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Manga Shakespeare
مانجا شكسبير : جوليوس قيصر
"Beware the ides of March," warns a soothsayer in Shakespeare's classic portrayal of noble ideals turned to bloodshed. Caesar, grown arrogant on military victory, assumes the people will acclaim his dictatorship. But the staunch republicans Brutus and Cassius conspire to assassinate him. Civil war follows, as Antony and Octavius seek revenge. This manga recreation of Shakespeare's text transfers the action from ancient Rome to a futuristic city-state, once again facing tyranny after its prolonged struggles to establish a democracy. Julius Caesar is part of Manga Shakespeare, a series of graphic novel adaptations of William Shakespeare's plays. Drawing inspiration from trend-setting Japan and using Shakespeare's original texts, this series – adapted 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, Unknown Binding
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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 48 reviews
April 26, 2020
I have never been much of a Shakespeare fan. I know, I know; what kind of avid reader am I? Still, I find many of his stories unsettling, especially in their modern adaptations, such as that disturbing '90's celluloid version of Romeo and Juliet, which I was unfortunately forced to watch in freshman English class. The objectionable content of that flick still haunts me to this day.
Still, as a longtime fan of comics, I figured this would be worth a read...but, boy, was I wrong! Hideous artwork, inane lettering, a style that looks nothing like the other manga books I've read, objectification of the female characters...yeah, this was a disaster.
I give it two stars just because I'm glad they chose a piece of classic literature to adapt. Too many people of my generation don't know the works of the writers of yesteryear very well; they apparently didn't watch Wishbone as a kid. There's a reason these stories have stood the test of time all these years; if you don't bother to read them, you'll never know why!
Still, as a longtime fan of comics, I figured this would be worth a read...but, boy, was I wrong! Hideous artwork, inane lettering, a style that looks nothing like the other manga books I've read, objectification of the female characters...yeah, this was a disaster.
I give it two stars just because I'm glad they chose a piece of classic literature to adapt. Too many people of my generation don't know the works of the writers of yesteryear very well; they apparently didn't watch Wishbone as a kid. There's a reason these stories have stood the test of time all these years; if you don't bother to read them, you'll never know why!
July 15, 2015
A Manga Shakespeare
14 December 2013
Don't you just hate it when you finish writing a commentary on something and you are just about to save your work when your computer crashes. Okay, I have been brought up around computers and it has been drummed into me since I was a kid that we always have to save our work, but unfortunately there is only so many times that we can save our work and still get work done (though I notice that at my actual workplace our work is constantly being saved, and backedup, and so on and so forth).
Anyway, when I came to write up on this particular graphic novel I was under the impression that I had already written a commentary on the actual play only to discover that despite the fact that I have read it something like five times I have not actually got around to writing a commentary on it. This is something that I am going to have to rectify, but once again since it is one of Shakespeare's plays, and that it is actually one of my favourite plays, then I am going to have to read it again before I go and write a commentary on it. I don't believe that I have written one on Romeo and Juliet either, but that is beside the point considering it is one that I will get around to sometime but am in no rush to do so.
Anyway, I think I will comment on this particular book first and then write a few thoughts about the play as a whole, though I will leave a fuller commentary for when I get around to the actual play. Now, this is a part of a series called 'The Manga Shakespeare' and I have noticed that there are two series in this vein. I have not seen the other series yet, though I do note that some are available at the various lending libraries here in Melbourne (though they tend to be Macbeth and Hamlet, even though a lot of the other plays have been published as well). The idea behind the novel was to present Shakespeare in an accessible way and that I believe is a good thing. I have pondered the idea of translating Shakespeare into a graphic novel format and it seems that it has been done already. However, I must say that even though I love the play I found that the art work in this particular version was not the best. Okay, it did have a modern theme, and also involved gunships and tanks, but I felt that the graphic novel itself was quite rushed and that it was not really all that presentable. I would be interested in reading one from the other series, though I have no real intention of running out and actually purchasing any of them.
As for the play itself, it is based upon the Life of Ceaser by the Greco-Roman author Plutarch. Plutarch actually wrote a huge work (which I have in my book collection) called The Lives of Eminent Greeks and Romans, and he goes through a whole collection of ancient Greek and Roman statesmen, looking at their lives, their achievements, and the legacy that they left behind. Shakespeare only wrote from three of these lives: Ceaser, Mark Antony, and Coriolanus. He also only selected specific events from their lives to work into a tragedy, and a tragedy this play definitely is.
