The Adventures of Puppet Shakespeare: Utah
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A Midsummer Night’s Dream Graphic Novel
- Name: A Midsummer Night’s Dream by William Shakespeare. Adapted by Nel Yomtov (Adaptor), and Berenice Muniz (illustrator)
- Media: Graphic Novel compilation, with accompanying website https://www.mangashakespeare.com/titles/midsummer.html
- Ages: Pre Teen- teen. The story is highly condensed so older readers might want a more in-depth adaptation to understand the themes and ideas of the plot.
- Premise: This graphic novel is a good introduction to “A Midsummer Night’s Dream.” It tells the bare minimum of the story with very little dialogue and almost none of the original text. Most of the story is conveyed through the visual medium.
ABOUT THE ILLUSTRATORS (Reprinted from the graphic novel)
https://www.behance.net/berelince?locale=en_US
Berenice Muniz is a graphic designer and illustrator
from Monterrey, Mexico. In the past, she has done
work for publicity agencies, art exhibitions, and
she’s even created her own webcomic. These days,
Berenice is devoted to illustrating comics as part of
the CGraphikslava crew. In her spare time, “Bere”
loves to draw, read manga, watch animated movies,
play videogames, and kill zombies
Fares Maese is a graphic designer and illustrator. He
has worked as a colorist for Marvel Comics and as a
concept artist for the card and role-playing games
Pathfinder and Warhammer. Fares loves spending
time playing video games with his Graphikslava
comrades, and he’s an awesome drum player: https://faresmaese.artstation.com/
About the Retelling Author
The career path of Nel Yomtov has taken him from
the halls of Marvel Comics, as an editor, writer,
and colorist, to the world of toy development. He
then became editorial and art director at a children’s
nonfiction book publisher, and now Nel is a writer and
editor of books, websites, and comics for children. A
harmonica-honking blues enthusiast, Nel lives in
New York with his wife, Nancy. They have a son. Jess.
mY rEACTION
tECHNICAL eXECUTION
Character Design. It’s interesting to see the difference in style between this version, and the Manga Shakespeare version I previously read. That one was very much inspired by the Shoujo manga style, which emphasizes drama and relationships. This version’s drawings are softer, more cartoonish, and the expressions are less stiff, (except for Oberon, who is drawn very austerely). I particularly like the design for Puck with his big mischievous eyes and squat, childlike shape. I would argue however that the lovers and Mechanicals aren’t distinct enough, which is a problem since they are the most important characters.
The Adaptation
Like I said, this is a bare minimum adaptation of the play. None of Shakespeare’s text is used and the lines and speeches are cut liberally. The entire book is only 77 pages which of course means, that there are a lot of cuts. There’s no mention of the Indian boy, Titania’s tiff with Oberon, Philostrate, the other fairies, and all the great speeches are cut. This version is focused entirely on the plot, and it cuts it quite efficiently. To demonstrate this, below on the left is a panel that shows how Lysander and Hermia express their frustration with not being allowed to marry. On the right is the original text of the scene.
Ay me! for aught that I could ever read,
Could ever hear by tale or history,
The course of true love never did run smooth;
But, either it was different in blood,
Lysander. Or else misgraffed in respect of years,
Lysander. Or else it stood upon the choice of friends,
Or, if there were a sympathy in choice,
War, death, or sickness did lay siege to it,
Making it momentany as a sound,
Swift as a shadow, short as any dream;
Brief as the lightning in the collied night,
That, in a spleen, unfolds both heaven and earth,
And ere a man hath power to say ‘Behold!’
The jaws of darkness do devour it up: So quick bright things come to confusion.
The Colors
The colors are very beautiful. Other manga stories have colorful title pages but no color in the panels. This comic is alive with color and the colors help tell the story. Athens represents the world of the daytime, so the colors are very warm and vibrant. In the nighttime, the colors are cool and the characters are drawn with very sharp lines to make sure they don’t fade into the background.
IN Conclusion
This version tells l the story quickly and entertainingly with a vibrant and colorful style that was lacking in the Manga version. Granted, the Manga Shakespeare did allow me to focus on the text more, but I think I actually prefer this version, simply because of its beautiful artwork. Check it out if you get a chance!.
