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The 30-Minute Shakespeare
Julius Caesar: The 30-Minute Shakespeare: The 30-Minute Shakespeare
Julius The 30-Minute Shakespeare presents eight spellbinding scenes from this timeless masterpiece. The action begins as the soothsayer warns Caesar of the Ides of March and continues as Brutus conspires against Caesar. Other key scenes include Caesar's riveting assassination and Antony's stirring funeral oration. This adaptation closes with Cinna the Poet's death at the hands of the mob, the quarrel between Brutus and Cassius, and Brutus' suicide. The edition includes a preface by Nick Newlin containing helpful advice on presenting Shakespeare in a high school setting with novice actors, as well as an appendix with play-specific suggestions and recommendations for further resources.
- GenresPlays
80 pages, Paperback
First published June 12, 2012
4 people are currently reading
50 people want to read
About the author
William Shakespeare
27.7k books47k followersWilliam Shakespeare was an English playwright, poet, and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon" (or simply "the Bard"). His extant works, including collaborations, consist of some 39 plays, 154 sonnets, three long narrative poems, and a few other verses, some of uncertain authorship. His plays have been translated into every major living language and are performed more often than those of any other playwright. Shakespeare remains arguably the most influential writer in the English language, and his works continue to be studied and reinterpreted.
Shakespeare was born and raised in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire. At the age of 18, he married Anne Hathaway, with whom he had three children: Susanna, and twins Hamnet and Judith. Sometime between 1585 and 1592, he began a successful career in London as an actor, writer, and part-owner ("sharer") of a playing company called the Lord Chamberlain's Men, later known as the King's Men after the ascension of King James VI and I of Scotland to the English throne. At age 49 (around 1613), he appears to have retired to Stratford, where he died three years later. Few records of Shakespeare's private life survive; this has stimulated considerable speculation about such matters as his physical appearance, his sexuality, his religious beliefs, and even certain fringe theories as to whether the works attributed to him were written by others.
Shakespeare produced most of his known works between 1589 and 1613. His early plays were primarily comedies and histories and are regarded as some of the best works produced in these genres. He then wrote mainly tragedies until 1608, among them Hamlet, Romeo and Juliet, Othello, King Lear, and Macbeth, all considered to be among the finest works in the English language. In the last phase of his life, he wrote tragicomedies (also known as romances) and collaborated with other playwrights.
Many of Shakespeare's plays were published in editions of varying quality and accuracy during his lifetime. However, in 1623, John Heminge and Henry Condell, two fellow actors and friends of Shakespeare's, published a more definitive text known as the First Folio, a posthumous collected edition of Shakespeare's dramatic works that includes 36 of his plays. Its Preface was a prescient poem by Ben Jonson, a former rival of Shakespeare, that hailed Shakespeare with the now famous epithet: "not of an age, but for all time".
Shakespeare was born and raised in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire. At the age of 18, he married Anne Hathaway, with whom he had three children: Susanna, and twins Hamnet and Judith. Sometime between 1585 and 1592, he began a successful career in London as an actor, writer, and part-owner ("sharer") of a playing company called the Lord Chamberlain's Men, later known as the King's Men after the ascension of King James VI and I of Scotland to the English throne. At age 49 (around 1613), he appears to have retired to Stratford, where he died three years later. Few records of Shakespeare's private life survive; this has stimulated considerable speculation about such matters as his physical appearance, his sexuality, his religious beliefs, and even certain fringe theories as to whether the works attributed to him were written by others.
Shakespeare produced most of his known works between 1589 and 1613. His early plays were primarily comedies and histories and are regarded as some of the best works produced in these genres. He then wrote mainly tragedies until 1608, among them Hamlet, Romeo and Juliet, Othello, King Lear, and Macbeth, all considered to be among the finest works in the English language. In the last phase of his life, he wrote tragicomedies (also known as romances) and collaborated with other playwrights.
Many of Shakespeare's plays were published in editions of varying quality and accuracy during his lifetime. However, in 1623, John Heminge and Henry Condell, two fellow actors and friends of Shakespeare's, published a more definitive text known as the First Folio, a posthumous collected edition of Shakespeare's dramatic works that includes 36 of his plays. Its Preface was a prescient poem by Ben Jonson, a former rival of Shakespeare, that hailed Shakespeare with the now famous epithet: "not of an age, but for all time".