The interesting thing with this particular play is that we will automatically think that it is the tragedy of Julius Ceaser when in fact it is not – the tragic hero in this play is actually Marcus Brutus of the 'et tu Brutai' fame. The reason I suggest this (and I am not going back on my belief that the whole concept of the tragic flaw of the Shakespearian tragic hero is a load of bunk) is that Brutus is facing a lot of pressures to turn and betray his friend. Now we will notice in the play that after the conspirators commit their deed they run out of the Senate building screaming 'freedom' and 'liberty' and are not cut down by the Roman Constabulary (as would no doubt happen today if we were to do the same thing against one of our leaders). The reason for that is that if a ruler were to get to the point where they were seen as a tyrant then it was the responsibility of the people, with the intention of protecting the freedom of the Republic, to assassinate the tyrant.
However, the problem is, and this comes out in the play, is that one person's tyrant is another person's saviour. We see this happen today when you have one group protesting against a leader and then an opposing group that actually supporting the leader (no doubt because they benefit personally from this leader). Even in the modern United States there is a belief that the citizenry must act to remove a tyranical leader (and we see this in one particular play called Americans where Leon Czolgosh defends his actions in assassinating William McKinley because he believed that it was his right, as an American citizen, to kill what he believed to be a tyrant).
This comes more to the front in Julius Ceaser where, after defeating his opponent Pompey in the Civil War, Ceaser comes into Rome triumphant. In fact the people of Rome throw him a massive party (called a Triumph) celebrating his victory (which was something only great heroes received, and to receive a Triumph was a sign of your accomplishment, though one aspect of it was that a slave would stand next to you in your chariot reminding you that you are still a mere mortal). However, we also have Ceaser being offered a crown (a symbol of Kingship) which he turns down, and the reason for that happening can be considered political manipulation (in saying that he will not accept the crown because he has no intention of becoming a tyrant).
Now, the problem with Brutus is that not only is he being persuaded by the co-conspirators to make a move against Ceaser, they are also calling up his namesake, and ancestor, another Brutus, who was responsible for killing the king Tarquin and establishing Rome as a republic. The question that is raised though was whether Ceaser could really be considered a tyrant, and whether moving against him in that manner was the right thing to do. As it turns out Mark Anthony managed to persuade the people of Rome (in his famous 'Friends, Romans, Countrymen, lend me your ears' speech) that their actions were not the actions of liberators but rather the actions of criminals, which ends up shattering the fragile peace of Rome and throwing the republic back into civil war. In fact what ends up happening is that this action that is performed to protect the Republic ends up backfiring and sending Rome into a lengthy period where it is ruled by emperors and the old Republic is never again re-established.
14 December 2013
Don't you just hate it when you finish writing a commentary on something and you are just about to save your work when your computer crashes. Okay, I have been brought up around computers and it has been drummed into me since I was a kid that we always have to save our work, but unfortunately there is only so many times that we can save our work and still get work done (though I notice that at my actual workplace our work is constantly being saved, and backedup, and so on and so forth).
Anyway, when I came to write up on this particular graphic novel I was under the impression that I had already written a commentary on the actual play only to discover that despite the fact that I have read it something like five times I have not actually got around to writing a commentary on it. This is something that I am going to have to rectify, but once again since it is one of Shakespeare's plays, and that it is actually one of my favourite plays, then I am going to have to read it again before I go and write a commentary on it. I don't believe that I have written one on Romeo and Juliet either, but that is beside the point considering it is one that I will get around to sometime but am in no rush to do so.
Anyway, I think I will comment on this particular book first and then write a few thoughts about the play as a whole, though I will leave a fuller commentary for when I get around to the actual play. Now, this is a part of a series called 'The Manga Shakespeare' and I have noticed that there are two series in this vein. I have not seen the other series yet, though I do note that some are available at the various lending libraries here in Melbourne (though they tend to be Macbeth and Hamlet, even though a lot of the other plays have been published as well). The idea behind the novel was to present Shakespeare in an accessible way and that I believe is a good thing. I have pondered the idea of translating Shakespeare into a graphic novel format and it seems that it has been done already. However, I must say that even though I love the play I found that the art work in this particular version was not the best. Okay, it did have a modern theme, and also involved gunships and tanks, but I felt that the graphic novel itself was quite rushed and that it was not really all that presentable. I would be interested in reading one from the other series, though I have no real intention of running out and actually purchasing any of them.
