My World Literature professor suggested the "Shakespeare Made Easy" series after I told her that I would have difficulty understanding the Bard. I not only (finally!) understood what was happening but, in the future, will buy the other books in the series to do some serious catching up on Shakespeare.

The translation was in Modern English but what will surprise the reader is that many things haven't changed from Olde English. As you're reading the Modern English version, take the few seconds to look at the corresponding Olde English (on the left) and see how much you can understand.

In any case, the price is just right for this book and you'll come away with a deeper knowledge and much appreciation for Shakespeare after you're done. - Donna Di Giacomo

Very helpful, affordable, and clear. Helped in more ways than I thought.

I won't even attempt to critique Shakespeare's work, as some have done here. I'm not reviewing MacBeth, but this particular version of it. As a homeschooling Mom with three highschool students, the only way we could get through Shakespeare's works is by having a copy of Shakespeare Made Easy on hand. As it is, we completed 5 plays this year - all done orally, with each of us taking several parts. While I think it's important that my kids read Shakespeare in it's original format (and they did), I had the Shakespeare Made Easy translation handy so that I could give simple, concise explanations whenever they just didn't "get it". I recommend these books for that purpose - not for the watered down versions of these classics, but to make them understandable to the average student who might otherwise find Shakespeare's works boring and a waste of time (as many students do).