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
September 1, 2012
I won this as part of a Goodreads giveaway and what a fantastic set of short books they are, 15 of them so far, in which Shakespeare's plays are broken down to the essentials so that short (30 minute) plays can be pulled from them without losing the story. These books are intended for drama/acting teachers in schools and they retain the original language and intent. Each book contains a full 30 minute script with stage direction and a prop list as well as notes on performing Shakespeare, sample programs, and additional resources. They really seem to take away a lot of the intimidation that faces those first attempting Shakespeare and makes it very very simple. I wholeheartedly give them 5 stars. The only ones I've fully read as of this review were Romeo and Juliet, Julius Caesar, and also the Tempest since it was also the most recent complete Shakespeare play I've read and it also happens to be my favorite. Here is an example of how it cuts to the core of the scenes:
Original unedited opening of Shakespeare's "The Tempest", Act II, Scene II:
CALIBAN
1 All the infections that the sun sucks up
2 From bogs, fens, flats, on Prosper fall and make him
3 By inch-meal a disease! His spirits hear me
4 And yet I needs must curse. But they'll nor pinch,
5 Fright me with urchin—shows, pitch me i' the mire,
6 Nor lead me, like a firebrand, in the dark
7 Out of my way, unless he bid 'em; but
8 For every trifle are they set upon me;
9 Sometime like apes that mow and chatter at me
10 And after bite me, then like hedgehogs which
11 Lie tumbling in my barefoot way and mount
12 Their pricks at my footfall; sometime am I
13 All wound with adders who with cloven tongues
14 Do hiss me into madness.
Enter TRINCULO.
14 Lo, now, lo!
15 Here comes a spirit of his, and to torment me
16 For bringing wood in slowly. I'll fall flat;
17 Perchance he will not mind me.
TRINCULO
18 Here's neither bush nor shrub, to bear off any
19 weather at all, and another storm brewing; I hear it
20 sing i' the wind: yond same black cloud, yond
21 huge one, looks like a foul bombard that would shed
22 his liquor. If it should thunder as it did before, I know
23 not where to hide my head: yond same cloud cannot
24 choose but fall by pailfuls. What have we here?
25 a man or a fish? dead or alive? A fish: he smells
26 like a fish; a very ancient and fish-like smell; a kind of
27 not of the newest Poor-John. A strange fish! Were I
28 in England now, as once I was, and had but this fish
29 painted, not a holiday fool there but would give a piece
30 of silver: there would this monster make a man;
31 any strange beast there makes a man: when they will
32 not give a doit to relieve a lame beggar, they will lay
33 out ten to see a dead Indian. Legged like a man and
34 his fins like arms! Warm o' my troth! I do now let
35 loose my opinion; hold it no longer: this is no fish,
36 but an islander, that hath lately suffered by a thunderbolt.
Thunder.
37 Alas, the storm is come again! my
38 best way is to creep under his gaberdine; there is no
39 other shelter hereabouts: misery acquaints a man with
40 strange bed-fellows. I will here shroud till the dregs of
41 the storm be past.
Enter STEPHANO, singing,
[a bottle in his hand].
STEPHANO
42 "I shall no more to sea, to sea,
43 Here shall I die ashore—"
44 This is a very scurvy tune to sing at a man's
45 funeral: well, here's my comfort.
Drinks.
(Sings.)
46 "The master, the swabber, the boatswain and I,
47 The gunner and his mate
48 Loved Mall, Meg and Marian and Margery,
49 But none of us cared for Kate;
50 For she had a tongue with a tang,
51 Would cry to a sailor, Go hang!
52 She loved not the savour of tar nor of pitch,
53 Yet a tailor might scratch her where'er she did itch:
54 Then to sea, boys, and let her go hang!"
55 This is a scurvy tune too: but here's my comfort.
Drinks.
ETC ETC ETC
And here is the shortened version which loses nothing in the storyline:
Narrator:
Having escaped the apparently sinking ship, Trinculo hides under a cloak to weather the storm, where he discovers the island's ornery monster, Caliban. Drunk Stephano finds them both and shares his bottle with them, which livens things up!
Exit Narrator stage left.
Enter Caliban from stage right, carrying a bundle of wood.
Sound Operator plays Sound Cue #9 (Thunder).
Caliban
All the infections that the sun sucks up
From bogs on Prosper fall.
Enter Trinculo from stage right.
Lo, now, lo!
Here comes a spirit of his, I'll fall flat.
(hides under his cloak)
Trinculo
Another storm brewing;
I know not where to hide my head:
What have we here? A man or a fish? Dead or Alive?
(lifts up the cloak)
A fish: he smells like a fish.
A strange fish! Legged like a man (noticing
Caliban's arms) and his fins like arms!
Warm o' my troth!
Sound Operator plays Sound Cue #10 (Thunder)
Trinculo panics at the sound of the storm.
