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Macbeth: Shakespeare Retold
201 pages, Paperback
Published October 26, 2021
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August 21, 2024
Lyrical Retelling Side-By-Side with Original
I’ve read one other “retold” Shakespearean play by this author, and I liked this one much more, perhaps because I am more familiar with this play and enjoy the fantastical aspects of it. The brief introduction to these books is well done—which so far is the same for each play. The author states there is no right way to use the book but suggests one first read the original and then use the retold paraphrasing if meaning eludes you or to double-check what you think The Bard is saying. A few short sections illuminate poetic cadences with examples (though not necessarily from the featured play), so you get familiar with (or refresh your memory about) things like iambic pentameter and trochaic substitution. (Yes, you can tell the author—while not a Shakespearean authority—"nerds out" on all things poetic!) In this particular play—compared to the other book I’ve reviewed by this author—I enjoyed the author’s sense of lyrical wordplay when he branched out on his own, using different yet evocative words to “retell” Shakespeare’s own. Fun stuff if you enjoy the original and also appreciate someone’s tasteful tinkering with it.
I received a free digital copy of this book, but that did not affect my review.
I’ve read one other “retold” Shakespearean play by this author, and I liked this one much more, perhaps because I am more familiar with this play and enjoy the fantastical aspects of it. The brief introduction to these books is well done—which so far is the same for each play. The author states there is no right way to use the book but suggests one first read the original and then use the retold paraphrasing if meaning eludes you or to double-check what you think The Bard is saying. A few short sections illuminate poetic cadences with examples (though not necessarily from the featured play), so you get familiar with (or refresh your memory about) things like iambic pentameter and trochaic substitution. (Yes, you can tell the author—while not a Shakespearean authority—"nerds out" on all things poetic!) In this particular play—compared to the other book I’ve reviewed by this author—I enjoyed the author’s sense of lyrical wordplay when he branched out on his own, using different yet evocative words to “retell” Shakespeare’s own. Fun stuff if you enjoy the original and also appreciate someone’s tasteful tinkering with it.
I received a free digital copy of this book, but that did not affect my review.
Displaying 1 of 1 review