Henry V The Graphic Novel: Plain Text (British English) [Paperback]

John McDonald (Adapter), Shakespeare William (Author), Clive Bryant (Editor), Neil Cameron (Illustrator), Bambos (Illustrator), Nigel Dobbyn (Illustrator), Jason Cardy (Colorist), Kat Nicholson (Colorist), Karen Wenborn (Contributor), Jo Wheeler (Designer)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 5, 2007

To accompany the "Henry V" graphic novels from Classical Comics and to help with their application in the classroom, this book is spiral-bound, making the pages easy to photocopy. It is written by a teacher, for teachers, helping to engage and involve students in Shakespeare's play. Suitable for teaching ages 10-17, this book provides exercises that cover structure, listening, understanding, motivation and character as well as key words, themes and literary techniques. Although the majority of the tasks focus on the use of language and comprehension, there are also many cross-curriculum topics, covering areas within history, ICT, drama, reading, speaking, writing and art. An extensive Educational Links section provides further study opportunities. Devised to encompass a broad range of skill levels, this book provides many opportunities for differentiated teaching and the tailoring of lessons to meet individual needs. This resource can be used alongside the Classical Comics adaptation of "Henry V" as well as any traditional text. In fact, many of the activities can stand on their own as introductions to the world of Shakespeare.

--This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"I think it is an inspired idea. Some would say that this would be a good tool for the lazy student, but the fact is that there are students that cannot read that well, no matter how hard they try. Why shouldn't they have the chance to understand the content and participate in class discussions?" http://comicsintheclassroom.net August 2007" --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

About the Author

Jason Cobley has taught English in a variety of secondary schools and sixth forms for a number of years, eight of them as Head of English. He currently leads a department at a school in Cambridgeshire. Jason is also a Senior Examiner for AQA GCSE English. As a writer, Jason self-published the comic strip adventures of Captain Winston Bulldog for many years and most recently, Jason has written the graphic novel adaptation of Mary Shelley's FrankensteinA" for Classical Comics, and this study guide. --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 144 pages
• Publisher: Classical Comics Ltd (November 5, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1906332002
• ISBN-13: 978-1906332006
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 6.6 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,333,424 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

William Shakespeare was born in Stratford-upon-Avon in April 1564, and his birth is traditionally celebrated on April 23. The facts of his life, known from surviving documents, are sparse. He was one of eight children born to John Shakespeare, a merchant of some standing in his community. William probably went to the King's New School in Stratford, but he had no university education. In November 1582, at the age of eighteen, he married Anne Hathaway, eight years his senior, who was pregnant with their first child, Susanna. She was born on May 26, 1583. Twins, a boy, Hamnet ( who would die at age eleven), and a girl, Judith, were born in 1585. By 1592 Shakespeare had gone to London working as an actor and already known as a playwright. A rival dramatist, Robert Greene, referred to him as "an upstart crow, beautified with our feathers." Shakespeare became a principal shareholder and playwright of the successful acting troupe, the Lord Chamberlain's Men (later under James I, called the King's Men). In 1599 the Lord Chamberlain's Men built and occupied the Globe Theater in Southwark near the Thames River. Here many of Shakespeare's plays were performed by the most famous actors of his time, including Richard Burbage, Will Kempe, and Robert Armin. In addition to his 37 plays, Shakespeare had a hand in others, including Sir Thomas More and The Two Noble Kinsmen, and he wrote poems, including Venus and Adonis and The Rape of Lucrece. His 154 sonnets were published, probably without his authorization, in 1609. In 1611 or 1612 he gave up his lodgings in London and devoted more and more time to retirement in Stratford, though he continued writing such plays as The Tempest and Henry VII until about 1613. He died on April 23 1616, and was buried in Holy Trinity Church, Stratford. No collected edition of his plays was published during his life-time, but in 1623 two members of his acting company, John Heminges and Henry Condell, put together the great collection now called the First Folio.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Courtesy of Teens Read Too, February 29, 2008

By 

TeensReadToo "Eat. Drink. Read. Be Merrier." (All Over the US & Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Henry V The Graphic Novel: Plain Text (British English) (Paperback)

In this version of Classical Comic's HENRY V, adapted by John McDonald, you're dealing with the Original Text. By that I mean that you get the entire play, just as William Shakespeare wrote it. Classical Comics has also published two other versions: Plain Text, which takes the original script and converts it into modern English, and Quick Text, which reduces the dialogue into as few words as possible (as many graphic novels do).

Thanks to the wonderful artwork of many talented illustrators (Neill Cameron for pencils, Bambos for Inks, Jason Cardy & Kat Nicholson for Coloring, and Nigel Dobbyn for Lettering), the result is a colorful, heavy-duty, true-to-the-script version of one of Shakespeare's most recognized plays.

This is the perfect book to introduce reluctant teen readers to Shakespeare. Whether they read it for fun or for a class, they're getting the original play, act by act, and they get it in a convenient, reader-friendly way. In this day of graphic novels, it's important to remember the classics, and HENRY V doesn't disappoint.

The additional information at the end of the story, including a short biography of William Shakespeare and one of Henry V, a detailed description of the Battle of Agincourt, and even a guide to the creation of the graphic novel's pages, only add to the value.

If you're looking for a well-made and instructional graphic novel based on HENRY V, look no further than this edition.

Reviewed by: Jennifer Wardrip, aka "The Genius"