Alas, the storm is come again! My best way is to
creep under his gaberdine.
Trinculo holds his nose to block the smell and crawls under the cloak. Caliban immediately sticks his head out from under the cloak with a startled look.
Enter Stephano from stage left, singing, with a flask in his hand.
Stephano
I shall no more to sea, to sea,
Here shall I die ashore- (drinks)
This is scurvy tune too: but here's my comfort.
(drinks)
ETC ETC ETC
I donated these wonderful books to the Theater Program at my daughter's school and hope to see her performing in one of them before too long :)
Original unedited opening of Shakespeare's "The Tempest", Act II, Scene II:
CALIBAN
1 All the infections that the sun sucks up
2 From bogs, fens, flats, on Prosper fall and make him
3 By inch-meal a disease! His spirits hear me
4 And yet I needs must curse. But they'll nor pinch,
5 Fright me with urchin—shows, pitch me i' the mire,
6 Nor lead me, like a firebrand, in the dark
7 Out of my way, unless he bid 'em; but
8 For every trifle are they set upon me;
9 Sometime like apes that mow and chatter at me
10 And after bite me, then like hedgehogs which
11 Lie tumbling in my barefoot way and mount
12 Their pricks at my footfall; sometime am I
13 All wound with adders who with cloven tongues
14 Do hiss me into madness.
Enter TRINCULO.
14 Lo, now, lo!
15 Here comes a spirit of his, and to torment me
16 For bringing wood in slowly. I'll fall flat;
17 Perchance he will not mind me.
TRINCULO
18 Here's neither bush nor shrub, to bear off any
19 weather at all, and another storm brewing; I hear it
20 sing i' the wind: yond same black cloud, yond
21 huge one, looks like a foul bombard that would shed
22 his liquor. If it should thunder as it did before, I know
23 not where to hide my head: yond same cloud cannot
24 choose but fall by pailfuls. What have we here?
25 a man or a fish? dead or alive? A fish: he smells
26 like a fish; a very ancient and fish-like smell; a kind of
27 not of the newest Poor-John. A strange fish! Were I
28 in England now, as once I was, and had but this fish
29 painted, not a holiday fool there but would give a piece
30 of silver: there would this monster make a man;
31 any strange beast there makes a man: when they will
32 not give a doit to relieve a lame beggar, they will lay
33 out ten to see a dead Indian. Legged like a man and
34 his fins like arms! Warm o' my troth! I do now let
35 loose my opinion; hold it no longer: this is no fish,
36 but an islander, that hath lately suffered by a thunderbolt.
Thunder.
37 Alas, the storm is come again! my
38 best way is to creep under his gaberdine; there is no
39 other shelter hereabouts: misery acquaints a man with
40 strange bed-fellows. I will here shroud till the dregs of
41 the storm be past.
Enter STEPHANO, singing,
[a bottle in his hand].
STEPHANO
42 "I shall no more to sea, to sea,
43 Here shall I die ashore—"
44 This is a very scurvy tune to sing at a man's
45 funeral: well, here's my comfort.
Drinks.
(Sings.)
46 "The master, the swabber, the boatswain and I,
47 The gunner and his mate
48 Loved Mall, Meg and Marian and Margery,
49 But none of us cared for Kate;
50 For she had a tongue with a tang,
51 Would cry to a sailor, Go hang!
52 She loved not the savour of tar nor of pitch,
53 Yet a tailor might scratch her where'er she did itch:
54 Then to sea, boys, and let her go hang!"
55 This is a scurvy tune too: but here's my comfort.
Drinks.
ETC ETC ETC
And here is the shortened version which loses nothing in the storyline:
Narrator:
Having escaped the apparently sinking ship, Trinculo hides under a cloak to weather the storm, where he discovers the island's ornery monster, Caliban. Drunk Stephano finds them both and shares his bottle with them, which livens things up!
Exit Narrator stage left.
Enter Caliban from stage right, carrying a bundle of wood.
Sound Operator plays Sound Cue #9 (Thunder).
Caliban
All the infections that the sun sucks up
From bogs on Prosper fall.
Enter Trinculo from stage right.
Lo, now, lo!
Here comes a spirit of his, I'll fall flat.
(hides under his cloak)
Trinculo
Another storm brewing;
I know not where to hide my head:
What have we here? A man or a fish? Dead or Alive?
(lifts up the cloak)
A fish: he smells like a fish.
A strange fish! Legged like a man (noticing
Caliban's arms) and his fins like arms!
Warm o' my troth!
Sound Operator plays Sound Cue #10 (Thunder)
Trinculo panics at the sound of the storm.
