Shakespeare Stories

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Overview

Here, in a breathtaking display of virtuoso storytelling, splendidly illustrated by Michael Foreman, Leon Garfield gives us twelve of Shakespeare's most memorable plays, presented afresh in narrative form to delight both those who know our greatest dramatists's works, and those (especially young people) who are new to them. Shakespeare Stories is not a series of retellings, but rather a refashioning of the dramas as stories that remain true to the essential spirit of the original versions. The author has captured...
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Overview

Here, in a breathtaking display of virtuoso storytelling, splendidly illustrated by Michael Foreman, Leon Garfield gives us twelve of Shakespeare's most memorable plays, presented afresh in narrative form to delight both those who know our greatest dramatists's works, and those (especially young people) who are new to them. Shakespeare Stories is not a series of retellings, but rather a refashioning of the dramas as stories that remain true to the essential spirit of the original versions. The author has captured all the richness of character, plot, mood, and setting in Shakespeare's works, without resorting to simplification. Indeed, Leon Garfield deliberately retains much of the original language, skillfully weaving it into his own prose, so that the reader is introduced to the flavor of the verse, as well as the incidents of plot and the spectacle of the drama. Shakespeare Stories is a wonderful distillation - a celebration and a reminder of Shakespeare's genius as poet and dramatist. Michael Foreman's dramatic color illustrations and dazzlingly varied black-and-white drawings - from loose, free studies in line and wash to detailed miniatures executed with the precision of etchings - are an artistic tour de force. Foreman shows himself to be a brilliantly sympathetic interpreter of the text, with illustrations that both reflect and amplify the broad range of mood and atmosphere that the stories encompass, from the ghostly shades of Hamlet's Elsinore to the moonlit mischief of Oberon's woods; from battlefields to a magic isle; from darkness to light. These are a perfect complement to Leon Garfield's stories.

An acclaimed author has rewritten twelve of Shakespeare's plays in narrative form, retaining much of the original language, and thus the flavor of the bard's dramas.

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Editorial Reviews

Children's Literature - Kathleen Karr
The late Leon Garfield could tell a great story, and his recap of Shakespeare's most accessible plays is done with his trademark intelligence, verve, and humor. The stories stand on their own, and as an introduction to the plays themselves go far toward sorting out plot and character intricacies, allowing the young reader to reach straight for the poetry of the originals. Foreman's illustrations are also very fine, touching the surreal, the dramatic, and the humorous as required.
School Library Journal
Gr 5 Up The value of this book will depend upon the intended use. From the deep orange endpapers, through generous margins and clear print, to the multitude of evocative illustrations, the volume is a delight. Foreman's intense watercolors and lively ink-wash illustrations go far to help create the moods of the stories. The storytelling is unevenGarfield is able to evoke the heartbreak of King Lear but fails to convey the crazy humor of Twelfth Night but it is generally competent enough. However, Garfield's visual descriptions are so specific and so lavish; his line interpretations so absolute that he almost guarantees that any given production will seem inadequate after such a buildup! Libraries that have Lamb's Tales from Shakespeare (Macmillan, 1963; o.p.) or Chute's Stories from Shakespeare (World, 1956; o.p.) probably don't need to add this luxury item. Garfield covers only 12 of the best-known plays, while the Lambs tell 20 tales and Chute leads the pack with 36. While Garfield's style is more accessible to modern readers and covers the plays more completely than the evasive Victorianisms of the Lambs, he must take a back seat when compared with the lucid straightforward prose in Chute's book. Sally T. Margolis, Town and Country Day School, Kensington, Md.
From the Publisher

"Masterly." The New York Times
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Product Details

  • ISBN-13: 9780140389388
  • Publisher: Penguin Books, Limited (UK)
  • Publication date: 4/28/1997

Meet the Author


MICHAEL FOREMAN is one of the world's leading illustrators of children's books and the winner of several major awards, including the Kate Greenaway Medal. His work ranges from picture books to fairy tales and original children's fiction. He is the illustrator of many Harcourt books, including Michael Foreman's Mother Goose, Joan of Arc, and Arthur, High King of Britain. He divides his time between London and St. Ives, England, his childhood home.

Leon Garfield, the distinguished author of more than thirty books for children and adults, has won numerous literary awards and honors, including the Carnegie Medal. Before his death in 1996, he lived in London with his wife, author Vivien Alcock, and their daughter.

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Table of Contents

Twelfth Night 9
King Lear 29
The Tempest 51
The Merchant of Venice 75
The Taming of the Shrew 101
King Richard the Second 121
King Henry IV. Part One 139
Hamlet 169
Romeo and Juliet 205
Othello 223
A Midsummer Night's Dream 253
Macbeth 271
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Customer Reviews

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Sort by: Showing 1 Customer Reviews

  • Posted October 26, 2009

    Wonderful Shakespeare intro/resource

    This far outstrips Tales from Shakespeare by Charles and Mary Lamb. Garfield retains the flavor of the original while telling the tales of the plays. The stories read like actual stories, not plot synopses. Garfield uses quite a bit of Shakespeare's language, and if you are introducing someone to Shakespeare, isn't that the point? As Frank McCourt put it "like jewels in the mouth."

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