Review of the Signet edition of Shakespeare's "King Lear"

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	• King Lear (Signet Classics) William Shakespeare Signet Classics, 1998 - 352 pages average customer review:based on 50 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

Helpful

I have my degree in English... I like reading and teaching with this version as "help" not as a substitution. It gives a clearer understanding to Shakespeare for people who have difficulty with it.

Difficult to understand

It is not easy to understand the old style Eglish to non-native foreigner like me. But I read it cover to cover.

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Review of the Signet edition of Shakespeare's "King Lear"

This paperback is a handy edition of Shakespeare's great play, useful for students on all levels. The critical essays in the back are helpful, though one or two more recent ones could have been included.

Good value for your money

Although this edition is not quite as exhaustive as the Arden Shakespeare paperbacks, it does have good commentary and even includes a fair bit of criticism. It's not expensive and the print is clear and readable, not small or cramped like some Shakespeare editions. The comments, which largely explain difficult words in the text, are printed on the same page as the text, which is helpful. I use a copy of this for studying Shakespeare - at such a good prize, you don't feel bad for scribbling notes in the margins.

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Great Ideas--But Beware!

I bought this edition as a teaching supplement, not realizing that it is the folio version of the play. The words "quarto" and "folio" refer to the size of the pages in the two editions. Many secondary schools and universities use the quarto edition and a lot is left out of the folio--this version cuts out three hundred lines and adds one hundred new ones. The effect is that it alters the way the characters are shown. If you are reading the play with a class and they have a quarto version, while you are using your trusty teacher's Cambridge, chances are there will be a lot of blank expressions and confusion on their faces. The lines they see will not jibe with yours. The extra articles and class activities are great though--just make sure that if you use the Cambridge, you have your students buy only folio editions.

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reviews: page 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10

King Lear divides his kingdom between his two duplicitous daughters, banishing the loving Cordelia and the steadfast Kent. The King's acts of folly launch a hugely moving search for dignity, self-knowledge and wisdom on the grandest of scales. Three 90-minute cassettes.

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