Synopses & Reviews
William Shakespeare was a genius at showing us ourselves and this magnificent collection gloriously shows us Shakespeare!
Author Tina Packer brilliantly retells ten of the Bard's most popular and powerful works, all of which look at this essential question: What does it mean to be alive? Also, includes a portrait of the Bard himself illustrated by Jon J Muth.
An award-winning artist beautifully illustrates each of the ten tragedies and comedies:
- A Midsummer Night's Dream Gail De Marcken
- Hamlet P.J. Lynch
- Much Ado About Nothing Mary GrandPre
- King Lear Leo and Diane Dillon
- As You Like It Barbara McClintock
- Macbeth Barry Moser
- The Tempest Mark Teague
- Othello Kadir Nelson
- Twelfth Night Chesley McLaren
- Romeo and Juliet David Shannon
Review
"Prefaced by a lively account of Shakespeare's career, theater, and big themes, these frank, witty, sad, melodramatic, heartrending versions effectively capture the originals' timeless art and heart." Kirkus Reviews
Review
"With her wonderfully contemporary presentation, Tina Packer now stakes the claim of the 21st century on Shakespeare's stories for middle-grade readers." Buncombe Turnpike, The New York Times Book Review
Review
"One of the most beautifully produced modern editions of tales from Shakespeare....The stories are simplified [and] quite readable....Handsomely crafted in every detail." Booklist
Review
"Packer captures the essence of the playwright's words and ideas, placing them in concise and clearly told stories....The quality [of the art] is always excellent." School Library Journal
Review
"Each tale is illustrated by a different, well-known illustrator whose style nicely complements it." Janet Crane Barley, Children's Literature
Synopsis
What does it mean to be alive? William Shakespeare spent a lifetime writing about that most essential question. Four hundred years later, we are still awed, amused, and inspired by his answers. In Tales From Shakespeare, ten of the Bard's most popular and powerful works are retold as stories rich in Shakespearian wit and wisdom, and brilliantly illustrated by award-winning artists.
Synopsis
Ten of the Bard's most popular and powerful works are retold as stories rich in Shakespearean wit and wisdom, and brilliantly illustrated by award-winning artists. Full color.
Synopsis
Ten of Shakespeare's most powerful, enduring plays are brilliantly retold here as great tales of love, jealousy, madness, comedy, vengeance, and heroics.
Noted Shakespearian expert, Tina Packer, Director of the premier theatre group, Shakespeare and Co, brings to life all the romance, clashing swords, dastardly plots, and hilarious comedies of 10 of Shakespeare's classic plays, retold as exciting, accessible stories and lavishly illustrated by 10 notable children's book illustrators. (See extended summary.)
About the Author
Tina Packer is the President and Artistic Director of Shakespeare & Company, the critically acclaimed, award-winning theater and theater education group she founded in Lenox, in the Berkshire Hills of western Massachusetts, in 1978.
Ms. Packer trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London. A former Associate Artist of the Royal Shakespeare Company, she has appeared on stage in Great Britain and in the United States and has worked in film and television. She has received more than sixteen awards, including Guggenheim and Bunting fellowships and several honorary doctorates.
Shakespeare & Company's philosophy and artistic vision are "rooted in the classical ideals of inquiry, balance and harmony; and in love with poetry, physical prowess, and the mysteries of the universe." In addition to performing Shakespearean productions, the company also develops new plays, provides classical performance training, and maintains an extensive educational outreach program to bring new, young audiences to Shakespeare.
Ms. Packer has directed nearly fifty productions at Shakespeare & Company, including all the plays in this book.
Table of Contents
Introduction 4
A Midsummer Night's Dream 14
Hamlet 30
Much Ado About Nothing 48
Macbeth 66
The Tempest 84
Othello 102
As You Like It 120
Romeo and Juliet 138
Twelfth Night 154
King Lear 174