William Shakespeare's Henry V: Without The Potholes [Paperback]

Jerry Rubin (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 5, 2009

"Henry V Without the Potholes" provides an updated version of Shakespeare's history Henry V. It makes the play more accessible by modernizing the outdated vocabulary and grammar, and by revising the more difficult passages, while retaining almost all of the poetic content. The series "Shakespeare Without the Potholes" is intended to provide updated versions of all of the 37 generally recognized plays of William Shakespeare. The series makes the plays more accessible to students encountering Shakespeare for the first time. It provides an easier reading experience by modernizing most of the archaic vocabulary and grammar, and by revising many of the more difficult passages that in the original can be understood, if at all, only by careful scanning of a footnote. The alterations attempt to retain the meter and maintain almost all of the poetic substance.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Jerry Rubin is a lover of Shakespeare who grew concerned when he found that esteemed friends and associates preferred reading Stephen King novels to Shakespeare's plays, claiming to be put off by the difficulties of the texts. Shocked by this revelation, he has spent several years producing the "Without the Potholes" series.

Product Details

• Paperback: 154 pages
• Publisher: CreateSpace (May 5, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1442109459
• ISBN-13: 978-1442109452
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #7,275,428 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars A Close Reading of Henry V, January 22, 2010

By 

Dean E. Robertson (Wooster, OH USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

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This review is from: William Shakespeare's Henry V: Without The Potholes (Paperback)

I previously posted reviews of "The Tempest Without The Potholes", and "King Richard II Without The Potholes." Each of those reviews looked at different aspects of the "Without Potholes" series. I will not repeat them here, but will invite those readers who may wish additional information on the "Without The Potholes" series to peruse those reviews.

What I would like to do here is to take a closer look at another of the series, "King Henry V Without The Potholes."

I'm currently taking a Teaching Company course, called "William Shakespeare: Comedies, Histories, and Tragedies", taught by Professor Peter Saccio, Professor of Shakespearean Studies, Dartmouth College.

Professor Saccio devoted one entire lecture to analyzing just 40 lines from "King Henry V" (the opening 40 lines of Act2, Scene 3). This analysis is what Shakespearean scholars refer to as a "close reading." Professor Saccio's purpose was to make us aware of how a seemingly simple prose narrative can be crammed full of religious, philosophical, physiological, and psychological significance. Such is the genius of Shakespeare.

We were invited to follow along by reading our own copies of "King Henry V" while Professor Saccio pointed out the various details we should be aware of. I used my "King Henry V Without The Potholes" book to follow along. Everything that Professor Saccio pointed out was right there in the book, clear and unequivocal.

To make sure I hadn't missed anything, I reran the lesson the following day, this time following along in my Penguin Shakespeare. This second reading yielded exactly the same results as the first.

Jerry Rubin's purpose in writing the "Without The Potholes" series was to retain virtually all of Shakespeare's original language and meaning, while replacing a few archaic words and phrases with modern equivalents that are more understandable to contemporary readers. After a close reading of "Henry V", I would have to say that Mr. Rubin succeeded admirably.