Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet: The Manga Edition

by Adam Sexton, Yali Lin

Feuding families—the Montagues and Capulets. Star-crossed lovers—Romeo and Juliet. A street brawl and a masquerade ball. Comedy and tragedy. Murder and revenge.  True romance. A secret marriage. A double suicide. This manga edition features a four-page introduction that sets the stage and a text that’s abridged, but retains Shakespeare’s original language, setting, and time. Packed with action and emotion, it is the ideal way to explore Shakespeare’s timeless themes and appreciate his immortal love scenes.

Genres: Manga, Graphic Novels, Classics, Romance, Fiction, Drama, Comics

184 pages, Paperback

Published January 1, 2008

Reviews

[Alex · Rating 4 out of 5]

I mean... What a ride?

[Alex · Rating 4 out of 5]

This Manga version of Romeo and Juliet was written by Adam Sexton, it is 185 pages and is a graphic novel. I think this Manga edition of Shakespeare's play is wonderful and so much more straightforward than the original one. I was really impressed with the graphics as they were very imaginative and they all suited the elements of the play. As most of you know this novel is very tragic however, also a romantic story about two star-crossed lovers who get caught in the crossfire of their parents quarrel in the city of Verona, Italy. Shakespearean language is very hard to read, but in the Manga edition it is much easier to apprehend. I would most definitely recommend reading this edition before reading the original because it is more simple and gives you a better idea! Also the pictures add a great boost to the novel.

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

This Amerimanga retelling uses Shakespeare's words in an abridged version. Despite it being manga I could mostly tell the characters apart in this one, since only the younger characters are drop-dead gorgeous; the older ones look pretty normal. The setting and costume are standard period for the play, though without codpieces, nor any, um, let's say "natural curves" in that area for the men. The drawings combine interesting angles and frame placement to give life and movement to the story, but I had no trouble figuring out what was going on in each scene, which I appreciated. There is a decapitation dream scene and on the same page a dream scene with a scantily clad woman, and of course the stabbings that occur in the play, so again this would be for 7th grade up. There's an interesting forward that talks about what a graphic novel brings to the retelling, mostly in terms of breaking the limits of a stage production.

[Serena Marie · Rating 2 out of 5]

If you enjoy Shakespeare original work then you will enjoy the layout of text that is written as it is almost to a T of the original poem format and ancient English context. I found that very hard to comprehend at times for emotions. However, the manga artist depicted the scenes well enough to keep up of the story.

[Khorshid · Rating 2 out of 5]

فکر کنم زیادی درگیر شکسپیر شدم 😂
ولی این خدایش یه جوری بود

[Nadine · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is based on a tragic story about two star-crossed lovers taking away their life. Juliet had a plan to be with Romeo but the plan never got around to Romeo. The plan was to drink a vile that would make everyone think she was dead but really she was asleep. When Romeo heard of this he had not got Juliets letter explaining the situation so he went to her "death bed" and killed himself right before death took him Juliet woke up from her sleep to see him die. Juliet was astonished and took the same blade and took her life as well. The images helped understand more about this classic novel. Since the language is in Shakespearean, the pictures helped balance out with the language used. I would most definitely recommend reading this edition before reading the original because it is more simple and gives you a better idea of the story. In my opinion, I think that Shakespearean books should be seen and not read, because it is hard to read but easier to see and imagine. It helped me a lot because I find it difficult to understand the meaning from the words, so this graphic novel helped me understand because of the emotion from the characters.

[Marsha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Shakespeare’s most famous tragedy about star-crossed lovers is here given the realistic treatment with the players drawn in traditional period Italian garb. (I recognize elements of Zeffirelli’s famous 1968 cinematic effort, such as when Romeo climbs a tree to pitch woo to his adolescent paramour.) The lovers are drawn as sweet-faced teens, with smooth faces and large eyes that convey their youth and innocence. The various other characters are each clearly distinguishable from each other, showing a knowing artistry on the parts of the illustrator, Yali Lin. While some may object to the traditional look, I believe this is a good way to introduce readers to one of Shakespeare’s most durable and recognized plays. A foreword by the author Adam Sexton outlines why manga is an excellent medium for conveying the words and action of Shakespearean plays.

[Lilybeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

After Baz Luhrman's version (movie with Leonardo DiCaprio & Claire Danes), this is my favorite re-telling of Romeo & Juliet's tragedy.
It's not easy reading Shakespeare but these visuals really help you understand what's going on and what these characters are saying.
I didn't expect the manga/Shakespeare mash-up to work so well, but it really does.
I loved this!

[Jessica Baxter · Rating 5 out of 5]

My favourite book out of the classics love it so much and the manga edition makes it so much easier to understand the story and whats going on :)

[Miss Amelie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Siapa yang tidak mengenal Romeo dan Juliet? Salah satu mahakarya dari William Shakespeare yang terkenal dengan kisah cintanya yang tragis. Aku pribadi mengenal Romeo dan Juliet dari versi filmnya yang diperankan oleh Leonardo Dicaprio. Kalau tidak salah, saat itu aku masih SMP kelas 3. Aku menontonnya di TV, dan adegan paling tragis dalam kisah itu, sangat membekas dalam benakku.

Sekitar tahun 2010, aku menemukan buku ini. Karena aku belum pernah membaca versi originalnya, aku jadi tertarik. Setelah membacanya, aku baru sadar versi manga ini adalah versi yang diringkas atau abridged version. Namun meski diringkas, aku masih bisa memahami keseluruhan ceritanya.

Menggunakan manga sebagai media baru untuk menyajikan karya klasik seperti Romeo dan Juliet adalah hal yang baru dan menarik di tahun tersebut. Dengan media manga, kita bisa memvisualisasikan adegan-adegan yang sulit seperti adegan Mercutio menceritakan Ratu Mab. Selain itu, beberapa adegan bisa dimasukkan menjadi dua-tiga panel dalam satu halaman.

