Anne Barton's final book uncovers woodland's persistent imaginative power in renaissance drama. Paying close attention to the practicalities of performance, the collection is representative of Barton's breadth of scholarship: it considers plays by Shakespeare and his contemporaries, court pageants, treatises on forestry and chronicle history.
Presents the original text of Shakespeare's play side by side with a modern version, with marginal notes and explanations and full descriptions of each character
One of the greatest plays of all time, the compelling tragedy of the tormented young prince of Denmark continues to capture the imaginations of modern audiences worldwide. Confronted with evidence that his uncle murdered his father, and with his mother's infidelity, Hamlet must find a means of reconciling his longing for oblivion with his duty as avenger. The ghost, Hamlet's feigned madness, Ophelia's death and burial, the play within a play, the "closet scene" in which Hamlet accuses his mother of complicity in murder, and breathtaking swordplay are just some of the elements that make Hamlet an enduring masterpiece of the theater.