Macbeth

by Russell Punter (Retold by), William Shakespeare (Original author), Valentino Forlini (Illustrator)

When three witches tell the ruthless warrior Macbeth that he is destined to be King of Scotland, it sparks off a series of tragic events... Spurred on by his devious wife, Macbeth sets out on a path of treachery and murder that will take him to the heights of power and the depths of despair. William Shakespeare’s saga of ruthless ambition is retold with simplified dialogue in this vividly illustrated version of one of his most powerful plays.

Genres: Graphic Novels, Classics

104 pages, Paperback

Published January 1, 2020

About the author

Russell Punter was born in Bedfordshire, England. From an early age he enjoyed writing and illustrating his own stories. He trained as a graphic designer at art college in West Sussex before entering the world of publishing. He has written over one hundred books for children of all ages, ranging from original stories to adaptations of classic novels.

Reviews

[CJ · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm just now realizing there are several graphic novel takes on 'Macbeth'. I wonder how the others compare in art style and transcription?

My edition is excellent. What can I say? It is a great story and it keeps me on the edge of my seat. The play is suspenseful, and the graphic novel captures the story's energy. The text itself is mostly told in modern English, with the classic lines preserved in italics. The 'Tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow' speech fit in so well I thought. I would have appreciated even more of the original text peppered throughout though. It's funny, just yesterday I wrote a review of 'If We Were Villains' in which I complained of too many Shakespeare quotes.

The art was serviceable. It was nice to see everything depicted, but there wasn't much beauty to it. Sometimes crude, it was simply effective storytelling with images. I was hoping for a little bit more.

[Katie Kaste · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an adaptation of the Scottish play. Macbeth is told he will be king. His wife encourages him to make it happen now instead of waiting. This graphic novel kept famous lines from the play. It also depicted the battles and other gruesome elements of the play in an interesting way. Macbeth is always a fascinating story.

[Jennifer Beard · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a great adaptation. Although I missed a few favorite lines in their original language, the story translated well to a graphic novel version while still keeping most of the content intact. I’m excited to add this to my classroom library.

[Lauren · Rating 3 out of 5]

Love me some graphic novels and some Shakespeare. It’s a quick read, keeps the famous quotes, but helps tell the story in a more straight forward manner. I forgot some of the fun tricks he had up his sleeve. Includes a little history about the Bard and how the story came to be.

[Julia (Shakespeare and Such) · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.8/5 stars — it’s hard to rate something that’s just a watered down version of a masterpiece 🙃 but I liked that the focus really was spread across all the characters, even if the dialogue was VERY “tell, not show”

Plot: 5/4
Characters: 4/5
Pacing: 5/5
Writing: 3/5
Enjoyment: 3/5
Art: 3/5

[Emily Stewart · Rating 4 out of 5]

I felt this was a good mix of everyday-ish English and direct Shakespeare quotes.
My boys enjoyed it as part of our school work. Some pages a bit too gory for younger children (my 5 year old didn’t look at some of the pages).

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great way for my kids to become familiar with Shakespeare’s plays!

[Oscar Lilley · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm embarrassed to say this but I think this is the only way to absorb Shakespeare and retain any of it.

[Behrooz · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love graphic books especially when they bring character to powerful images. And I loved this one.

[Gonzalo Dearden · Rating 2 out of 5]

A pretty amusing retelling of Macbeth. Much simpler and full of illustrations that are in between dynamic and theatre like in their qualities.
It probably lost some of its original charm along the way, but still an interesting and more digestible way to consume this classic

[Brenda Mathews · Rating 5 out of 5]

It is good, I would recommend it to anyone because it is VERY funny and serious, and VERY educational! (In my opinion!)