Tag Archives: Shakespeare

Sep27

Graphically Shakespeare

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There is an increasing number of graphic versions of Shakespearean plays and they have been gaining quite a following. Recently our English department purchased ten copies of a graphic Merchant of Venice and had great success with these, engaging otherwise dis-enfranchised Year 10 readers.

Here are two different takes in this vein – one more expected and the other a very different perspective.

Usborne Graphic: Macbeth – Russell Punter with Massimiliano Longo & Valentino Forlini

Harper Collins Australia

August 2020

  • ISBN: 9781474948128
  • ISBN 10: 147494812X
  • Imprint: Usborne – GB
  • List Price: 16.99 AUD

No doubt Macbeth is my favourite of Shakespeare’s plays and this graphic version has great appeal across ages from around ten to mid-secondary with its vibrant comic strip illustrations and updated language.

This is probably the most successful graphic adaptation of the Bard’s plays I’ve seen and for the purists there are some original lines included, italicised for easy recognition, a brief introduction including the cast of main characters and a mini-essay to conclude with factual information about both the playwright and the history of Macbeth.

All in all, either as an addition to your graphic collection or as one to share with your English literature teachers, this one ticks all the boxes.

Yorick and Bones – Jeremy Tankard and Hermione Tankard

Harper Collins Australia

September 2020

  • ISBN: 9780062854315
  • ISBN 10: 0062854313
  • Imprint: HarperCollins – US
  • List Price: 16.99 AUD

Click to access Yorick-and-Bones-Teachers-Notes.pdf

Ok, so perhaps I fudged a bit with the Shakespeare reference as such and this one could more accurately described as ‘inspired by Shakespeare’ but it is very funny, very quirky and is definitely going to grab your readers from around eight years upwards.

The Tankard father and daughter duo have created the first in an imaginative and lively series that young readers especially your lovers of graphic will absolutely relish.

Yorick the skeleton has been disinterred after a few hundred years off-duty and in keeping with his origins is inclined to speak in very Shakespearean language e.g. “Pray, get thee onto him! I wish thee luck!”. Bones is the very hungry dog who has dug up Yorick – obviously in search of gnaw-able bones. Being a dog Bones didn’t really expect bones that would talk back!

Can this unlikely pair actually become friends? Perhaps if Bones can find a treat that not only suits his appetite but is not quite so fulsome in its conversation, they just might. From hotdogs to games of marbles, soccer balls to babies in prams, this a delicious romp through some creative and fun mayhem.

I would highly recommend it as a new series to grab particularly any reluctant readers as well as your kiddos who pounce on the graphics.

Jun26

Third Witch – Jackie French

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Harper Collins

      ISBN: 9780732298531

      ISBN 10: 0732298539

      Imprint: HarperCollins – AU

19/06/2017

     RRP 16.99 AUD

Macbeth has been my favourite Shakespearean play ever since studying it at school and being taken to a very atmospheric production for an excursion. Of course I knew that Shakespeare had totally fibbed about the whole thing but then he wasn’t a chronicler of history, he was a showman and storyteller. Like Jackie French I too got to play the Third Witch as a 15 year old schoolgirl but not in the actual play but a school production of Happy as Larry, which was loosely based on the original.  I don’t remember much about it except we were a screaming success (of course!) except it was directed by the divine Mr Herlinger, my English and Ancient History teacher on whom I had a huge crush. But I digress…

Annie Grasseyes’ rise from lowly village girl to friend and confidante of Lady Macbeth forms the basis of this novel. Her involvement with her mistress’ plotting and planning starts out almost innocently but as time goes by Annie is drawn deeper and deeper into a vortex of evil deeds.

With her indisputable skill Jackie weaves the story with threads from Shakespeare’s own memorable phrases and a close knowledge of everyday life in medieval England, combining these with a story of a young girl mesmerised by luxury and power.

The themes of loyalty, love, betrayal, superstition, and power reflect the original but strips it down to what it truly was – an account of greed and treachery.

At times Annie almost becomes unlikeable as she constantly (and naively) supports the wickedness of her Lady, but her uncompromising loyalty is admirable and it extends to her family, resulting in her being torn between these.

This is a beautiful rendering of the original play and will bring the beauty of Shakespeare’s language to a new audience as well as entrancing them with the simplicity with which a person can find they are embroiled in the very worst of circumstances.

Highly recommended for those readers who relish historical fiction whether they be WS lovers or not.  Suitable for ten years upwards.

 

Jun4

How to Stop an Alien Invasion Using Shakespeare – Nick Falk & Tony Flowers

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alieninvasion

ISBN: 9780143780328

Published: 28/03/2016

Imprint: Random House Australia Children’s

 

RRP $14.99

Hast thou ever feared the imminent arrival of strange googly-eyed alien monsters? Dost thou fret over total destruction of the known world by hideous extra-terrestrials of extraordinary ugliness?

You may rest assured that the solution is at hand. Join Sid, his little sister Wendy and evil-genius neighbour aka the Mighty Professor Skeletron as they thwart an alien invasion caused by Sid’s astounding adaptation of Romeo & Juliet for a school assignment.

When Mr Pilchard, Sid’s vile teacher, threatens the class and especially Sid of dire consequences should they not produce their best piece of creative writing ever, Sid seeks inspiration and advice from the evil-genius. Mighty Professor Skeletron’s psychic cat directs Sid’s attention to the works of Shakespeare, greatest writer of all time.

The trouble lies in the fact that Sid makes his story just too similar to the original and mayhem ensues as he reads aloud his prize-winning story instigating a chain of events that sees the intrepid trio travelling in time via potato power to redress the catastrophe. Changing the course of history has never been so simple or so hilarious!

Kids from around 8 and up will love this latest offering from the talented Falk and Flowers duo. Highly recommended for your primary library shelves!

Sep18

Romeo & Juliet – Retold by Jim Pipe, Illustrated by Penko Gelev

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Romeo & Juliet – Retold by Jim Pipe, Illustrated by Penko Gelev

Graffex series

Book House, UK, 2014

via INT Books (Tom Danby)

48 pp. RRP $15.95

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If, as I have just experienced, you have students who struggle with Shakespeare, this series could prove a valuable complement to your collection. My Year 10 boys have just done a unit on Romeo & Juliet and while we steered clear of reading the play in full, instead selecting passages, watching the film, live performance from Grin & Tonic and so on, many still had some problems.

I took this slim graphic volume in for them to look at, and several commented that they now understood a particular part or made notes using the book.

Firstly, the graphic format breaks the play down in a storyboard type format which is easy to follow. Secondly, while the ‘speech’ is still Shakespearean, there are footnotes to ‘translate’ into modern day language. This running glossary is probably the most beneficial aspect of this version. Additionally there are several pages at the back with information about Shakespeare, his work and his times plus an index. A useful page as a frontispiece, pictures the characters with their names and relationship to Romeo and Juliet.

The only disconcerting note for me is the illustrator’s tendency to have the characters look like muddy-faced trolls – Juliet is far from attractive as she scowls with her troll-face to swallow her potion. In fact, they all look very unpleasant – whether they are the good guys or not!

That being said I think this would be very handy for those students who need a simplified version and visual connection to help them grasp the main ideas and themes of Shakespeare. Others in this series included A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Hamlet, Julius Caesar and The Merchant of Venice.  There are also other classic stories published in the same format – see the publisher’s page here,