As for the play itself, it is based upon the Life of Ceaser by the Greco-Roman author Plutarch. Plutarch actually wrote a huge work (which I have in my book collection) called The Lives of Eminent Greeks and Romans, and he goes through a whole collection of ancient Greek and Roman statesmen, looking at their lives, their achievements, and the legacy that they left behind. Shakespeare only wrote from three of these lives: Ceaser, Mark Antony, and Coriolanus. He also only selected specific events from their lives to work into a tragedy, and a tragedy this play definitely is.
The interesting thing with this particular play is that we will automatically think that it is the tragedy of Julius Ceaser when in fact it is not – the tragic hero in this play is actually Marcus Brutus of the 'et tu Brutai' fame. The reason I suggest this (and I am not going back on my belief that the whole concept of the tragic flaw of the Shakespearian tragic hero is a load of bunk) is that Brutus is facing a lot of pressures to turn and betray his friend. Now we will notice in the play that after the conspirators commit their deed they run out of the Senate building screaming 'freedom' and 'liberty' and are not cut down by the Roman Constabulary (as would no doubt happen today if we were to do the same thing against one of our leaders). The reason for that is that if a ruler were to get to the point where they were seen as a tyrant then it was the responsibility of the people, with the intention of protecting the freedom of the Republic, to assassinate the tyrant.
However, the problem is, and this comes out in the play, is that one person's tyrant is another person's saviour. We see this happen today when you have one group protesting against a leader and then an opposing group that actually supporting the leader (no doubt because they benefit personally from this leader). Even in the modern United States there is a belief that the citizenry must act to remove a tyranical leader (and we see this in one particular play called Americans where Leon Czolgosh defends his actions in assassinating William McKinley because he believed that it was his right, as an American citizen, to kill what he believed to be a tyrant).
This comes more to the front in Julius Ceaser where, after defeating his opponent Pompey in the Civil War, Ceaser comes into Rome triumphant. In fact the people of Rome throw him a massive party (called a Triumph) celebrating his victory (which was something only great heroes received, and to receive a Triumph was a sign of your accomplishment, though one aspect of it was that a slave would stand next to you in your chariot reminding you that you are still a mere mortal). However, we also have Ceaser being offered a crown (a symbol of Kingship) which he turns down, and the reason for that happening can be considered political manipulation (in saying that he will not accept the crown because he has no intention of becoming a tyrant).
Now, the problem with Brutus is that not only is he being persuaded by the co-conspirators to make a move against Ceaser, they are also calling up his namesake, and ancestor, another Brutus, who was responsible for killing the king Tarquin and establishing Rome as a republic. The question that is raised though was whether Ceaser could really be considered a tyrant, and whether moving against him in that manner was the right thing to do. As it turns out Mark Anthony managed to persuade the people of Rome (in his famous 'Friends, Romans, Countrymen, lend me your ears' speech) that their actions were not the actions of liberators but rather the actions of criminals, which ends up shattering the fragile peace of Rome and throwing the republic back into civil war. In fact what ends up happening is that this action that is performed to protect the Republic ends up backfiring and sending Rome into a lengthy period where it is ruled by emperors and the old Republic is never again re-established.
August 26, 2017
Hikaye patates edilmiş, çeviri de kötü. Sadece çizimler güzel.
October 18, 2022
The art was interesting and made the content a little more interesting, but overall, i foubd it hard to connect the characters at times. The dialogue was hard to follow as the speech bubbles weren't explicit. Additionally, there were missing dialogue from the original which made it hard to follow. I would much rather read the original Shakespeare play. Would not recommend.
October 11, 2025
قرأت هذه المانجا بعد انتهائي مباشرة من المسرحية الأصلية، وهو ما جعل فهم الأحداث والانفعالات أكثر سهولة ووضوحاً.
المانجا التزمت إلى حد كبير بروح النص الشكسبيري، وقدّمت اقتباساً مباشراً ومحترماً له، فكانت التجربة ممتعة وغنية بالمعاني.