Ian McKellen Will Not Return To Player Kings West End After Fall
How to Throw a Bridgerton Themed Party
Greetings Dear Gentle Readers,
With the new season just released on Netflix, I’m sure a lot of us literary nerds will rejoice and be happy to have an excuse to play dress up, eat some scrumptious food, and converse on the sweet little confection that is Bridgerton. What follows is by no means a comprehensive list of ideas, I just wanted to share some of my research that went into my own party in the hopes that it gives you ideas. Please feel free to respond to this post by commenting or by hitting me up on Twitter at @Shakestud and share your own Bridgerton Party Pics!
On A Personal Note:
“I seek you out at every social assembly because I know you will lift my spirits and make me see the world in ways I could not have imagined.”
Colin Bridgerton.
I need to give a special thank you to my wife in this post. She’s the one who introduced me to Bridgerton, did a lot of research into Regency etiquette and dining, and bought all the ingredients for the party. More than that, she is an extremely talented writer and educator who inspires me in ways even Penelope Featherington couldn’t enumerate. Watching Bridgerton has become a kind of nightly tradition for us and I am very grateful
Background: Bridgerton and the Gorgeous Georgian Era
Bridgerton is a period comedy on Netflix based on the popular novel series. It is set in an idealized version of the late 18th and early 19th century; a time when England was wealthy, cosmopolitan, and when one’s social standing was everything. The shows writers pay homage to great literary figures like Jane Austin, George Brimsley Sheridan’s The School For Scandal, Shakespeare (of course), and real-life scandal writers of the time; rags like Town and Country, The Spectator, and Courtesans.
My Personal Opinion on the SHow
Some people have criticized the show for not being historically accurate. Others claim that the show’s plots and characters are highly derivative from other comedies like Gossip Girl and others. I would argue that THAT’S THE POINT. Bridgerton is not trying to do anything original- it is nostalgia bait for literature nerds like me who know that shows like Gossip Girl are ripped off from classical sources. What Bridgerton does, is take these classic tropes, put them back into the period where they became popular, and then update the setting to make it more accessible to a modern audience. Much like the party ideas I’ll give you later, this show is like a sweet confection- comforting, unassuming, with an air of nostalgia and romance like a cup of tea and a crumpet.
https://www.vulture.com/article/bridgerton-characters-ranked-netflix.html
The show focuses on the hopes, dreams, and above all, loves of the Bridgeton family; a noble family in Georgian England. Viola, the matriarch of the house, seeks to find love matches for all her children and to avoid scandalous gossip. She does so through her own intelligence and through the help of her network of female friends, all while avoiding the watchful eye of Queen Charlotte (the powerful wife of King George III), and the mysterious scandal monger Lady Whistledown
Like its dazzling costumes, the show is very much fluff and feathers. Bridgerton’s use of color blind casting is extremely refreshing to me and it signals loudly and clearly that Bridgerton doesn’t want to be painstakingly historically accurate. This is an candy-coated and show that concocts an idealized version of Georgian society- one where painful racial problems are thrown out, there are few economic or political problems to sour one’s pallate, but everybody is rich and pretty and looking to fall in love with a wealthy eligible young man or lady. So, with a concept this delicious, I knew I had to throw a party based on it!
Part One: The Invitations
There’s a ton of fancy invitations templates online. Below is an invitation I created for free with an app called Canva and a parchment background picture I found online.
You probably also know that I am a huge fan of the website Immortal Longings because of their excellent Shakespearean art and they sell cards too. You can buy the cards or download the pictures on their website.
