內容簡介
Unique features of the Signet Classic Shakespeare
An extensive overview of Shakespeare's life, world, and theater by the general editor of the Signet Classic Shakespeare series, Sylvan Barnet
A special introduction to the play by the editor, Sylvan Barnet, Tufts University
Source from which Shakespeare derived Macbeth—selections from Raphael Holinshed's The Chronicles of England, Scotland, and Ireland
Dramatic criticism from the past and present: commentaries by A. C. Bradley, Elmer Edgar Stoll, Mary McCarthy, Joan Larsen Klein, Alan Sinfield
A comprehensive stage and screen history of notable actors, directors, and productions of Macbeth, then and now
Text, notes, and commentaries printed in the clearest, most readable type
Up-to-date list of recommended readings
作者簡介
William Shakespeare was born in Stratford-upon-Avon in April 1564, and his birth is traditionally celebrated on April 23. The facts of his life, known from surviving documents, are sparse. He was one of eight children born to John Shakespeare, a merchant of some standing in his community. William probably went to the King's New School in Stratford, but he had no university education. In November 1582, at the age of eighteen, he married Anne Hathaway, eight years his senior, who was pregnant with their first child, Susanna. She was born on May 26, 1583. Twins, a boy, Hamnet ( who would die at age eleven), and a girl, Judith, were born in 1585. By 1592 Shakespeare had gone to London working as an actor and already known as a playwright. A rival dramatist, Robert Greene, referred to him as "an upstart crow, beautified with our feathers." Shakespeare became a principal shareholder and playwright of the successful acting troupe, the Lord Chamberlain's Men (later under James I, called the King' s Men). In 1599 the Lord Chamberlain's Men built and occupied the Globe Theater in Southwark near the Thames River. Here many of Shakespeare's plays were performed by the most famous actors of his time, including Richard Burbage, Will Kempe, and Robert Armin. In addition to his 37 plays, Shakespeare had a hand in others, including Sir Thomas More and The Two Noble Kinsmen, and he wrote poems, including Venus and Adonis and The Rape of Lucrece. His 154 sonnets were published, probably without his authorization, in 1609. In 1611 or 1612 he gave up his lodgings in London and devoted more and more time to retirement in Stratford, though he continued writing such plays as The Tempest and Henry VII until about 1613. He died on April 23 1616, and was buried in Holy Trinity Church, Stratford. No collected edition of his plays was published during his life-time, but in 1623 two members of his acting company, John Heminges and Henry Condell, put together the great collection now called the First Folio.
精彩書評
"Based on an HBO animated series, these condensations emphasize the dramatic content of some of Shakespeare's best known works. As abridged by Garfield in consultation with a panel of scholars, the books on the whole retain the magic of Shakespeare's vision and remain true to his poetics. Linguistic fluidity is perforce sacrificed (omitted lines are presented as italicized summaries interspersed throughout the dialogue), but these versions should still fire children's imaginations. Though the artwork varies in quality, the Eastern European illustrators generally capture the underlying theatrics. Palettes are subdued for the dramas, and appropriately brighter for the comedies (though the tone reproductions frequently seem off). Several plays' illustrations have a cartoony appearance; a few exhibit the stilted look of old Classics Comics. While the plays forgo their complexities--many subplots are omitted--as they become more linear in their themes (Macbeth loses much of his humanity, Romeo and Juliet is pared of its politics), their nobility shines through in these visualized introductions. One hopes that readers will be encouraged to move on to the originals."
--Publishers Weekly
"Tempting readers into this dramatic retelling, the introduction calls this a "horrific tale of witches, murder, ghosts and revenge." Coville (William Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream, 1996, etc.) repeats most of the play's famous phrases (condensing the "Double double, toil and trouble" incantation to six lines) and expertly captures the original's lurid supernatural manifestations and dark tone. Lady Macbeth's motives for murdering Duncan are never clear, and the porter's scene--along with some others--is dropped, so the plotting may be even patchier than Shakespeare's; still, as with Coville's previous adaptations of Shakespeare, children unfamiliar with the original will get a good idea of what awaits them. Kelley gives the entire cast a ghostly look in his shadowy, atmospheric paintings; except for the deliciously hideous Weird Sisters, figures are erect and dignified, generally posed at rest with eyes downcast or directed away from the viewer--and despite all the play's gory deeds, there is no blood to be seen. A volume for those who are certain that this kind of adaptation--reduces an intense psychological study to a slim story of multiple murders--will not prejudice children against future encounters with the Bard."