الرسم جاء جميلاً ومعبّراً، ولوحات كثيرة كانت تحمل رمزية عالية، حتى أنك أحياناً لا تحتاج إلى الكلمات لتفهم عمق المشهد وقسوته أو جماله.
لكن ما لم يرق لي هو الطابع العصري الذي أُضيف إلى القصة — من ظهور الطائرات والدبابات والدراجات النارية بجوار الزي الروماني — فقد شعرت أن هذا التناقض سلب القصة شيئاً من سحرها وأصالتها بدل أن يضيف إليها.
أما الغلاف فكان عملاً فنياً مدهشاً بحق؛ يظهر فيه تمثال يوليوس قيصر وكأنه تمثال للمسيح، وخلفه سماء ملبّدة بالغيوم القاتمة التي لا تنذر بخير… لوحة تختصر مصير القصة ومأساويتها قبل أن تبدأ.
أنا الآن على أتم الاستعداد لأن أبدأ رحلة جديدة مع مسرحية أخرى من روائعه. 🌿
✍️بقلم: مروة ♦️🌷
المانجا التزمت إلى حد كبير بروح النص الشكسبيري، وقدّمت اقتباساً مباشراً ومحترماً له، فكانت التجربة ممتعة وغنية بالمعاني.
الرسم جاء جميلاً ومعبّراً، ولوحات كثيرة كانت تحمل رمزية عالية، حتى أنك أحياناً لا تحتاج إلى الكلمات لتفهم عمق المشهد وقسوته أو جماله.
لكن ما لم يرق لي هو الطابع العصري الذي أُضيف إلى القصة — من ظهور الطائرات والدبابات والدراجات النارية بجوار الزي الروماني — فقد شعرت أن هذا التناقض سلب القصة شيئاً من سحرها وأصالتها بدل أن يضيف إليها.
أما الغلاف فكان عملاً فنياً مدهشاً بحق؛ يظهر فيه تمثال يوليوس قيصر وكأنه تمثال للمسيح، وخلفه سماء ملبّدة بالغيوم القاتمة التي لا تنذر بخير… لوحة تختصر مصير القصة ومأساويتها قبل أن تبدأ.
أنا الآن على أتم الاستعداد لأن أبدأ رحلة جديدة مع مسرحية أخرى من روائعه. 🌿
✍️بقلم: مروة ♦️🌷
April 18, 2022
I'm bummed this Manga Shakespeare adaptation didn't work as well as some of its peers. The story of Julius Caesar is still gripping with its themes of paranoia and how disposing of a ruler could work against you if your motives weren't "pure." However, Mustashrik's brooding art style and Appignanesi's adaptation make the plot both confusing and lose some of its emotional pull. I was confused over who several characters were (despite having distinct designs), and wasn't compelled to root for either side. I'm wondering if re-reading the tragedy itself will produce similar effects. Is it just not as good as I remember it? Or was this only an off adaptation? Only time will tell.
November 19, 2024
Los dibujos no se entienden nada, son una masa de garabatos negros, los textos son incomprensibles, supongo porque está en inglés antiguo y yo lo compré con el objetivo de practicar y aprender inglés ya que el formato comic/manga facilita la comprensión de la lectura, pero acá, es incomprensible y eso que siempre leo comics en inglés. Tuve que dejar de leerlo a la mitad porque empecé a evitar leerlo y hacer otras cosas de la aversión que me generaba. No lo recomiendo.
November 17, 2014
I really enjoyed this volume. The plot was not only great but also the art was inspiring too!
December 27, 2014
I don't like how much they have to cut the story down, but the illustrations made up for it holy cow.
December 28, 2015
Love teaching with this. Next year, I can do it better. Interesting choices made by the author/artist.
December 13, 2019
A retelling of Shakespeare's Julius Caesar, this tells the story of Caesar, a roman emperor who takes the throne and seeks to create a new form of government. But trouble is afoot, as conspirators seek to keep him from gaining his throne, including a close ally of Caesar named Brutus. As the tale unfolds, Brutus must decide if it is better to seek the honor of Caesar, or protect the liberties if the people.
I found this to be an interesting retelling of the classic Shakespeare play. It is basically the same story word for word, but now it is set in a modern sci-fi setting, mixing high tech machinery with Shakespearian wit. I thought it was good and I could see how this would attract other readers.
Content Warning: Violence, Murder.
