Product Description: The sudden death of the king, later revealed to be murder. The queen’s all-too-sudden remarriage to the king’s brother, the murderer. The grieving, suspicious Prince Hamlet. Supernatural visitations. Plots, leaks, and counterplots. Poisoned wine. A rigged sword fight. Revenge.
With a four-page introduction and an abridged text that remains true to Shakespeare’s wording, setting, and time, this fast-paced, graphic manga edition gets you caught up in the conflicts and passions that make this one of Shakespeare’s most beloved tragedies.
A Vibrant Version of a Familiar Favorite This little version of Shakespeare's 'Hamlet' is a sparkling gem, thanks to the dynamic illustrations by Tintin Pantoja. Since this play is a familiar favorite of mine I really didn't need another copy of it, but the beguiling cover art convinced me to indulge, and I wasn't disappointed.
The text inside is pure Shakespeare - the play has been skillfully pruned, but thankfully not paraphrased. The story moves along briskly with distinctive character designs, varied panel layouts, and brilliantly expressive figures. I keep returning to the beginning of Act V to appreciate my favorite scene: Hamlet by the graveside, cradling the skull of "poor Yorick", the jester from Hamlet's childhood. Two illustrations show Hamlet as a child enjoying the company of Yorick, and such is the advantage of this medium (manga/graphic novel) - that we can see Hamlet as a young adult in one panel and Hamlet as a child in the next.
I can only imagine that this manga edition would be an engaging first encounter with the play, but I can say with certainty that this is a pleasant reacquaintance with an old familiar favorite.
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