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toniclark's review
4.0
Fascinating take on Macbeth and its themes of ambition, power, violence, and love from one of the greatest Shakespeare scholars, Harold Bloom. Bloom calls Macbeth and Lady Macbeth the happiest married couple in Shakespeare. I enjoyed revisiting this great play, which I’ve read decades ago, but still remember vividly.
colorfulleo92's review against another edition
4.0
I haven't read any other books in this series where Harold Bloom writes about Shakespeare's most significant characters. But I sure will after this. Very interesting and informative to read eitputh being too worldly or at all boring.
iamjudgedredd's review against another edition
4.0
Ive not read a lot of formal literary criticism outside of educational settings, so it was an interesting endeavour to read this after Macbeth. Bloom is famously a Shakespeare authority, but this little book was both very approachable and also insightful, for the more casual reader. It shows Bloom's quality both as an academic, but also as a teacher that he can make his thoughts this accessible to the layman.
There might not be much in here for the English lit post-grads/doctorates etc, but for you and I, this book had some excellent talking points and additions that go beyond the notes in the Norton Critical Edition of Macbeth that I read. I realize this isn't for everyone, but I'm glad I have the Cleopatra volume, and will probably dive into that sometime soon also.
In reality a large portion of the book is reproductions of the play, and maybe only like 45% of the book is Bloom's writing. Some will find that a waste of money, but I appreciated being able to follow that journey without having both books open. Having read this book, it felt like I had sat in a lecture with bloom going over the play at a good level of detail, but with lots of opportunities or nuggets laid out for me to dive into in my own time with further reading.
There might not be much in here for the English lit post-grads/doctorates etc, but for you and I, this book had some excellent talking points and additions that go beyond the notes in the Norton Critical Edition of Macbeth that I read. I realize this isn't for everyone, but I'm glad I have the Cleopatra volume, and will probably dive into that sometime soon also.
In reality a large portion of the book is reproductions of the play, and maybe only like 45% of the book is Bloom's writing. Some will find that a waste of money, but I appreciated being able to follow that journey without having both books open. Having read this book, it felt like I had sat in a lecture with bloom going over the play at a good level of detail, but with lots of opportunities or nuggets laid out for me to dive into in my own time with further reading.
cj_tatertott's review against another edition
challenging
dark
informative
reflective
sad
slow-paced
3.25
This book was really interesting in the way that it dissected Shakespeare’s Macbeth. It is incredibly character focused, and really deep dives into the ways Macbeth can affect the audience. I will say that I do disagree with Bloom’s treatment of the characters, especially Lady Macbeth. He also sometimes becomes a bit too poetic, and in parts he is long winded.
joshrskinner's review against another edition
3.0
Good for what it is, this is Bloom at his most approachable. Nothing earthshattering as far as scholarship, this volume feels more like Bloom sitting around and chatting about one of his favorite plays.
ssp_amax's review against another edition
2.0
As much as I respect Bloom's scholarship, and have enjoyed other of his work, this reader's digest of Macbeth falls short of expectations with very little insightful commentary or analyses scattered in between the long quoted passages. I expected this type of book to be a deep character analysis of Macbeth, but it ended up being a beginner's guide to the play.
I would not recommend this book to fellow scholars who are looking for critical insight into Macbeth. However, this would be a good introductory look at a complex play, and it might make the work more accessible to every day Shakespeare readers and enthusiasts.
I would not recommend this book to fellow scholars who are looking for critical insight into Macbeth. However, this would be a good introductory look at a complex play, and it might make the work more accessible to every day Shakespeare readers and enthusiasts.
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