I found this to be an interesting retelling of the classic Shakespeare play. It is basically the same story word for word, but now it is set in a modern sci-fi setting, mixing high tech machinery with Shakespearian wit. I thought it was good and I could see how this would attract other readers.
Content Warning: Violence, Murder.
February 25, 2018
This adaptation of Shakespeare's Julius Caesar illustrates the rise and fall of Ceasar, a Roman leader. When fear of Caesar's misuse of power goes to the heads of Cassius, Brutus, and their following, the group of men aims to murder their new Roman leader, later claiming to the public that it was for the good of Rome. With Caesar's nephew/adopted son Octavius now heading for Rome, a battle soon follows. Even after death, Caesar has been an imminent influence on the fate and events following in the final acts. Brutus, although he has killed Caesar, is still a noble Roman, in comparison to Cassius and the other men who claimed to have killed Caesar for Rome.
This historical rendition has some interesting facts pulled from the actual history. Of course, Shakespeare has changed many things for the sake of drama, creating dramatic irony and developing phenomenal persuasive speeches using many different forms of rhetoric in this play. In this manga rendition, the art is actually very lackluster, and the context is not as easy to place as other Manga Shakespeare editions (such as warring Japanese Yakuza in their edition of Romeo and Juliet). I think it is meant to be...some war rendition? But there are some interesting steampunk-looking elements to the art as well. While some of the drawn elements add to things like facial expressions during major speeches, the manga edition is not as good as the play itself. Compared to all the other Shakespeare I have experienced (written plays, visual versions [movies and live performance], and illustrated editions), I would have to say that the story of Julius Caesar itself is one of my least favorites (but I love the history plays!).
This historical rendition has some interesting facts pulled from the actual history. Of course, Shakespeare has changed many things for the sake of drama, creating dramatic irony and developing phenomenal persuasive speeches using many different forms of rhetoric in this play. In this manga rendition, the art is actually very lackluster, and the context is not as easy to place as other Manga Shakespeare editions (such as warring Japanese Yakuza in their edition of Romeo and Juliet). I think it is meant to be...some war rendition? But there are some interesting steampunk-looking elements to the art as well. While some of the drawn elements add to things like facial expressions during major speeches, the manga edition is not as good as the play itself. Compared to all the other Shakespeare I have experienced (written plays, visual versions [movies and live performance], and illustrated editions), I would have to say that the story of Julius Caesar itself is one of my least favorites (but I love the history plays!).
July 5, 2020
Das Setting ist, wie in der Corialanus Verfilmung mit Ralph Fiennes, ein zukünftiges, Postapocalyptisches? Rom. Die Truppen sind somit Hubraschrauber und Panzer und die Rüstungen sind ein wenig Cyberpunk mit Toga. Das Ganze wird umgesetzt von einem unglaublich guten Comiczeichner, der mir noch nie untergekommen ist: Mustashrik. Ich hätte wirklich gerne noch weitere Werke dieses Zeichners gelesen, aber das scheint sein einziges Comic zu sein. Sein Stil ist wirklich unglaublich dynamisch und elegant. Schon für die Zeichnungen 5Sterne.
Die Story ist eine der besseren von Shakespeare, er hat sie ja auch nicht erfunden, sondern nur, wie ein Walt Disney, von einem römischen Autor adaptiert. Die Story ist also die Altbekannte um die Iden des Mars, nur die Rolle des Attentäters ist halt wunderbar zwiespätlig angelegt. Brutus ist einfach ein genialer Charakter in seiner Zwiespältigkeit. All das fängt der Comic in seiner verkürzten Form gut ein und dampft die teils schon langen Monologe ganz wunderbar auf die eigentlich Handlungstragenden Elemente ein.
Gut zum rekapitulieren der Story bzw. zum Einstieg, bevor man das eigentliche Stück liest.
Die Story ist eine der besseren von Shakespeare, er hat sie ja auch nicht erfunden, sondern nur, wie ein Walt Disney, von einem römischen Autor adaptiert. Die Story ist also die Altbekannte um die Iden des Mars, nur die Rolle des Attentäters ist halt wunderbar zwiespätlig angelegt. Brutus ist einfach ein genialer Charakter in seiner Zwiespältigkeit. All das fängt der Comic in seiner verkürzten Form gut ein und dampft die teils schon langen Monologe ganz wunderbar auf die eigentlich Handlungstragenden Elemente ein.
