Othello by Vincent Goodwin, William Shakespeare

I actually bought this graphic novel for Amber. I thought that it would give her an idea of what Othello was about before we went to see it. She never read it, but I did  - a quick refresher never hurts. This is just a quick version of the play. Yes, it uses Shakespeare's language, but a lot is cut out of it. It does give you most of the general idea of what's going on though, and the illustrations are attractive enough. Not outstanding, but they let you see what's going on in the play which is so much more helpful than only reading the sometimes difficult to understand dialogue. I think it took me like a half hour to read or so. It definitely can't replace the play itself, but it's a good introduction I guess you could say. Graphic novels like this one can make Shakespeare relatable and less scary, I guess. Some people hear "Shakespeare" and...
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Othello by William Shakespeare

David, Amber, my mom and I saw Othello performed at the O'Reilly Theater in Pittsburgh this past Saturday. I really enjoyed the performance, and the play. Watching the play live, being performed by quality actors, including  Jeremy Kushnier, who's Iago was creepy and conniving and just outstanding, is so entirely different from reading the words. Kushnier really was the star of the  show. Amber wanted to know why, if Iago is one of the best fictional villains, she's never heard of him. My response was, she's 15, there are probably many things she hasn't heard of. The play was performed on a small square stage with a minimalist setting that allowed me, at least, to concentrate on the story being presented. The play is definitely for adults - full of racism, sex and violence, but it's entertaining and easy to follow. I asked Amber if she understood it and she said that she had been a little worried beforehand but when she got into...
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Macbeth: The Graphic Novel adapted by John McDonald, written by William Shakespeare

When I read Light Thickens by Ngaio Marsh earlier this year, it made me want to re-read Shakespeare's Macbeth. Amber has had this graphic novel for a while and she enjoyed it, so I though it might be an interesting format to read the play. The dialogue is all the original, but the format obviously makes it feel different from reading the straight play. Macbeth is a great play and this is not a review of it. It's got witches and ghosts and murder and betrayal. It's really a fun tragedy, which is part of the reason I encouraged Amber to read it. She's not one to be afraid of classics, but Shakespeare's language can be daunting for anyone. The graphic novel makes it more accessible, you can see what's going on in addition to reading the dialogue. The illustrations are clean and colorful but not outstanding. I don't read many graphic novels, so take it for what it's worth, but the...
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