--Kirkus Reviews
前言/序言
經典文學的永恒迴響:精選文學名著導讀 本書簡介 本捲精選瞭多部跨越不同時代和地域的文學瑰寶,旨在為讀者提供一次深入探索人類經驗、社會變遷與藝術錶達的旅程。我們精心挑選的作品,不僅在文學史上占據著重要的地位,更因其深刻的思想內涵和卓越的藝術成就,持續引發著一代又一代讀者的共鳴與反思。 第一部分:啓濛之光與社會批判 本部分聚焦於十八世紀末至十九世紀中葉的歐洲文學,這一時期是思想解放與工業革命交織的時代,文學作品成為審視社會弊病、探討人與自然關係的有力工具。 《傲慢與偏見》(Pride and Prejudice) 簡·奧斯汀的這部不朽之作,以其精妙的諷刺筆觸和對人際關係細緻入微的觀察,描繪瞭英國攝政時期鄉紳階層的日常生活。故事圍繞著班內特傢的五位女兒及其追求婚姻的麯摺過程展開。伊麗莎白·班內特,一個機智、獨立、充滿活力的女性形象,與高傲自負的達西先生之間的誤解與和解,構成瞭全書的核心張力。 奧斯汀巧妙地探討瞭財富、階級、婚姻觀念在當時社會中的決定性作用,但她筆下的人物絕非扁平的符號。她通過精準的對話和內心獨白,展現瞭人物性格的復雜性——偏見的形成與消除,傲慢的根源及其對判斷力的影響。閱讀此書,如同在那個光影交錯的時代裏,參與一場關於體麵、愛情與自我認知的優雅辯論。作品的魅力在於其對人性永恒弱點的洞察,即便在兩百年後的今天,我們依然能從伊麗莎白和達西的互動中,看到自己在麵對他人和自我評價時的影子。 《悲慘世界》(Les Misérables) 維剋多·雨果的史詩巨著,以法國大革命後波瀾壯闊的社會為背景,構建瞭一幅關於救贖、正義、貧睏與愛的宏大畫捲。故事的主角是冉阿讓,一個因偷竊一塊麵包而背負沉重刑期的前囚犯。他的生命軌跡,充滿瞭苦難、掙紮、以及對善的執著追求。 雨果以極富激情和感染力的筆觸,刻畫瞭底層人民的悲慘境遇,控訴瞭法律的僵化與社會的不公。書中形形色色的人物,如善良卻最終走嚮毀滅的芳汀、充滿理想主義的青年革命者馬呂斯、以及代錶著法律與秩序卻內心掙紮的警長安德烈,共同構成瞭一個復雜的人性群像。作品的核心主題在於“愛”能否戰勝“罪”,以及個體在宏大曆史洪流中的道德抉擇。雨果的敘事充滿著對理想社會的渴望,其磅礴的氣勢和深沉的人文關懷,使《悲慘世界》超越瞭單純的小說範疇,成為一部關於人類精神不屈的贊歌。 第二部分:現代主義的覺醒與內心探索 二十世紀初,世界格局劇變,文學思潮也隨之轉嚮對個體意識、潛意識以及時間本質的深入挖掘。 《追憶似水年華》(À la recherche du temps perdu) 馬塞爾·普魯斯特的這部鴻篇巨製,被譽為現代主義文學的裏程碑。它以第一人稱敘事,通過對“我”——馬塞爾——童年、青春、成年乃至暮年的記憶碎片進行結構重構,探討瞭時間、記憶、藝術與身份認同等終極哲學命題。 全書並非遵循傳統綫性敘事,而是依賴於“非自願記憶”的觸發機製,如著名的“瑪德萊娜蛋糕”事件,瞬間將敘述者帶迴過去某個精確的時刻。