Customer Reviews

Richard III (No Fear Shakespeare)

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is highly, highly recommended for those new to Shakespeare. You get the text of the play and then, line by line on the facing page, there is a modern-day language translation. How does this help newbies? It allows you to immediately grasp what Shakespeare was saying to allow you to actually *think* about the play and even, dare I say, enjoy it. Because the "translations" are line for line on the facing page, it's easy to read the original, glance over at the modern day translation if you need to for clarification, then read the original again to find nuance.

All of this ease of reading frees you up to formulate your own thoughts and ideas about the play. So if you're expected to write critical thinking essays and papers about the play, this book makes it much easier to do that. All in all, it will save you an enormous amount time and energy.

Note: this is not one of those "cheat" books! It's not going to spoon-feed you ideas about themes, symbols, etc. But it makes it easier for you to come up with all that stuff for yourself. There are books available that talk about characterizations, themes, motifs, etc, but if you need a little help in that department, there's always Google. For what it's worth, if you read the play using this book, I'm willing to bet you won't even need help with all that other stuff....you'll find it in the text itself since you can actually understand what Shakespeare was saying using this translation.

This is the perfect book for Shakespeare 101 classes. You get the original play and a translation that keeps the spirit of the text.
But don't expect to find a word by word translation (you'd be better off with a dictionary of Elizabethan English), or a detailed analysis of the characters and main themes (Sparknotes has another book for that). It's just the play, easy to read.

The "No Fear Shakespeare" books are a great way to get your kids reading these treasures. I tried the first one when my son asked why it was okay to read translations of great Greek literary works but Shakespeare, which seemed like Greek to him, had to be read in its original form. The nice thing about these books is that they give the original language side-by-side with the modern translation so you get to experience the beauty of the original while having a "translator" readily available when you need it to enhance understanding. All 4 of my children started reading Shakespeare in sixth grade with these books and read 3-5 of them a year. They start out relying heavily on the modern language but eventually abandon it almost entirely. Don't be afraid to try one.

Breathed there ever a man more villianous than Richard III? Iago, maybe, but they are in a class by themselves. Evil, evil men...

Richard III, as a play, has stood the test of time. It is one of Shakesapeare's best, though his characterization of Richard is subject to question since he is/was writing in the time of a Tudor monarchy, the family that assumed the throne because of Richard's "evil deeds." Shakespeare, as Sir Thomas Moore before him, may have been playing to the Tudor monarchy rather than dealing with the truth. (Remember Jack Webb's standard line in the TV series, "Dragnet?" "The facts, mamn, the facts, nothing but the facts..."

We may or may not have the facts here as they pertain to Richard III, but we have a damn good play presented in the best possible manner: the original numbered text on the left hand page, modern up-to-date language on the right hand page, making it easy for readers of all ages, from the junior high school student reading Shakespeare for the first time to an old-timer, a retired guy reading Shakespeare for the umpteenth time, to understand and appreciate the Bard and his story. And, true or not, what a story it is!!!

An A+ to Shakespeare and to Spark Notes' No Fear Shakespeare concept.

Very handy book for helping understand the book.
The book's condition and packing was very nice as well.
Definitely recommend it for other people who are studying Richard III

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