Nicholas Brooke Livres

Focusing on six significant plays, this collection delves into the early tragedies of Shakespeare, exploring themes of power, revenge, love, and fate. Each study provides insights into the characters and the historical context, enhancing the understanding of works like "Titus Andronicus," "Richard III," and "Romeo and Juliet." The analyses aim to uncover the complexities of Shakespeare's storytelling and the emotional depth within these iconic narratives.

Dark and violent, Macbeth is also the most theatrically spectacular of Shakespeare's tragedies. Indeed, for 250 years - until early this century - it was performed with grand operatic additions set to baroque music. In his introduction Nicholas Brooke relates the play's changing fortunes to changes within society and the theatre and investigates the sources of its enduring appeal. He examines its many layers of illusion and interprets its linguistic turns and echoes, arguing that the earliest surviving text is an adaptation, perhaps carried out by Shakespeare himself in collaboration with Thoma