A Midsummer Night's Dream (Macmillan Collector's Library)

Great for a teen’s first Shakespeare. We really liked having the short synopsis before each act, and the lists of meanings the of words/phrases on every facing page. (This is for the Folger Shakespeare Library edition)

Ok so EDUCATION is learning. But if you take Shakespeare and dumb it down to language that you are already familiar with WHAT ARE YOU LEARNING?????? The point of Shakespeare is the wording and if you remove that then what are you doing? Dumb

The edition I received DID NOT have any illustrations, art or photos as mentioned in several of the posted reviews. It also is not written in a paragraph - easy to follow format with major passages from the original work quoted as another review states. It is a very nice edition with an excellent and lengthy Introduction. This is a High School, College or adult edition (with small typeface. In my opinion it will be a turn-off for most children. I bought it for my 10 yo grand daughter who expressed an interest in Shakespeare plays. As advanced as I feel she is, this is not the right edition for her. In searching AMZ for a better version I noticed that many of the alternatives have the very SAME reviews - regardless of the fact that each version/edition is different. Shame on Amazon! A big disservice to your customers.

“A Midsummer Night’s Dream” is one of Shakespeare’s most produced plays, but it also has the distinction of being quite good. This play exudes in the joys to be had in romping through the realms that we can never truly understand or explain. Realms like love, our dreams, fantasy, etc. It is a funny and clever play, and Shakespeare gives the reader a master class in interweaving three separate plotlines in a manner that is nicely and appropriately done.There are many joys to be had in reading (and seeing) “Midsummer”, but unique to reading the play here are just a few reasons why it is worth your attention. First, the introduction by Russ McDonald (Pelican Shakespeare edition) has some really good insights that I have not come across elsewhere. It is well done. As for the play itself, it yields countless joys, among them Act 2:1 where the leaders of the fairy fantastical world (Oberon and his queen Titania) have an epic quarrel. The scene boast some of the loveliest poetry in all of Shakespeare. The imagery is astoundingly fantastic. “Midsummer” actually contains some of the best poetry in the Shakespearean canon period, especially in the characters of Oberon- the King of the fairies, and Duke Theseus. In the hands of talented actors they have moments in the play that are mesmerizing. Act 5 of “Midsummer” is also one of the most pleasing and funny in all of Shakespeare. All of the loose plot lines are tied up; it has gut busting humor, and again that lovely poetry. As one of Shakespeare’s few original plotlines and a play where fantasy and harmony are emphasized, I imagine that the self-justification of art and artists was sometimes in his head as he wrote it. One of the truly remarkable plays of all time.As for the Pelican Shakespeare series, they are my favorite editions as the scholarly research is usually top notch and the editions themselves look good as an aesthetic unit. It looks and feels like a play and this compliments the text's contents admirably. The Pelican series was recently reedited and has the latest scholarship on Shakespeare and his time period. Well priced and well worth it.

No descriptions, no images, nothing. And nevertheless the visual impact is powerful. I can almost see the virgin nature, feel the warmth of the season, a primal age in which you can rest outside. Shakespeare succeed in represent a distant time, so distant that we can almost touch in friendship the old pagan divinities and spirits of nature.In a forest, unbeknownst to a company of actors and to fugitive lovers, their destiny is woven along the conflicts of Oberon with Titania, sovereigns of the fairies. They have traveled to that forest close to Athens to be at the wedding of Theseus and Hippolyta. Where another writer had been tempted to tell the story of Theseus, Shakespeare instead presents another totally different and unforgettable tale in the borders of myth. Through magic and confusion, askewed love is tried to be straightened; but in the way to it instead get funnily misshapen. The image of a queen treating a donkey as a king is so delicious xDWhen the day arrives the story changes a bit. I felt like it was not needed, maybe it is a matter of comparison to the night, making it less strong. Or maybe I have to read it again. But sure enough this is a great book (I'd not see it in theater, to be honest I don't like that art) Shakespeare is a genius indeed, one that makes me happy to know enough English to read him.The AmazonClassics edition is limpid. There is X-Ray to be sure about the characters; and not footnotes nor prologues to bother the readers. What to me is of the uttermost importance for the work of a genius for whom his plays were meant, among many qualities, to entertain the public.

This is another excellent edition in this Oxford single-text series. The play itself is accompanied by copious on-page notes which push beyond mere linguistic gloss, and the introduction is admirably full. Holland starts with dream theory to contextualise the play but then ranges back through the three realms, Bottom's encounter with a form of divinity, and the play within a play.Especially impressive is the range of bibliography absorbed and offered here, and the elucidation of intertextual references, from Ovid and Apuleius via Chaucer and sixteenth century texts.All of this series has a robust sewn binding and thick pages making it perfect for academic study.

A great read and essential for every household. Lovely introduction for anyone further interested in the backround of this play!

My item arrived on time, outer packaging fine. Sadly the book itself was covered in mud. The front cover was covered in mud and I wiped it off and thought to myself that it should be fine once I wiped it. Sadly I then looked at the side of the book (page side up) and the majority of the pages are covered too.. for a brand new book I'm extremely disappointed. I'd normally return this however I need to read the book for a virtual audition I have soon. With all the germs lurking at the moment it really doesn't feel like a fresh, new book.

Excellent IntroductionExcellent notesClear layoutI used this edition for my University studies in 2002… Twenty years later, I am homeschooling my friend’s girl, so I bought her this edition so that we could study, ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ for her own education (she’s thirteen years-old).

Love this version of the story and so did my class of 10 and 11 year olds! It was passed around more than any other book this year I think!