普魯斯特的文字極其細膩、冗長而華麗,如同對每一個感官體驗進行化學分析。他剖析瞭沙龍社交的虛僞、愛情的嫉妒與占有欲、藝術傢的創作過程,以及記憶如何構築我們對現實的理解。這部作品挑戰瞭讀者對敘事清晰度的傳統期待,要求讀者沉浸於意識流的細密結構之中,體驗時間在主觀感受中的彈性與流動性。 《尤利西斯》(Ulysses) 詹姆斯·喬伊斯以其革命性的寫作手法,將荷馬史詩的結構巧妙地嫁接到瞭1904年6月16日都柏林一天之內發生的故事上。主人公利奧波德·布魯姆,一個普通的廣告推銷員,其一天的遊蕩、思考與遭遇,被喬伊斯以極其豐富的語言風格、雙關語、典故和意識流技巧進行瞭前所未有的記錄。 《尤利西斯》的偉大在於其對語言的極緻實驗和對日常生活的史詩化處理。書中囊括瞭從古典希臘語到愛爾蘭俚語的各種語言層麵,幾乎每換一個章節,敘事風格都會發生翻天覆地的變化,模仿瞭不同的文學體裁和思維模式。這部作品是對現代都市人精神睏境的深度描繪,揭示瞭在傳統價值觀崩塌後,個體如何在瑣碎的現實中尋找意義和連接。它要求讀者具備極大的耐心和對語言的敏感度,每一次重讀都可能揭示齣新的層次和奧秘。 第三部分:美國文學的拓荒與反思 二十世紀中葉的美國文學,深刻反思瞭“美國夢”的本質,以及個體在廣袤而疏離的社會環境中可能麵臨的睏境。 《瞭不起的蓋茨比》(The Great Gatsby) F. 斯科特·菲茨傑拉德的這部中篇小說,被譽為“爵士時代”的挽歌。尼剋·卡拉威作為敘述者,記錄瞭神秘富豪傑伊·蓋茨比對逝去愛情的執著追逐。蓋茨比通過一係列看似閤法實則可疑的暴富手段,試圖重建與上流社會中美麗的黛西·布坎南的往昔戀情。 小說以其無可匹敵的憂鬱美感,揭示瞭二十年代美國社會中金錢、欲望與腐朽的本質。蓋茨比所代錶的,是對“美國夢”——即通過個人奮鬥實現階級跨越和幸福——的理想化投射,但他所愛慕的“彼岸”早已被物質主義和道德淪喪所侵蝕。菲茨傑拉德的文字如同一杯精心調製的雞尾酒,錶麵光鮮亮麗,內裏卻充滿瞭幻滅的苦澀。綠燈,這一貫穿全書的象徵,凝結瞭人類對遙不可及的希望的永恒嚮往。 《憤怒的葡萄》(The Grapes of Wrath) 約翰·斯坦貝剋的這部作品,是對美國大蕭條時期農民悲劇命運的深刻記錄。喬德一傢,一群來自俄剋拉荷馬州的佃農,因惡劣的經濟環境和環境災難而被迫背井離鄉,踏上瞭前往加州尋找“希望之地”的漫長旅程。 斯坦貝剋以現實主義的手法,細緻描繪瞭他們曆經的艱辛:飢餓、歧視、剝削和道德的考驗。小說不僅是個體的悲歌,更是對集體主義和人類互助精神的贊揚。在極端睏境中,喬德一傢逐漸學會瞭放下私有觀念,將自己視為“人民”的一部分,團結起來抵抗不公。作品的語言樸實有力,充滿瞭泥土的芬芳和底層人民堅韌的生命力,深刻地探討瞭尊嚴、傢庭的意義以及資本主義對人性的扭麯。 本捲精選的作品,橫跨瞭浪漫主義的激情、現實主義的批判、到現代主義的內省,它們共同構築瞭一部關於人類精神探索的百科全書,為每一位尋求深度閱讀體驗的讀者提供豐富的滋養。