Romeo and Juliet (No Fear Shakespeare Graphic Novels) (No Fear Shakespeare Illustrated) [Paperback]

SparkNotes Editors (Author), Matt Wiegle (Illustrator)

Book Description

Series: No Fear Shakespeare Illustrated | Publication Date: January 25, 2008

No Fear Shakespeare Graphic Novels is a series based on the translated texts of the plays found in No Fear Shakespeare. The original No Fear series made Shakespeare’s plays much easier to read, but these dynamic visual adaptations are impossible to put down. Each of the titles is illustrated in its own unique style, but all are distinctively offbeat, slightly funky, and appealing to teen readers. Each book will feature:

 

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 7 Up–A visually engaging format includes clearly delineated acts and scenes as well as skilled use of dark and light to highlight mood and recurring themes. Many of the images are striking, particularly the white-on-black night scenes describing Queen Mab's dream appearance and Juliet's decision to drink poison. Well-drawn characters such as the brash young men, the Nurse, and Friar Lawrence come to life in these panels. This is especially true for Juliet, whose early images of youthful innocence contrast sharply with her distraught face as the story progresses. With the exception of Capulet and Montague, who look more like grandfathers than fathers to such young teens, visual characterizations are accurate. Text for this version comes from an abridgment of the modern English translation found in No Fear Shakespeare (Spark, 2007). Readers will not encounter any of Shakespeare's language or poetry in this adaptation. Even familiar speeches such as O Romeo, Romeo! Wherefore art thou Romeo? are modernized to Oh Romeo, Romeo, why must you be Romeo? A limited number of footnotes explain references to unfamiliar phrases, particularly bawdy humor. Readers interested in graphic-novel versions with excerpts from Shakespeare's original play should try Romeo and Juliet (Barron's, 2005), edited by Philip Page and Marilyn Petit, or Richard Appignanesi's adaptation (Abrams, 2007).–Barbara M. Moon, Suffolk Cooperative Library System, Bellport, NY
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Product Details

• Paperback: 216 pages
• Publisher: SparkNotes (January 25, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1411498747
• ISBN-13: 978-1411498747
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.1 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #140,614 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #18 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Children's Books > Arts & Music > Performing Arts > Drama & Theater
  • #42 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Children's Books > Reference & Nonfiction > Study Aids > General

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

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Teacher's Review, May 12, 2011

By 

teacher barb - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Romeo and Juliet (No Fear Shakespeare Graphic Novels) (No Fear Shakespeare Illustrated) (Paperback)

I have taught English 9 to learning disabled students in a small-group setting for ten years. I used this graphic novel for the first time this year (2010-2011), having used parallel texts (Shakespeare on one page and modern English on the opposite page) in previous years. Since we have to read the text together--because of the students' decoding and comprehension deficits, and it is written as a comic rather than a play (with designated parts), I had students volunteer, two at a time. They would take turns with one reading a page and then the other, the next page. It went well. The students loved it and were actually enthusiastic. The one thing that probably isn't so necessary for 9th grade is the footnotes with explanations of sexual connotations in some of the scenes. Although I skipped over this, the students didn't.

At any rate, my students understood the content more easily than with the parallel texts. Most of my students are struggling readers who have trouble comprehending text, particularly the language of Shakespeare. Even so, they need to be exposed to his plays, the author, the time period, and all that goes with this writer.

Along with plot, I was still able to teach literary devices--irony, idioms, metaphors and similes, etc., and because the students weren't struggling to understand what the text meant, they were able to pay more attention to the use of literary devices--what they were, and what they meant.

Therefore, I would most definitely recommend this book as an aide to assist students before beginning the real play, or to use with struggling readers who simply need to be exposed to Shakespeare.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Alternate version for teaching R&J, June 12, 2008

By 

Michael T. Gagnon (Honolulu, HI) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Romeo and Juliet (No Fear Shakespeare Graphic Novels) (No Fear Shakespeare Illustrated) (Paperback)

Graphic novels have often been thought of as less than appropriate in the high school classroom - but I say use whatever works to get students to read and pique their interest on a subject. Most high school students dread Shakespeare, even his best known work - Romeo & Juliet. Last year I used two graphic versions to teach the play, this one and a manga alternative. This graphic novel used a modern interpretation of Shakespeare's language - so it is easier to read and understand - great for a struggling class that might normally avoid reading the play altogether. We're ordering more for my school next year. The one thing that would help this version is having it in color - it is a black and white graphic novel. Students really responded and I was amazed how many actually read their homework assignments! A great resource, whether you use it to teach or have it for struggling students, it does the job well!

10 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Caveat Emptor, February 20, 2008

By 

Magnus - See all my reviews

This review is from: Romeo and Juliet (No Fear Shakespeare Graphic Novels) (No Fear Shakespeare Illustrated) (Paperback)

The concept of adapting a Shakespeare play into the graphic novel format is at the very least a worthwhile endeavor. A successful attempt could bridge the widening gap between the generation that read the works of the Bard in the classroom without any significant visual aid and those who are more attuned to visual accompaniment to their stories. Shakespeare never wrote his plays to be read as words on a page without a visual attached, so already this sounds like a good idea.

The illustrations are modern and accessible, and while the text isn't the same as what Shakespeare wrote, it is translated sensibly, and the edits are pretty smooth.

But who's this best suited for? The graphic novel format may lead one to believe that anyone who's capable of following illustrated stories (comic books, manga, animated programs, etc.) will be able to comprehend the story, but this is not the case. Despite a good translation, the story is still just as intricate, carefully crafted and multi-layered as the original. Perhaps a more "dumbed down" translation would have benefitted the graphic novel concept, since some of the longer speeches (including Queen Mab) are woefully ill suited to this type of format.

Also, and this is mostly a warning to parents of junior high and high school students, some of Shakespeare's bawdiest jokes and sexual puns are spelled out quite graphically in the translation. This book is not rated, but I would NOT recommend it be published with a warning about this!

Recommended only for fans of the play who want to see an old favorite from a different angle. NOT recommended for anyone who expects an easy path to understand the play (which should be seen live or via DVD, ideally--even a poorly performed play is better than a play without any performance at all) .