Gut zum rekapitulieren der Story bzw. zum Einstieg, bevor man das eigentliche Stück liest.
September 13, 2025
En tunne Shakespearea kovin hyvin, joten odotin kirjan kuvauksen perusteella, että tässä olisi "helpompi" tapa tutustua. No ei näistä kyllä saa juuri mitään irti, jos ei tarinat ole jo valmiiksi tuttuja. Taide kyllä kaunista.
March 19, 2017
I love Shakespeare, but not so much Julius Caesar. I was hoping the manga would make it more entertaining, but I think that this story and I aren't meant to be friends. I cannot find anything in this story that actually interests me. This is clearly not the manga's fault.
The art is pretty cool. It's got line drawings that at times kind of blurs details, but it adds to the feel and emotion of what's going on. What I didn't get was that it has modern technology with tanks and helicopters. However the dress is still Ancient Roman? Also the text is all straight Shakespeare. I wanted modernized language.
So on the whole, a pretty solid three stars. It's not bad, but it's not amazing either.
The art is pretty cool. It's got line drawings that at times kind of blurs details, but it adds to the feel and emotion of what's going on. What I didn't get was that it has modern technology with tanks and helicopters. However the dress is still Ancient Roman? Also the text is all straight Shakespeare. I wanted modernized language.
So on the whole, a pretty solid three stars. It's not bad, but it's not amazing either.
December 20, 2017
For anime loves and Julius Caesar loves should come read this novel. It has the gore, betrayal, revenge and triumph during the start the beginning of the Roman Empire Civil War
January 24, 2018
مانجا خفيفة وجميلة :)
May 31, 2018
Twas a nice attempt. Points for using Shakespeare quotes though. Interesting experiment
March 14, 2022
Artwork is awesome but man is reading Shakespeare a chore.
February 5, 2024
DNF @ Page 70
May 26, 2025
جميلة
March 22, 2021
This was an interesting adaptation of the book, but I don't think the art was my favourite. I'm glad I read it, but I would have preferred a different style.
March 16, 2017
There are many lovely images here. I only held off the fifth star because there are parts where it is unclear which character is which.
April 22, 2009
I usually do not like abridged books, I feel the original full text should be read and savoured, not a shortened and edited text.
That being said, it is important for teens who read the manga versions of Shakespeare to realize that what they are reading is a summarized version. Hopefully the manga adaptation will get teens to seek out the real thing.
I have not seen "Julius Caesar" in a live performance and I have a belief that Shakespeare is to be enjoyed in the theatre more then in the written word. It was my daughter that conned me into reading this Manga version, she has read the original work and she has seen it in a theatre production.
I personally found this Manga version a little difficult to follow, especially since I have not seen or read the original work, but still with a few helpful explanations from my daughter I did enjoy it...but then again it is Shakespeare and it has motivated me to pick up the original and read it.
That being said, it is important for teens who read the manga versions of Shakespeare to realize that what they are reading is a summarized version. Hopefully the manga adaptation will get teens to seek out the real thing.
I have not seen "Julius Caesar" in a live performance and I have a belief that Shakespeare is to be enjoyed in the theatre more then in the written word. It was my daughter that conned me into reading this Manga version, she has read the original work and she has seen it in a theatre production.
I personally found this Manga version a little difficult to follow, especially since I have not seen or read the original work, but still with a few helpful explanations from my daughter I did enjoy it...but then again it is Shakespeare and it has motivated me to pick up the original and read it.
Read
October 27, 2015This manga version of the Julius Caeser play follows the basic plot of the original story. Julius Caesar has become very powerful in Rome, because of this many of the senators see him as a threat to the government. They fear that one day he will try to become king over Rome. Accordingly a group of them joins together to hatch an assassination plot, including Julius beloved friend Brutus. . .
I enjoyed that the story was well coordinated with the plot. It was still difficult to get through, but having visuals makes it a whole lot easier to read than the play. This book is definitely aimed towards young to older boys in that the twist of the story is that the setting is in a more science fiction futuristic setting. This version of Shakespeare's Julius Caesar will definitely help students understand more about this play.
Content Warning – Violence, Death, Dark Undertones.
I enjoyed that the story was well coordinated with the plot. It was still difficult to get through, but having visuals makes it a whole lot easier to read than the play. This book is definitely aimed towards young to older boys in that the twist of the story is that the setting is in a more science fiction futuristic setting. This version of Shakespeare's Julius Caesar will definitely help students understand more about this play.
