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Manga Shakespeare
Manga Shakespeare: The Tempest
«WE ARE SUCH STUFF AS DREAMS ARE MADE ON»,proclaims Prospero, the sorcerer. Robbed of his dukedom, he is marooned on a wild island with his daughter Miranda. After years in exile, he conjures a storm that shipwrecks his usurping brother and political enemies. A fusion of the original Shakespeare with manga visuals, this is a cutting-edge adaptation set after the energy crisis of the 21th century has plunged mankind into a second Dark Age. Those who keep technology alive are "sorcerers". Prospero's "magic" reveals stories of love too easily won, freedom from slavery and a royal power struggle.
The Tempest is part of Manga Shakespeare, a series of graphic novel adaptations of William Shakespeare's plays. Drawing inspiration from Japan and using Shakespeare's original texts, this series - edited by Richard Appignanesi and illustrated by leading manga artists - brings to life the great Bard's words for students, Shakespeare enthusiasts and manga fans.
208 pages, Paperback
First published June 1, 2008
11 people are currently reading
254 people want to read
About the author
Richard Appignanesi
121 books39 followersRichard Appignanesi is a published adapter and an author of young adult books. Published credits of Richard Appignanesi include Manga Shakespeare: Julius Caesar (Manga Shakespeare), Manga Shakespeare: Macbeth (Manga Shakespeare), Manga Shakespeare: Hamlet (Manga Shakespeare), and Manga Shakespeare: Romeo and Juliet (Manga Shakespeare).
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 56 reviews
November 17, 2017
Bu Mangayı da Fırtına’nın yazılı basımını okurken destek olması açısından almıştım. Açıkçası karakterlerin kafamda oturması ve Ada’nın ve içindeki debdebeyi anlamak için fazlaca yardımı oldu.
Çizimlerinden ötürü keyifle alınıp okunabilir.
Çizimlerinden ötürü keyifle alınıp okunabilir.
March 24, 2020
I absolutely LOVE these manga adaptations of Shakespeare’s work. We all know that the plays were meant to be performed, on stage of course, but other media work as well, such as audiobooks, films, or indeed comics.
Somehow, the drawings, in the Japanese style, evoke movement and you end up being able to see what the characters are thinking or feeling when saying the Bard’s words. That helps a lot in understanding what is happening, being able to experience what is going on, and thus allow a wider public to enjoy the play. Naturally, some content has been cut - some scenes being shortened, mostly - but that doesn’t detract from the story.
An excellent manga! I keep handling them to everyone I know that is scared of trying Shakespeare :O)
Here is my review for the play itself.
Somehow, the drawings, in the Japanese style, evoke movement and you end up being able to see what the characters are thinking or feeling when saying the Bard’s words. That helps a lot in understanding what is happening, being able to experience what is going on, and thus allow a wider public to enjoy the play. Naturally, some content has been cut - some scenes being shortened, mostly - but that doesn’t detract from the story.
An excellent manga! I keep handling them to everyone I know that is scared of trying Shakespeare :O)
Here is my review for the play itself.
August 30, 2021
Aug 29, 930am ~~ Review asap.
1245pm ~~ The Tempest is the second book in my end-of-August Manga Shakespeare binge.
I've only read the original play once, and to tell the truth, this book helped clarify a few points that I remember being confused about. I think when I am done with my Manga project i will create yet another list and return to the originals of all these plays. Shakespeare is, of course, one of those authors that can and should be reread throughout a person's life. Something new appears depending on what point you are at in your own life when you read.
But before I get too carried away with future plans, what about this book, right?
As always in a graphic novel the artwork is of tremendous importance and here it was, in my opinion, absolutely perfect. From the classic Japanese style ocean waves during the storm to the appearance of Ariel the sprite with its trailing ribbons instead of a lower body, the pictures seemed to mesh seamlessly with the text. I especially liked the background for Prospero's speech "We are such stuff as dreams are made on....", and the way the words of his final thoughts are printed along those ribbons that had been a part of Ariel's floating image.
