a further 100 pages of appendices at the back.

When I first started reading Shakespeare, I found the Penguin editions of the plays the most helpful.

[Brant]

There's a certain tension between wanting a version that's heavily annotated and one that's easy to understand for "regular people." The Arden, though wonderful, may be a tad overwhelming to the newcomer. Oxford versions are somewhere in between. Another version to have a look at is the Folger edition. More basic than either the Arden or the Oxford, those tend to provide very basic introductions and synopses along with help around some of the dated language without being too much. Many of these have previews on Amazon that you can look through to see what kind of balance you want to strike.

[Everyman]

Martin wrote: "But surely, Ingela, The Arden editions of Shakespeare are the most heavily annotated editions of all? The most recent As You Like It has 140 pages of introduction, and a further 100 pages of append..."

Yes, Arden are the most extensively annotated and analyzed. Often too much for my taste. I have a number of them, and have never read all of the introductory materials in any of them. Just too much.

I agree about Penguin (former Pelican) editions. A good mix of enough notes and annotation without being overwhelming. Surprisingly also, because I don't equate the publisher with quality books, Signet editions are often very good.

[Phil]

I think Arden is a bit overwhelming. I'm a big fan of the Folger layout- Shakespeare's text on the right hand page and brief explanatory notes on the left hand page. You can check the left page every time you get confused.

I guess the only downside of Folger is the illustrations. Many of them are period woodcuts with nudity, which my students find distracting.

[C]

I've found the RSC version of the Complete Works very readable, with one column per page, (not overly detailed) explanatory notes on the bottom of the page and a short introductory essay + plot summary before every single play

[Finnella]

I like the Oxford School Series. The notes are off are to the side on the same page. I think it has useful information without being overwhelming. (This is what my son and I used for The Tempest a couple of years ago.)
For more notes and longer introductions, I like the Oxford World's Classics series. I tend to get the world classic versions for the history plays, but I just love my footnotes.
Several of my friends love the No Fear Shakespeare editions which give a full modern translation of each line on the facing page. I find that approach distracting though.

[P.D.R.]

Hello Olga,
I know you said read but could I suggest you watch first and then read? The plays are meant to be performed and watched. Only actors were meant to read them. If you watch the best productions you can see what is happening even when you don't understand all the words and you will get to develop an ear for the lovely flow of Shakespeare's written language.

I always taught Shakespeare that way to my stroppy 6th form boys who claimed to HATE Shakespeare. Half way through watching the film of The Taming Of The Shrew they would be laughing and wondering why no one had told them Shakespeare was funny and sexy.

Start with the Richard Burton, Elizabeth Taylor 'Taming of the Shrew' which is raucous, rowdy, funny and just as Will Shakespeare would have had it performed.

Then try the 'Much Ado About Nothing' the Kenneth Brannan film. That is also noisy fun with a biting edge.

If you can get the BBC/Time life series of Shakespeare, which I think Amazon sell, go and see their version of Much Ado About Nothing, which is good and different from the Brannan version, and then check out their spooky creepy wonderful 'A Midsummer Night's Dream' which is I think the best portrayal of the Elizabethan idea of what the fairy folk were. They were not sweet little dears.

Then try and find the Laurence Olivier film versions of Othello, King Lear, and Richard III. I am old and lucky I saw the actual performances and some of the greatest British actors performing Shakespeare. See even one live performance by the Royal Shakespeare Company and you will be a fan for life.

[Steve]

P.D.R. wrote: "I know you said read but could I suggest you watch first and then read? The plays are meant to be performed and watched. Only actors were meant to read them. If you watch the best productions you can see what is happening even when you don't understand all the words and you will get to develop an ear for the lovely flow of Shakespeare's written language."

Well said.

[P.D.R.]

And on the point of studying and enjoying Shakespeare do you all know about FutureLearn.com? They run online free courses in many many subjects, usually run by a reputable university

In September they will be running the following course on Much Ado About Nothing put together by the University of Birmingham.

https://www.futurelearn.com/courses/m...

It sounds great.

[Tracey]

Demitra Papadinis has done some deeply researched annotations of Romeo and Juliet, As You Like It, Macbeth; the only one I've read is As You Like It (so far) - my review is here. The upshot there seems to be that Shakespeare could and did make any and every word a dirty word.

From "As You Like It": "It restores the drama to the language of the First Folio of 1623, including the original spelling, capitalization and punctuation. Practical annotation provides insights into the puns, allusions and world-play that characterize all of Shakespeare's dramas. Appendices enumerate the typographical errors that have been corrected in this version, in addition to offering stage directions from the First Folio, lineation amendations and original character tags."

[aDystoPianClassic]

Hello Olga,

I am new to Shakespeare's most of the works, English is not my first language and I am not an English major either. I am currently reading The Tempest by Shakespeare, and between Arden's and Yale's Annotated Versions, I am enjoying Arden's better.

Also I agree that for some, the bulk of reference material in Arden's could be overwhelming, But if you are planning to read it for pleasure, without any time constraint, it should be fine.

[aDystoPianClassic]

P.D.R. wrote: "And on the point of studying and enjoying Shakespeare do you all know about FutureLearn.com? They run online free courses in many many subjects, usually run by a reputable university

In September ..."

Thanks for sharing. I will most certainly check this course