Part Two: Decorations
The Georgian Era was firmly in the Baroque era- a time known for opulence, excess, and as many frills as possible. Deck your home with as much gold, crystal lace as possible! Use electric candles liberally. Also, use curtains and fancy throw pillows to fancy up your dining room! Here are some more ideas from Chateau Challain:
Part Three: The Feast
As you can see, since the Georgian era was known as a time of wealth and excess, you could very easily break your wallet or your back trying to replicate an authentic Georgian dinner party, (especially if you lack an entire household staff to bring it to life). What we tried to do was distill some of my favorite foods from the Georgian era down and come up with an easy plan so that a plebian cooking-impaired soul like myself could make them at a reasonable price. I did not want my wife to have to cook for this, though she did wind up trying out a very interesting Georgian recipe:
Salmagundi
Thought I honestly doubt that the upper crust Bridgertons would ever eat this, it is an authentic Georgian recipe and it was common among middle class people, American Revolutionary War soldiers, and even pirates! It’s a savory salad that uses eggs, pickles, mixed greens and anchovies. The name is French for “hodge-podge” and it honestly can be swapped out with any number of ingredients. Here’s a recipe that’s pretty close to what my wife used:
https://ancestorsinaprons.com/tag/salmagundi/
1. dinner course- pie 🥧, 🥗 , cheese, grapes, wine 🍷
Just like decor, a party or ball amongst the nobility was a sign of wealth and status. If you wanted to impress foreign dignitaries or net a wealthy spouse, you had to show off the wealth and sophistication of your household. We served duck as the main dish since it’s the sort of game the Bridgertons would have on their land. My wife and I also served a meat pie as an homage to the one Daphne eats excitedly in Season 1. Meat pies were very popular in the British isles due to the lack of refrigeration in the Georgian era. For our party, my wife bought the Steak and Stout pie from Trader Joes, which I realize not everyone likes, but it does have a good hearty feel to it. Accompanying the pie, we served cheese, grapes, and some good red wine!
Dessert
High tea is a real ritual in England to this day, and if you don’t have a lot of time or money on your hand it can be a bit daunting. Again, we relied on Trader Joes to help fill in the gaps of my cooking skills (since again, I wanted my wife to enjoy the party, not cook). I leaned heavily on ice cream, macarons, and of course, tea since they are all foods featured on the show. In fact, there’s a whole scene at the house where the family fight over the last chocolate macaron.
In case you don’t know, macarons are delicious French sandwich cookies made by sifting dry ingredients, combining them with egg whites, piping them onto a baking sheet, and baking them into light, flaky little half circles. From there you can add any kind of filling you like. Now, these cookies are notoriously temperamental, so I just bought some, but for the brave souls with a little more time on their hands, here’s a recipe from NYT:
Other Dessert ideas: You could incorporate scones petit fours, or jam/ cucumber sandwiches. I find a dessert tower is really nice for this kind of “take what you like” dessert atmosphere. Also, don’t forget the ice cream!
Tea-
I’m sure I don’t need to tell you that tea has great cultural significance to the British and I labored over what kind of tea to serve during the party. I personally love Indian Chai and that would be appropriate since it’s mentioned in Season 2. I also enjoy Earl Grey (though that one might be too bitter for most people). However, I decided on Harney and Sons Paris Tea, which is my wife’s favorite, and in my humble opinion, is one of the best teas readily available. It’s a black tea that has been withered, rolled, and baked to make it more flavorful and aromatic, though easy to mass produce. I LOVE THIS TEA. Here’s a link if you want to learn more:
https://www.harney.com/pages/this-is-tea
Now, I should mention that there is a lot of officially branded Bridgerton tea, coffee, and tea snacks (of course), but this post isn’t an ad. If you’re interested in the branded stuff, here’s a few links below:
Music
Bridgerton is famous for featuring classical music covers of pop songs, which I really enjoy- it is a nice way of retelling the story of the characters by connecting them with something contemporary. Most of these covers were done by a group called the Vitamin String Quartet and there are playlists on Youtube, Spotify, and others.
During the Regency, music by Mozart and Hayden were all the rage, so if you want to intercut the covers with real classical music from the time period, you can also use them. I would recommend using waltzes or minuets if you want to get people on the dance floor:
Games
1. Charades
2. Blind Man’s Bluff
3. Bridgerton official Games! There’s an official branded Bridgerton game where you write love notes as Lady Whistledown, while everyone else tries to guess who she is. Here’s a link to the Amazon site:https://www.amazon.com/Bridgerton-High-Society-Board-Game/dp/B0CC6SNRWV
Costumes:
Again, for people on a budget, you might want to forgo full Georgian outfits, but this was a time of ball gowns and elaborate wigs for ladies, and men with waistcoats, knickerbockers, and breeches. For more information on the period, here’s a link to Fashion History Timeline:
https://fashionhistory.fitnyc.edu/category/18th-century/
Well, that’s my advice, happy Midsummer everyone!
