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| The RSC Shakespeare: The Complete Works | 
 enlarge | Author: William Shakespeare
Creators: Jonathan Bate, Eric Rasmussen
Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan
Category: Book
List Price: £35.00
Buy New: £25.37
You Save: £9.63 (28%)
New (23) from £19.99
Avg. Customer Rating:  10 reviews
Sales Rank: 3519
Media: Hardcover
Pages: 2576
Shipping Weight (lbs): 5.3
Dimensions (in): 9.5 x 7.3 x 3.2
ISBN: 0230003508
EAN: 9780230003507
ASIN: 0230003508
Publication Date: April 19, 2007
Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours
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| Customer Reviews:
| Showing reviews 6-10 of 10 | | « PREV | | |
 Best ever edition April 16, 2008
15 out of 15 found this review helpful
Every play and poem in one book with footnotes at the bottom so you can understand what virtually every word means. There's also great introductions to each play so you get some background information on the characters, so you feel the emotion because you feel where every character is coming from when they say certain lines. People usually avoid reading Shakespeare because they think its just some esoteric babble that got forced on them at school as a form of torture, but what the RSC do is they make it accessible, so much Kudos to them. I have to agree with Dame Judi Dench's review that every household should have this book because its absolutely brilliant.
Just incredibly readable April 15, 2008
10 out of 10 found this review helpful
Although the size would make you think this is forbidding, the layout of the text is tremendously clear and you can coast through your reading fairly easily. Shakespeare went from being someone I had a duty to admire, to beng a worthwile, accessible author. I would never have thought presentation was so impoortant to enjoying him; but, I was surprised.
The footnotes are superb, easy to check as you read - so they don't spoil the experience but add to it.
Pages are nice and light too; makes you feel very special.
This review's getting a bit weird now...
Easy access to a forgotten world April 8, 2008
21 out of 21 found this review helpful
My story is brief - I wanted to read some Shakespeare, I'd read some at school when I was forced and now, 20 years later, thought I'd give it a try.
I chose this because it was by the RSC so you would think it would be good. But, you have to remember that this was written around 400 years ago so in a lot of ways its a little like reading a foreign language wher eyou know most of the words and not all.
The beauty about this book is that the "translation" for those few words you may not know is at the bottom of each page so you only need glance down to carry on reading the text ... almost in the clear as it were.
This alone makes Shakespeare accessible to anyone. So, is it worth it ?
I have to say I was stunned, being able to read the plays, just how good they are. How, with just a few words, Shakespeare can set a scene and with a few more, tell you the whole mood of the characters.
The scenes change quickly from place to place taking the stories along at a hectic place and you can easily imagine any of the pieces being performed. They're as good, if not better, than most films you get to see at the cinema these days.
So, if you're wondering if Shakespeare is right for you, buy this and give it a go.
You may be pleasantly surprised !
The most complete 'complete', and the best. November 28, 2007
50 out of 51 found this review helpful
It's easy to pick up a copy of 'The complete works of Shakespeare' from any bookshop; many are less than a tenner. So why pay more for this one?
Well, let's start with the overall look and feel of the book. In size and construction it feels more like something that could ask about twice the price and feel worthwhile (and no, that page count isn't a misprint). Fair enough - as one who lives just outside Stratford, I can tell you that Shakespeare is big business in the town, and one could hardly imagine the RSC being prepared to put their name to anything less than the best.
But the real story is inside. It would have been very easy to produce 'just another' complete works with a fancy binding and nothing special on the inside, but that hasn't happened here. As well as the complete text, the book includes a long review of each play placing it in historical and dramatic context. In addition to that there are extensive notes on each page, explaining the more abstruse language and adding explanations of historical or plot points. This means that the plays can be read as literature - not always easy if one only has the basic text, or if one has to keep flipping to the back for a list of notes. Plus, as you'd expect, the poems and sonnets are given just as thorough a treatment.
All in all, I'd give it more than five stars if I could. It's a gorgeous book, both to look at and to read, and should be part of the collection of anyone who's ever enjoyed, or thought they might enjoy, Shakespeare. Possibly the only Shakepeare volume you'll ever need?
Worth the price tag! May 4, 2007
116 out of 120 found this review helpful
I have never found a complete works like it before. I don't know if I can put it into words, but i'll try...
1) This is the only complete works I've ever seen to have notes on the text writen ON THE PAGE. One of my pet hates about reading complete works was that if there was an obscure phrase, you used to have to go online or find another edition of it, which interupted the pleasure of reading. No more! It's an absolute joy to read, and so sumptuously laid out.
2) It's totally edited from the first folio. Not only that, it's edited by the RSC. Now, you may say why is that so important? Well, Shakespeare wrote for actors, not for literary analysis by ancient professors, and shakespeare used certain devices in his writing to help out his actors. The first folio is closest to what we have as Shakespeare's own words. This means it's the best copy to read from be you acting or writing an essay, or simpl reading for pleasure.
3) The sprinkles and jelly tots on top of the cake are the essays at the start of each play (which stimulate the mind... they're not breathtaking, but interesting at least), the pictures from the RSC archive, an introduction to the life and times of Shakespeare, and access to a website with extra resource materail for whatever your fancy.
If you want to buy a Complete Works of Shakespeare, this HAS to be the one. It's worth every penny, and will last you for life! It's the best out there!
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