I am curious about something, though. In each book so far the introductory pages, which act as a cast of characters introducing the images of each person we will be seeing during the play, are all in color. But the remainder of the book is in black and white. Is this a rule in the Manga genre? I have read graphic novels, but not too much 'Manga' so I am just curious. I think sometimes black and white in a graphic novel works better than color, but The Tempest would have been lovely in color.
This is another example of an adaptation that would have made me want to read the original if I never had. As I said in my review of Manga Shakespeare Hamlet, I believe that is one of the goals of these books. And since I have now been inspired to add an entire new project to my reading plans, I would say that this version of The Tempest has the bonus of creating the desire to reread the original also.
1245pm ~~ The Tempest is the second book in my end-of-August Manga Shakespeare binge.
I've only read the original play once, and to tell the truth, this book helped clarify a few points that I remember being confused about. I think when I am done with my Manga project i will create yet another list and return to the originals of all these plays. Shakespeare is, of course, one of those authors that can and should be reread throughout a person's life. Something new appears depending on what point you are at in your own life when you read.
But before I get too carried away with future plans, what about this book, right?
As always in a graphic novel the artwork is of tremendous importance and here it was, in my opinion, absolutely perfect. From the classic Japanese style ocean waves during the storm to the appearance of Ariel the sprite with its trailing ribbons instead of a lower body, the pictures seemed to mesh seamlessly with the text. I especially liked the background for Prospero's speech "We are such stuff as dreams are made on....", and the way the words of his final thoughts are printed along those ribbons that had been a part of Ariel's floating image.
I am curious about something, though. In each book so far the introductory pages, which act as a cast of characters introducing the images of each person we will be seeing during the play, are all in color. But the remainder of the book is in black and white. Is this a rule in the Manga genre? I have read graphic novels, but not too much 'Manga' so I am just curious. I think sometimes black and white in a graphic novel works better than color, but The Tempest would have been lovely in color.
This is another example of an adaptation that would have made me want to read the original if I never had. As I said in my review of Manga Shakespeare Hamlet, I believe that is one of the goals of these books. And since I have now been inspired to add an entire new project to my reading plans, I would say that this version of The Tempest has the bonus of creating the desire to reread the original also.
October 12, 2010
Manga is a great way to read Shakespeare, as close to a play as you can get with a book, and this was nicely presented. I loved the introduction of the characters with portraits and a quote at the beginning, and the way some of them were paired up - Ariel with Caliban, Miranda with Ferdinand. The way the characters were drawn made it clear who were the good guys, and who were the bad, and who were just silly. And there was a pleasant amount of silliness in the story.
And the story, for those few of you who aren't familiar with The Tempest, is that of betrayal and forgiveness. Prospero has been living marooned on his island, raising his daughter Miranda apart from the world, since his traitorous brother Antonio took his dukedom, supported by the king of Naples. Now Prospero has his betrayers at his mercy, having wrecked their ship with his powers of magic. He could take his revenge, but will he? His concern is for his beloved daughter, Miranda, not vengence. And he's shown forbearance even with Caliban, witch's son and half beast, who resents Prospero even as he serves him.
There is magic and wonderment, a sweet love story, and wrongs being righted. And a heck of a lot of wandering around the island. I have been told that the wandering is symbolic and important in Shakespeare's plays. Whatever. :)
I found it a very satisfying story, and felt glad that no one had their eyes gouged out or was driven to a murderous rage out of unfounded jealousy, or did that whole Romeo/Juliet stupid poison mix up thing. Yeah, I didn't think that was romantic, I though it was bad communication and horrible timing. Okay, so, I'm not a big fan of tragedies...
Ahem. Okay, this version used Shakespeare's original language, although it was a bit abridged. It would be a good way to go for high school students, and for those interested in Shakespeare, but a bit intimidated by the language. Yay, illustrations! They give clues as to meaning! Fun! Recommended for ages 13 and up.
