Macbeth The Graphic Novel: Original Text

by William Shakespeare, John McDonald (Adapted by), Jon Haward (Artist), Nigel Dobbyn (Illustrator), Jo Wheeler (Designed by), Karen Wenborn (Contribution by), Joe Sutliff Sanders (Translator)

Overview

Witches, murder, ghosts, and madness — one of Shakespeare’s finest tragedies is also a perfect fit for the graphic novel format. This compelling adaptation depicts every blood-curdling scene in easy-to-follow illustrations, accompanied by Shakespeare’s original text. An illustrated cast of characters reminds readers who’s who, and fascinating background information on Shakespeare and the real Macbeth adds historical context.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781906332440
Publisher:	Classical Comics
Publication date:	11/05/2008
Edition description:	Unabridged
Pages:	144
Sales rank:	49,200
Product dimensions:	6.60(w) x 9.60(h) x 0.20(d)
Lexile:	GN700L (what's this?)
Age Range:	12 Years

About the Author

No writer will ever equal William Shakespeare's influence on the English language. Born in 1564 in Stratford-upon-Avon, England, "The Bard" was an actor and playwright who had staged his own shows in London by 1592. Though little is known about his early life, he forsooth proved himself a virtuoso for the ages. Expanding the boundaries of the English language, Shakespeare penned dozens of plays -- from enduring tragedies like Romeo and Juliet, Hamlet and Othello, to bawdy comedies like A Midsummer Night's Dream -- plus more than 150 sonnets during his towering career. He shuffled off this mortal coil in 1616, but more than half a millennium later, his works are still read and produced around the world, including at a modern thatched-roof reconstruction of his troupe's Globe Theatre in London.

Editorial Reviews

Shakespeare for everyone takes on a new meaning with this publisher's clever multi-format version of Macbeth. Using the same set of graphic illustrations, three separate volumes provide a different version of the text. The "Original Text" provides the unabridged script; unfortunately all sense of verse and lineation is lost as the words are divided to fit into speech bubbles. The "Plain Text" variant translates the verse into modern English. Although it is not presented as an abridged version, this Macbeth is substantially shortened. The "Quick Text" variant presents an artless, albeit fast-paced, version of the play composed of abrupt exchanges and declarative sentences. The artwork for these three versions provides some sense of mood, emphasizes the violence and gore implicit in the play, and presents the mystical elements as full-fledged horror icons. The subtleties of character enabled by Shakespeare's language give way to stark characterizations in the illustrations - Lady Macbeth is conniving; Macbeth is brooding and anxious. Varied layouts and dramatic action enliven all three versions, although the need for strings of speech bubbles sometimes makes the pages of the "Original Text" version appear crowded. Readers adverse to Shakespeare will appreciate the added interpretation provided by the graphic novel format, but anyone valuing the original language will regret the simplification of two of these variants as well as the distinctly unpoetic artwork that invites readers to replace introspection and linguistic range with lots of rippling capes and close-up portraits of grimacing faces. Other plays in this series are Henry V, The Tempest, and Richard III, with classics such asJane Eyre, Frankenstein, and A Christmas Carol receiving the same three-version treatment. Reviewer: Megan Lynn Isaac

VOYA - Megan Lynn Isaac