Alas, the storm is come again! My best way is to
creep under his gaberdine.
Trinculo holds his nose to block the smell and crawls under the cloak. Caliban immediately sticks his head out from under the cloak with a startled look.
Enter Stephano from stage left, singing, with a flask in his hand.
Stephano
I shall no more to sea, to sea,
Here shall I die ashore- (drinks)
This is scurvy tune too: but here's my comfort.
(drinks)
ETC ETC ETC
I donated these wonderful books to the Theater Program at my daughter's school and hope to see her performing in one of them before too long :)
June 26, 2020
What a relief! Despite the riveting events that make up the plot points of Julius Caesar, this remains one of the most difficult Shakespeare plays to teach. Students can't follow it, they get bored, they hate it. Even if they have already had good Shakespeare experiences, this turns them off. Enter The 30-Minute Shakespeare! It's perfect! All the good stuff is still here, but students don't get lost in the weeds. Let's be honest, even many English teachers struggle with this one, but Nick Newlin's excellent abridgement makes it easy to make Julius Caesar fun again -- or maybe for the first time ;)
June 25, 2020
This entire series is a wonderful resource. The clever way in which the meaningful themes and quotes are distilled allows my younger students to explore new vocabulary and provocative use of language in meaningful ways. They are able understand and to see parallels in three own lives with both the complexity and simplicity of the human experience. I think Shakespeare would be pleased to see his work made accessible to so many! Highly Recommended.
June 25, 2020
What a delight. I used the book series in classes with not only students whose skills in English class varied, but also with some students who did not speak much English. They made for nice, brief, up-on-your-feet experiences for the students. In the future, I will try breaking students into small groups working with, perhaps, three plays. My students would have a ball--a nice shift from my grammar lessons!
June 27, 2020
I love these editions! It is so hard to introduce the wonderful world of William Shakespeare to new students. So worthwhile doing, but it's very difficult to make the great material accessible to both young people today and also people of all ages not yet familiar with this poetic and human literature and living theatre work!
Compounding the challenge, as those familiar with the Bard know only too well, "two hours' traffic of our stage" often stretches to more like three or four.
Enter editor Nick Newlin, giving us these beautiful abridgments -- that play in under 30 minutes! -- and, that retain all the original characters' original language! The 30-Minute Shakespeare -- by definition -- are not the full length works. Perfectly, The 30-Minute Shakespeare serve as a fabulous entry: a key to open the door into Shakespeare's timeless, historic world and into his universal, truthful experience, enacted in Elizabethan and Jacobean England.
And enacted is what these wonderful, handy volumes are designed to be (just like the original scripts). Newlin gives awesome, folksy, anecdotal, and very specific, clear instructions, detailing (from amongst the infinite possible number of ways) one approach to get these plays up on their feet, with The 30-Minute Shakespeare script in the hand of student and novice actors. Nothing more need we ask: these books are gems, perfect as what they are, serving a very specific purpose and fulfilling the exact need for which they exist.
Indispensable! Ideal for youth, and others of all ages, for the first time being introduced to the beautiful plays of Shakespeare.
Compounding the challenge, as those familiar with the Bard know only too well, "two hours' traffic of our stage" often stretches to more like three or four.
Enter editor Nick Newlin, giving us these beautiful abridgments -- that play in under 30 minutes! -- and, that retain all the original characters' original language! The 30-Minute Shakespeare -- by definition -- are not the full length works. Perfectly, The 30-Minute Shakespeare serve as a fabulous entry: a key to open the door into Shakespeare's timeless, historic world and into his universal, truthful experience, enacted in Elizabethan and Jacobean England.
And enacted is what these wonderful, handy volumes are designed to be (just like the original scripts). Newlin gives awesome, folksy, anecdotal, and very specific, clear instructions, detailing (from amongst the infinite possible number of ways) one approach to get these plays up on their feet, with The 30-Minute Shakespeare script in the hand of student and novice actors. Nothing more need we ask: these books are gems, perfect as what they are, serving a very specific purpose and fulfilling the exact need for which they exist.
Indispensable! Ideal for youth, and others of all ages, for the first time being introduced to the beautiful plays of Shakespeare.