And the story, for those few of you who aren't familiar with The Tempest, is that of betrayal and forgiveness. Prospero has been living marooned on his island, raising his daughter Miranda apart from the world, since his traitorous brother Antonio took his dukedom, supported by the king of Naples. Now Prospero has his betrayers at his mercy, having wrecked their ship with his powers of magic. He could take his revenge, but will he? His concern is for his beloved daughter, Miranda, not vengence. And he's shown forbearance even with Caliban, witch's son and half beast, who resents Prospero even as he serves him.
There is magic and wonderment, a sweet love story, and wrongs being righted. And a heck of a lot of wandering around the island. I have been told that the wandering is symbolic and important in Shakespeare's plays. Whatever. :)
I found it a very satisfying story, and felt glad that no one had their eyes gouged out or was driven to a murderous rage out of unfounded jealousy, or did that whole Romeo/Juliet stupid poison mix up thing. Yeah, I didn't think that was romantic, I though it was bad communication and horrible timing. Okay, so, I'm not a big fan of tragedies...
Ahem. Okay, this version used Shakespeare's original language, although it was a bit abridged. It would be a good way to go for high school students, and for those interested in Shakespeare, but a bit intimidated by the language. Yay, illustrations! They give clues as to meaning! Fun! Recommended for ages 13 and up.
April 5, 2020
3/5stars
Read for my adaptation studies
Read for my adaptation studies
August 12, 2015
An interesting and unique way to present Shakespeare's plays. I think this would be a great way for visual learners to better grasp what Shakespeare is trying to say. It can be difficult to connect with a play without actually seeing it and this really helps.
December 18, 2025
Actually more interesting than I thought. It won’t be my favourite Shakespeare by any means, but it was more original than I remembered and I liked that everyone forgave each other instead of killing each other in the end.
I also liked that the graphics broke the fourth wall at times, with the photorealistic moon and the copy of the book in the book.
I also liked that the graphics broke the fourth wall at times, with the photorealistic moon and the copy of the book in the book.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Read
April 15, 2016As a person who is already familiar with the play, I got nothing out of this adaptation. I didn't care for the art, although I've seen worse. It was amateurish and boring. I think it would be helpful for students who had difficulty understanding the original text and needed to get through it.
September 10, 2014
An Anime style rendering of Shakespeare. Not quite how I would interpret the characters, but an… interesting choice nonetheless.
November 1, 2023
Loved the art but not all that about the story
January 13, 2021
So I decided to buy and read my first ever manga. Tbh I’m not exactly disappointed? But I’m also not 100% satisfied? Can’t think of a word to describe this feeling other than “this was ok”.
Tips before diving into this one: definitely read the actual book beforehand, otherwise nothing will make sense lol (trust me, and talking from experience over here). OR, you can read the summary (which I looked up on Wikipedia (please don’t judge me, I- ).
Anw, at the end of the day this was enjoyable. The illustrations (or pictures? What do we call these in the manga world?) were great, but I feel like if they were coloured they would have been 199229 times better and more beautiful. But hey, the selling price of this manga was really good (spoiler alert: that’s why I bought it lol) so I guess you get what you pay for 👀
In conclusion, if you’ve already read The Tempest in it’s original (book?) form and enjoyed/liked/loved it, then you’ll probably thoroughly enjoy this manga. If not, then stop being lazy and go read a summary before following in my footsteps 🥲
P.S: there is an actual summary IN the book but it’s at the very end (literally second to last page) and once I got there, I literally felt like the manga was mocking me lmfao. Why would anyone put it at the end instead of the beginning? Like whyyyyyy??!?!?
Tips before diving into this one: definitely read the actual book beforehand, otherwise nothing will make sense lol (trust me, and talking from experience over here). OR, you can read the summary (which I looked up on Wikipedia (please don’t judge me, I- ).
Anw, at the end of the day this was enjoyable. The illustrations (or pictures? What do we call these in the manga world?) were great, but I feel like if they were coloured they would have been 199229 times better and more beautiful. But hey, the selling price of this manga was really good (spoiler alert: that’s why I bought it lol) so I guess you get what you pay for 👀
In conclusion, if you’ve already read The Tempest in it’s original (book?) form and enjoyed/liked/loved it, then you’ll probably thoroughly enjoy this manga. If not, then stop being lazy and go read a summary before following in my footsteps 🥲
P.S: there is an actual summary IN the book but it’s at the very end (literally second to last page) and once I got there, I literally felt like the manga was mocking me lmfao. Why would anyone put it at the end instead of the beginning? Like whyyyyyy??!?!?
September 22, 2020
Leider mit zwei groben Fehlern.
Dieses Manga ist, genau wie die anderen der Reihe bearbeitet. Der Originaltext ist auf die Handlungstragenden Elemente reduziert, so dass klarer wird, was passiert und was die Protagonisten sagen und tun.
Die Zeichnungen und das Setting sind klassisch. Der Böse ist offensichtlich Böse und entsprechend gekleidet und gezeichnet. Hier alles sehr klassisch, einfach nur eine Illustration ohne Interpretation durch ein moderneres Setting, wie das bei anderen Mangas der Reihe der Fall ist.
Problematisch, und daher der Punktabzug, sind zwei grobe Schnitzer.
Miranda ist 3 als sie fliehen müssen. In der Zeichnung der Flucht ist sie aber maximal 1 Jahr als.
Die Sache mit dem Seemann der nicht ertrinken kann, weil er aussieht, wie jemand, den man irgendwann an Lanf hängen wird, fehlt bei den Dialogen während des Sturms, dennoch wird darauf am Schluss Bezug genommen. Das hätte dem Lektorat eigentlich auffallen müssen.
Dieses Manga ist, genau wie die anderen der Reihe bearbeitet. Der Originaltext ist auf die Handlungstragenden Elemente reduziert, so dass klarer wird, was passiert und was die Protagonisten sagen und tun.
Die Zeichnungen und das Setting sind klassisch. Der Böse ist offensichtlich Böse und entsprechend gekleidet und gezeichnet. Hier alles sehr klassisch, einfach nur eine Illustration ohne Interpretation durch ein moderneres Setting, wie das bei anderen Mangas der Reihe der Fall ist.
Problematisch, und daher der Punktabzug, sind zwei grobe Schnitzer.
Miranda ist 3 als sie fliehen müssen. In der Zeichnung der Flucht ist sie aber maximal 1 Jahr als.
Die Sache mit dem Seemann der nicht ertrinken kann, weil er aussieht, wie jemand, den man irgendwann an Lanf hängen wird, fehlt bei den Dialogen während des Sturms, dennoch wird darauf am Schluss Bezug genommen. Das hätte dem Lektorat eigentlich auffallen müssen.
October 27, 2025
This is a good simplified version of The Tempest and would work well to introduce a hi-lo reader to the plot. Shakespeare can be difficult to follow for someone new to his works, and I've found that reading a simplified version to my kids, or having them read it, helps before taking them to see a show of it, and we've done this many years. Sometimes we've seen them live, other times it's been movies like Kenneth Branagh's Hamlet, as well as others such as Much Ado about Nothing, A Midsummer's Night's Dream, and Leonardo DiCaprio's modern take on Romeo and Juliet. We've tried, whenever possible, to support local community theater. This is one way we chose to expose our children to culture. We wanted them prepared, and books such as this one have helped.
We plan to listen to the BBC audio version as a family sometime this week, with the actual full text in hand. This was motivated because it's one of the assigned reads for my school-district-homeschooled twelfth grade son.
We plan to listen to the BBC audio version as a family sometime this week, with the actual full text in hand. This was motivated because it's one of the assigned reads for my school-district-homeschooled twelfth grade son.
August 31, 2018
I wasn't sure I would like this, but it was actually terrific!
When I've tried to read graphic novels and comics before I've found myself accidentally just reading the text and not really looking at the illustrations, but the two elements were much better integrated here. I'm not familiar with the original story so I have no idea how much important stuff I missed, but it felt very coherent as a stand-alone text.
I've been inspired to read (or maybe find a film adaptation of) the full thing now, and I'll be keeping an eye out for more books in this series.
When I've tried to read graphic novels and comics before I've found myself accidentally just reading the text and not really looking at the illustrations, but the two elements were much better integrated here. I'm not familiar with the original story so I have no idea how much important stuff I missed, but it felt very coherent as a stand-alone text.
I've been inspired to read (or maybe find a film adaptation of) the full thing now, and I'll be keeping an eye out for more books in this series.
November 30, 2024
It's just brilliant, this. The Tempest is never the most accessible of Shakespeare's plays, but here the fantastic illustrations make it so, and my son was able to closely follow the narrative (as well as drawing comparisons with the structure of Beowulf - he gets his brains from his mum). We had a brilliant afternoon reading this together, and now I'm wondering if I go Much Ado or King Lear next...
July 26, 2025
Every single time I read/watch an adaptation of The Tempest I wonder if I even know what The Tempest is about.
Mildly fascinating. I've seen better art in my lifetime but it was good enough to capture the general vibe. I definitely don't remember enough of The Tempest to rate if it was a good adaptation or not.
This is entry 4/12 for my 2025 challenge to read one book per month that was recommended/lent to me!
Mildly fascinating. I've seen better art in my lifetime but it was good enough to capture the general vibe. I definitely don't remember enough of The Tempest to rate if it was a good adaptation or not.
This is entry 4/12 for my 2025 challenge to read one book per month that was recommended/lent to me!
July 3, 2019
I read this thinking that I could use it as a supplement to teaching The Tempest to high schoolers, but I found that this graphic interpretation wouldn't be very helpful. The characters aren't very expressive, and the illustrations don't show much of the action. At the end of the day it was a pleasant enough read, but I can't see myself using it to teach like I'd hoped.
July 10, 2019
I found this format a great way to read Shakespeare. The tempest, being one of my favorites of his plays, was an enjoyable read. I loved the illustrations of the characters, and thought the dialogue from the play used was well chosen. I highly enjoyed this read.
October 27, 2022
I read this to remind myself of the story as we are preparing to study it, and this version was fine but it didn’t make me fall in love with The Tempest. I feel like, as one of Shakespeare’s more gray and complicated plays, the reader needs a little more help getting into it.
December 10, 2025
A great way to enjoy Shakespeare. If you’re looking for a more accessible way into his work this is a great way to do it.
The artwork isn’t the best but that’s almost not the point. It’s there to help the story flow for those not familiar and on that point it absolutely delivers.
The artwork isn’t the best but that’s almost not the point. It’s there to help the story flow for those not familiar and on that point it absolutely delivers.
October 22, 2017
Whoa, I'm surprised by how much I liked this! I think manga is my new favorite way to read Shakespeare. I enjoyed the story, the art, the language, and really, everything about it.
September 19, 2018
The art was wonderful. The story felt rushed, as if the act of squashing a play into this form is too much for the pacing.
November 13, 2020
Nice. I liked it and the manga version was fun to read. I always said I'd read it because it has one of my namesakes in it. And I was pleased. Also the art style was so good.
July 17, 2022
This is one of my favorite plays.
I will be giving it an A on my scale.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading it
I will be giving it an A on my scale.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading it
November 22, 2022
Actually really helped me understand the concepts of the play
December 23, 2023
I enjoy reading Shakespeare way more in graphic novel form. This was awesome.
August 21, 2024
Highly accessible version
November 23, 2024
Manga Shakespeare's interpretation of "The Tempest" powerfully conveys the spirit of Shakespeare's words. The imagery, especially the rendition of Ariel, is also beautiful.
August 8, 2025
En tunne Shakespearea tarpeeksi, että tästä olisi saanut juuri mitään irti. Kieli oli toki kaunista.
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