Seperti yang dikatakan Adam Sexton dalam pendahuluan, membalik halaman versi manga dari drama Shakespeare seperti membaca teks drama sekaligus menonton pertunjukannya. Aku setuju dengan pernyataannya itu. Media manga membuat kita mudah memahami setiap dialog dalam adegan drama Shakespeare. Selain itu, kita juga bisa melihat dengan jelas ekspresi para tokoh.

Ngomong-ngomong, aku tidak menyadarinya saat membacanya pertama kali. Saat membacanya untuk kedua kalinya, aku baru sadar betapa kontrasnya situasi Romeo dan Juliet sebelum mereka bertemu. Romeo sedang patah hati karena cintanya pada Rosaline kandas. Sementara Juliet berjanji pada ibunya untuk berusaha menyukai Paris. Dalam situasi yang berbeda, mereka pun bertemu dan saling jatuh cinta. Bagian ini, menurutku, sangat mirip dengan situasi di dunia nyata. Dua orang yang tengah mengalami situasi berbeda, bertemu dan jatuh cinta. Namun dalam kisah Romeo dan Juliet, cinta mereka datang secepat kematian mereka.

[Niharika · Rating 4 out of 5]

Even though I didn't understand not even one dialogue due to it being in the old English format, but still got the gist of it. And really did love this Manga version. Romeo n Juliet is one of my fav story that I heard as a kid n would love to read the whole version.

[Javier · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book is ok. Not really into manga or Romeo and Juliet, but it had a lot of Drama! COOL BEANA

[MAK KA · Rating 4 out of 5]

nothing

[Ana Lucia · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not as visceral as the manga Macbeth.

[avery :) · Rating 2 out of 5]

the only reason i give it two is for the art style was better than the writing 🫠

[Natalie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was just hard but I wanted to try it and have the book for my kids. It is written backwards!!! I struggled and it took me forever 😂😂

[Sabrina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Romeo and Juliet the graphic novel version by Adam Sexton was a version of the novel I wish I read instead of the William Shakespeare version we had to read in freshmen year. Although both novels have the same plot and same language the graphic novel was much easier to understand anad follow because it was not as detailed and confusing. In addition the images also helped me follow along and understand the plot of the novel. It is 185 pages of book I would have rather read than the original we had to read last year.

The novel is about two star crossed lovers who want to be together but they're families would never allow it. Juliet's father already has a suitor fr her that hed wish shed marry and does not want her to marry the likes of Romeos family. They meet in a ball and die in a church. Juliet had a plan to be with Romeo but the plan never got around to Romeo. The plan was to drink a vile that would make everyone think she was dead but really she was asleep. When Romeo heard of this he had not got Juliets letter explaining the situation so he went to her "death bed" and killed himself right before death took him Juliet woke up from her sleep to see him die. Juliet was astonished and took the same blade and took her life as well. It is an epic but tradic love story. That I enjoyed a lot but unfortunately I knew how it would end.

[Julia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Michael Printz Award 2007
National Book Award
Agatha Award
Traditional lit in graphic format.
Frueding families the Montagues & Capulets. 2 star crossed lovers, Romeo & Juliet. There is a street brawl and a masquerade ball. It is in 5 acts. The language is Shakespeare. " See what a scourge is laid upon your hate, that heaven finds means to kill your joys with love." (pg.183) The manga is clean and the illustrations create nice movement through the story. I think reading a comic adaption of Shakespeare in the classroom offers the students an opportunity to make sense of the language and Shakespeare. Shakespeare was meant to be seen as a play. Well, read one of these graphic manga editions to see how reading Shakespeare as a comic is like watching the play.

[Joy Sterrantino · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm interested in possibly using this format to teach Shakespeare. It makes sense because Shakespeare's plays were intended to be seen, not read. The advantage of the graphic novel is that the words aren't fleeting as when one watches a play. One can see the action and also go back and reread the words in relation to the action. I'm getting a copy to examine.

[Jandi · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very beautiful from the beginning to the end. The illustrations were great, it had Shakespeare's written script (not all for the fact it was a 200 pages manga comic). But you don't like Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet by text alone, then I encourage you to read this manga. It is very visual.

[Primadonna · Rating 2 out of 5]

I don't quite understand why this book doesn't really appeal to me. I love manga. Romeo & Juliet is the first play by Shakespeare that I read so it holds a special place in my heart. Yet somehow I feel this so-called manga is not manga at all. True, it follows manga style but I feel this is like a watered-down version.

[Jenna Carrasquillo · Rating 5 out of 5]

i love this book i wish romeo and juliet wouldve lived but i guess that was a big part that made me love this book .its amazing and i would recamend this to anyone . i also love shakespearean language

[David Reynoso · Rating 5 out of 5]

That it was sad that Romeo and Juliet couldn't show affection to each other in the public because their families hate each other. And also to t was sad when Romeo commited suicide because Juliet faked her death then Juliet commides suicide because Romeo commited suicide. But a great book over all.

[Michael P. · Rating 3 out of 5]

There is an outside chance I will assign this books to students in the fall, so I resist commenting here.

[Zori · Rating 1 out of 5]

I didan't like this book becouse its not very good but the book have parts very good.

[Dusty · Rating 5 out of 5]

amazing <3 and sweet

[Querina · Rating 3 out of 5]

i did like the book romeo and juliet i just did not like the part when thay bofh dide.

[Capri Favors · Rating 3 out of 5]

it was good

[Mervin Paderrnos · Rating 5 out of 5]

good

[Kim · Rating 5 out of 5]

cool