June 25, 2020
I have used Nick Newlin’s 30-Minute Shakespeare series both onstage and in the classroom with children as well as adults. These are outstanding tools to introduce Shakespeare to a class of nervous, skeptical or otherwise fearful students who think Shakespeare is “not for them” or “makes no sense.” These versions work for scene work in class as well as full-scale production for both the novice as well as the more experienced actor. I love the Narrator convention in these versions because it allows kids—especially kids where English is their second language—to participate and ease into the language. The plotlines are clearly laid out in these versions—and told through character dialogue, so you avoid simply providing a synopsis of the play. As many theater educators and directors know, time is often valuable and sparse, so Newlin’s versions allow you to dig right and give the students a chance to create a whole, well-rehearsed play instead of feeling like they never quite had enough time. Recently, I directed two of Newlin’s versions with high school students: The Tempest and Much Ado About Nothing into one night of performance and it was a huge success! The students got to play multiple Shakespearean roles and, for the girls especially, this was a huge ego (and college application) boost. Newlin’s series is hands-on, delightful, respectful and, most of all, approachable. Highly recommend!
June 28, 2020
I love these clever adaptations of Shakespeare's plays. As a high school theatre teacher, I've seen several of Mr. Newlin's 30-minute versions performed at the Folger Shakespeare Festival, always to the delight of the audience. Thanks for writing these great scripts, perfect for a short performance by young actors. Well done!
June 25, 2020
The 30 minute Shakespeare series is pure brilliance. Each book takes language that is difficult for high school students and focuses the language on the meat of the story, keeping the Shakespeare alive. Not only that, but he differentiates for different learning levels. Each book in this series makes Shakespeare more accessible to regular people, especially for students. I wish every middle and high school English and drama teacher in the country would consider The 30 Minute Shakespeare series for their classroom and/or stage. They're that good.
June 25, 2020
This is the third time I have ordered from the series 30 Minute Shakespeare.
I have found that this is an excellent way to engage students who have had little introduction to Shakespeare. I have had students tell me that went on to read the unedited version because they had gotten inspired by the read through we did in class. I was extremely grateful that the author Nick Newlin had taken the time to thoughtfully create this version.
I have found that this is an excellent way to engage students who have had little introduction to Shakespeare. I have had students tell me that went on to read the unedited version because they had gotten inspired by the read through we did in class. I was extremely grateful that the author Nick Newlin had taken the time to thoughtfully create this version.
June 25, 2020
I used this book not only with my class of high school theatre students but also with a group of adult friends on a retreat. We loved it.. and the kids got so much from this way to enter the world of Shakespeare! .. I'd highly recommend it for teachers or anyone interested in the theatre arts .. and try it with some adult friends ! All of the suggestions were a great help!
June 25, 2020
Loved it. It's a history, arts and human nature story in 30 minutes. An excellent introduction to the world's greatest play write. Keep the legend alive through teaching current and future generations the joys of Shakespeare!
June 25, 2020
Excellent way for people to access Shakespeare!
July 1, 2020
What an excellent introduction to Shakespeare! This is an enticing gateway into the works of the Bard. It allows people who are unfamiliar with his works to sample the original language and get a birds eye view of the power and beauty of each play.
I am enjoying Newlin’s version - and I look forward to reading the whole series.
These will be useful for so many things beyond the class room. I am thinking of using this one, and eventually some of the others. on creative retreats for adults. They will provide a majestic way to get creative juices flowing.
I am enjoying Newlin’s version - and I look forward to reading the whole series.
These will be useful for so many things beyond the class room. I am thinking of using this one, and eventually some of the others. on creative retreats for adults. They will provide a majestic way to get creative juices flowing.
July 27, 2020
I am a professional actor and lover of Shakespeare. I recently discovered these 30-min versions and am enthralled! How cool that these books make Shakespeare's work accessible to so many more people that might otherwise be intimidated by the original. And obviously, anyone yearning for more can then go and deepen their understanding by reading the play in its original form. I can only see an upside to this series as it paves the way for more Shakespeare fans.
February 16, 2019
As a high school teacher, a lover of Shakespeare, and someone with a brain, I despise this entire series. The cuts are horrible, the additional material in each book is insultingly bad, and some of the best scenes/lines from Shakespeare's plays are left out. I'm offended by these, and the "editor" - Nick Newlin - should be ashamed of himself. Because of his association with Folger, I now think less of them as an institution and will no longer support them in any way. Horrible. No excuse for these to exist.
July 3, 2022
I used this version off JC in my English I classes, and students declared that they loved it. This version cuts to the chase so that readers can understand what the verbal duel between Mark Antony and Brutus is about. The final act needs some clarification (about what Mark Antony says), but this is a small detail about a text that brings JC to life for teens.
May 2, 2015
Fine for what it is. 3-stars as in good. You lose a lot of Brutus in this, you lose a lot of post-assassination Cassius, and they commit a crime by cutting out part of Mark Antony's speech. But totally fine, works in a pinch.
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews