Shakespeare's Hamlet: The Manga Edition

by Tintin Pantoja, William Shakespeare, Adam Sexton, et al.

Book Overview

The sudden death of the king, later revealed to be murder. The queen's all-too-sudden remarriage to the king's brother, the murderer. The grieving, suspicious Prince Hamlet. Supernatural visitations. Plots, leaks, and counterplots. Poisoned wine. A rigged sword fight. Revenge. With a four-page introduction and an abridged text that remains true to Shakespeare's wording, setting, and time, this fast-paced, graphic manga edition gets you caught up in...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0470097574
• ISBN13: 9780470097571
• Release Date: January 2008
• Publisher: Houghton Mifflin
• Length: 185 Pages
• Weight: 1.50 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.4" x 5.8" x 7.4"
• Age Range: 12 to 17 years
• Grade Range: Grades 7 to 12

Customer Reviews

An excellent adaptation

I'm a graduate student in a Shakespeare class, writing a conference paper on this adaptation of Hamlet. It's safe (at the moment) to say that I've spent more hours studying this book than anyone outside of its creators. There are ways in which this is not manga, of course. And there are ways in which it is not Hamlet. But it is a heavily manga-influenced adaptation of Hamlet, and if you engage it on its own terms, it is simply brilliant. Sexton's adaptation trims a LOT of Shakespeare's language: some minor characters, and even whole scenes are gone. This is simply inevitable, and likely to anger Shakespeare purists. But critically, there is no language in the book that is NOT Shakespeare's, and the major characters, themes, major plot points and speeches are preserved. Neither are the characters reduced to cartoon versions of themselves: thanks in no small part to Tintin Pantoja's excellent artistry in rendering them, the characters retain much of the depth Shakespeare gave them. Meanwhile, the visual art is brilliant. Pantoja's work is first rate, and her choices reflect a strong connection to the play and a unique artistic sensibility that is worthy of praise. It helps readers who might be intimidated by the river of antique language that is Shakespeare's text to engage and interpret the material vividly and at their own pace. With raw text, interpretation can be difficult. Watching a performance or film version, it's easy to get lost. Here, the words and the pictures wait for the reader. I recommend this adaptation to teachers, students, and lovers of Shakespeare of all ages.

Very good quality, impressive.

I bought this to support young artists, but I'm very impressed with the quality of artistic craftsmanship. So is everyone who reads. Congratulations to the people who made it and those who buy it. The cover makes it look a bit corny, the rest of the book is better by far.

A Vibrant Version of a Familiar Favorite

This little version of Shakespeare's 'Hamlet' is a sparkling gem, thanks to the dynamic illustrations by Tintin Pantoja. Since this play is a familiar favorite of mine I really didn't need another copy of it, but the beguiling cover art convinced me to indulge, and I wasn't disappointed. The text inside is pure Shakespeare - the play has been skillfully pruned, but thankfully not paraphrased. The story moves along briskly with distinctive character designs, varied panel layouts, and brilliantly expressive figures. I keep returning to the beginning of Act V to appreciate my favorite scene: Hamlet by the graveside, cradling the skull of "poor Yorick", the jester from Hamlet's childhood. Two illustrations show Hamlet as a child enjoying the company of Yorick, and such is the advantage of this medium (manga/graphic novel) - that we can see Hamlet as a young adult in one panel and Hamlet as a child in the next. I can only imagine that this manga edition would be an engaging first encounter with the play, but I can say with certainty that this is a pleasant reacquaintance with an old familiar favorite.

WILL WOULD HAVE LOVED THIS BOOK

A phenomenal, first-rate transcription of Macbeth, with state-of-the-art drawings. Far superior to Cliff Notes or the old Classic Comics. Eve Grandt's masterful drawings provide the best art work I have ever seen and really bring this renown play to life, espcially for those unfamiliar with this immemorial work. Only the most closed-minded provincial person would quibble with this adaptation.

Excellent analysis

Ok - this study guide totally rocks, especially when you dont want to read the actual book. Provides character analysis and summaries to make your life a little easier. Buy it, dudes!