Content Warning – Violence, Death, Dark Undertones.
July 24, 2009
This review is of the Manga Shakespeare edition of Julius Caesar (The original play gets a solid 5 stars)
I know these comic book versions of Shakespeare are supposed to be an easier introduction to Shakespeare for kids that may find the original text inaccessible... but if I had not been so familiar with the original, this book would have been completely incomprehensible. The art made it difficult to identify the different characters, so it ended up being difficult to figure out quite what was going on.
On the plus side, while the text is abridged, it is not paraphrased, so the power of the original text gets to shine through quite a bit.
I know these comic book versions of Shakespeare are supposed to be an easier introduction to Shakespeare for kids that may find the original text inaccessible... but if I had not been so familiar with the original, this book would have been completely incomprehensible. The art made it difficult to identify the different characters, so it ended up being difficult to figure out quite what was going on.
On the plus side, while the text is abridged, it is not paraphrased, so the power of the original text gets to shine through quite a bit.
Read
August 5, 2011Age: YA
Genre: Graphic Novel
Diversity: belief
Illustrations: Bold black and white illustrations that complement and expand on the text.
Personal Response: Reading this novel reminded me why I am not a huge fan of the graphic novel format, I get confused. While I think that the story was well done in a way that might draw in interest of young adults I found it hard to follow the panels in the correct order.
Curriculum: This book would make a good addition to a Shakespeare unit added to a list of options. For teenagers who may find the language of Shakespeare too difficult to follow this book retains the story but breaks it down into easily comprehensible pieces.
Genre: Graphic Novel
Diversity: belief
Illustrations: Bold black and white illustrations that complement and expand on the text.
Personal Response: Reading this novel reminded me why I am not a huge fan of the graphic novel format, I get confused. While I think that the story was well done in a way that might draw in interest of young adults I found it hard to follow the panels in the correct order.
Curriculum: This book would make a good addition to a Shakespeare unit added to a list of options. For teenagers who may find the language of Shakespeare too difficult to follow this book retains the story but breaks it down into easily comprehensible pieces.
April 4, 2015
I am a supporter of making Shakespeare's work accessible. The plays are meant to be watched, so having them in graphic format makes sense to me. Unfortunately, this particular version fell far short of what I would have liked.
The story was all there - Julius Caesar's assassination at the hands of Casca and Brutus and the rest of the conspirators, the ensuing war between the conspirators and Mark Antony etc. What didn't work, at least for me, was the setting. Ancient Rome remained ancient Rome, but the characters used helicopters and drove motorcycles. It just didn't make sense to me.
I was really disappointed, because Julius Caesar is one of my favourite of Shakespeare's plays.
The story was all there - Julius Caesar's assassination at the hands of Casca and Brutus and the rest of the conspirators, the ensuing war between the conspirators and Mark Antony etc. What didn't work, at least for me, was the setting. Ancient Rome remained ancient Rome, but the characters used helicopters and drove motorcycles. It just didn't make sense to me.
I was really disappointed, because Julius Caesar is one of my favourite of Shakespeare's plays.
June 28, 2016
Title:
Julius Caesar - Manga Shakespeare
Preview:
What better way to read Shakespeare than with pictures? This rendition of Julius Caesar is placed in a futuristic setting with a war under way.
Reader Response:
The pictures weren't very clearly drawn, but the plot was more or less clear none the less. I think it would have been more obvious if the characters and setting had been colored in with more clearly defined lines and settings. If this had been a movie it would have been clearer, I feel. However, I loved the idea of it and the plot was beautiful.
Content Warning:
-Genre- Historical Fiction
-Violence- 6
Julius Caesar - Manga Shakespeare
Preview:
What better way to read Shakespeare than with pictures? This rendition of Julius Caesar is placed in a futuristic setting with a war under way.
Reader Response:
The pictures weren't very clearly drawn, but the plot was more or less clear none the less. I think it would have been more obvious if the characters and setting had been colored in with more clearly defined lines and settings. If this had been a movie it would have been clearer, I feel. However, I loved the idea of it and the plot was beautiful.
Content Warning:
-Genre- Historical Fiction
-Violence- 6
Displaying 1 - 30 of 48 reviews