Customer Reviews

Tales From Shakespeare (Signet Classics)

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Although this book is written for children it is great for all ages and is great to get the basic story line before you go to a play. I read most of the plays in this book (I have not yet read all of them) when I was 11. Now that I have been reading the actual plays of Shakespeare I always start by reading the short version of the play in this book and than read the actual play. I can understand what is going on much better that way. I also recommend "Beautiful Stories from Shakespeare for Children" by Edith Nesbit which gives about ten page versions of each story verses the thirty pages per story in this book and also has a smaller vocabulary which makes it better for younger children.

I remember my father giving me this book when I was young. He was a junior high school english teacher and used this book in class. Together we read the stories and I loved them. Now I am a college professor and use the book in class myself. While some of the summaries are "dated," they are still useful in communicating the basic action of the play to students and the very fact that they are "dated" allows the book to serve as an illustration of how interpretations of Shakespeare's plays have changed since the Lambs' time.

I recommend this book heartily.

When I first began homeschooling my children I came across this book. Since we were to soon see a high school production of Midsummer's Night Dream I read the Lamb version aloud to them before seeing the performance. The results were amazing. My children had no previous exposure to Shakespeare. The Lamb's ability to retain some of Shakespeare's original language greatly enhanced their comprehension. They loved the story and we able to follow the play with ease, laughing and clearly enjoying themselves much to the frustration of some nearby adults who were completely lost. This book helped begin their love affair with Sir William. I am of the opinion reading a well summarized version of his plays and then watching a well done performance will make any child appreciate the genius that is Shakespeare's work.

I read this book as a child; my mother gave it to me and my brother before we went to see the plays. It was an excellent introduction to the plays and to the world of Shakespeare, and helped me understand what I was watching. I also enjoyed reading the stories themselves, and familiarized myself with Shakespeare this way. It made a huge difference, as became quite clear to me when we read Henry IV in ninth grade in school, a play for which I had no Lamb version. I didn't understand that play and took no pleasure in it, whereas I did enjoy much harder plays (e.g., Othello, A Winter's Tale, etc.) that I had the Lambs' help with. Depending on reading level, the Lambs' book would be appropriate for anyone from seven or eight to 13 or 14 years old.

If you want to learn as a novice the tales of Shakespeare, then this is the book to read. A children's novel of his famous plays. Now to the English Shakespearean scholar this would seem like Shakespeare for dummies, but I would only partially agree. This is a great book to be introduced and gives a general framework before reading him. Even after reading this, its not an easy task trying to read Elizabethan English, which even the experts argue on some of the terms and expressions used. And so, this book lets you understand and I find its written rather well in Charles and Mary Lambs authorship.

After reading this book, which also make good for second, third and fourth readings, I found it much easier to absorb a recent bio on Shakespeare which was very enlightening, Will of the World by Stephen Greenblatt and also other books which attempt explanatory meanings of Elizabethan English to his plays and sonnets. Now you know what the plays are about and go from there. This is a great book, I treasure it.

I love this book! I have always loved Shakespeare and wanted my children to enjoy the bard as well. I always read these stories to them before we watch a play on TV, video, or rarely, on stage. They are a step ahead in that they already know the plot and can then enjoy the language more fully. They are developing a love for Shakespeare, too!

I read this book as a child of eight (back in 1970). It was a gift from my scientist father (an avid Shakespeare fan) as an introduction to Shakespeare.

The book served its purpose very well and I have now given it to my sons aged 7 and 9 who have found it extremely enjoyable. The best part of this book is the way it weaves a rich tapestry in layman's language without the confusing and often ambiguous old English of the original transcripts.

Lamb's Tales makes an excellent primer for those going to see the plays in traditional old English. The book allows all the complex plot elements and characters to be understood and spotted in the live play. The prose format allows the reader to conjure up the images and situations more readily than if struggling with the poetry.

I heartily recommend this book to all ages.

It's a great book that allows you to remember the main elements of Shakespeare's plays. It's great for exams and essays because you can understand the plot, theme, tone and characters through these very nicely written stories. It's a must to anyone who has to revise for those exams or just to get a feel for Shakespeare's work. It maybe a little bit hard for kids aged 12 or less.

Obviously, if you're an older reader well accustomed to the world of Shakespeare, this is NOT the book for you. These are "children" versions of Shakespeare plays. They're short, sweet, and a little simple, obviously. While they still have the same mature content as the plays, it feels more toned down.

You've got it all, really. Whatever Shakespeare play you love, you'll find it here, from "A Midsummer Night's Dream" to "Macbeth" and through "Hamlet". The stories are obviously the same, but the style is different. They feel a little like fairy tales, which is kind of the point. Children's stories, but of some of the greatest classics of all time.

These stories are fun to read, but don't think they're superb literature. They are a good way to spend an afternoon, but for older readers, the plays are still the way to go. This is better for older children and preteens who aren't quite ready to read Shakespeare himself, but can understand the stories themselves. I recommend it, but don't expect something incredible.

This is a good book to glance through, whether you're brushing up on a play you've forgotten or familiarizing youself with the story for the first time. Even though it is easier than actually reading Shakespeare, though, the language is still a little too difficult for children maybe under twelve or so. Adults and teenagers will be able to understand, though.