And to conclude, I want to dedicate this post to my wife who introduced me to the wonderful, sweet, and heartfelt world of Bridgerton. I hope this post helps you bring a fun, fancy-but laid back evening into your home. I hope also that it helps you become closer to and appreciate your loved ones, just as I wish to keep enjoying the show with my wonderful wife.
New Course: Shakespeare’s Histories
Shakespeare’s History Class
Parent Description- A fully online, fully interactive course into Shakespeare’s histories taught by a professional text coach and actor.
Students- Uncover the scandalous and gory history behind Shakespeare’s most action-packed plays! Shakespeare’s histories have inspired such works as “Empire,” “Game of Thrones,” “Hamilton” and even the “Star Wars” trilogy. This class will unlock for you why these stories of power and betrayal have been so popular for 400 years.
Format:
0. The class will have a Nearpod with slides, activities, and links to my other resources. The class will be a combination of slides, activities, and videos. Each class will have
- Weekly Discussion questions via Google Forms such as: “What do you know about Shakespeare the man?” or, “Are Shakespeare plays still relevant today?”
- Video Analysis- Every week I’ll discuss a different play with a short video.
- I’ll provide some context, explaining what is happening in the play durin the speech, and any relevant historical context.
- We’ll watch a recording and the students can write their impressions on what they like and don’t like.
- Immersive activities such as:
- – Shakespeare arts and crafts and recipes such as making costumes and props.
- – My online Shakespeare board game.
- Virtual tours of the Tower Of London,
- Weekly Web Quests like “find a Shakespeare quote that you use in normal speech,” “find a movie or character that’s based on Shakespeare,” or “Draw a picture of a Shakespearean character (stick figures are acceptable).
6 Week Course
Week 1 – Why Hamilton is Like A Shakespeare History Play Hamilton and Shakespearean History We’ll discuss what makes a history play a history play, why they were so popular in Shakespeare’s day, and draw parallels between Shakespeare and the Broadway Musical “Hamilton.”
- What is a history play?
- Song quest: Watch the Horrible histories king song
- Worksheet- which Shakespearean character reminds you most of Hamilton?
- Video- the 10 Duel commandments of Shakespeare
Week 2- Richard II
- The history of Richard Shakespeare’s Richard II | Animated short
- Watch the presentation and fill in the blanks of the story: Richard the Second Intro Presentation
- Web quest- go online and write down three things about the Wilton Diptych
- Wilton Diptych https://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/paintings/english-or-french-the-wilton-diptych
- Open ended question- if you were Richard, how would you feel about your role as king?
- Wilton Diptych https://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/paintings/english-or-french-the-wilton-diptych
- John of Gaunt’s speech
- Watch Patrick Stewart reading this: Shakespeare: “This scepter’d isle”
- Now see John McInerny performing it in context
- What images were the most striking?
- Did you feel more sorry for Gaunt, or England?
- What would you call the tone of this speech? Patriotic? Mournful? Excited? Bitter?
- The deposition Scene (video- 3 minutes)
- The danger of this scene:
- Though Queen Elizabeth I is now almost universally beloved, she wasn’t always in Shakespeare’s time. By 1601, she was 68 years old and had no male heir. Her government had also failed to put down a rebellion in Ireland. Some people in her government were getting restless.
- Robert Devereaux, Earl of Essex was one of those restless nobles. He’d been one of the Queen’s favorites, but after failing to crush the rebellion in Ireland, his relationship with her sourered. He then plotted to rebel against the Queen, and take the throne for himself.
- To do that though, Essex would need to get people on his side, so he recruited Shakespeare! One of Essex’s servants paid Shakespeare’s companies to perform a scene from Shakespeare’s Richard II; the scene where a handsome and charismatic nobleman convinces the king to willingly give up his power.
- This scene was so dangerous that when the play was published, it was taken out by Elizabeth’s censors.
- Quotes from Richard II
-
- https://shakespearedocumented.folger.edu/resource/document/examination-augustine-phillips#:~:text=In%20his%20examination%20on%20February,fellows%20proposed%20an%20alternative%20play%2C
- https://www.historic-uk.com/HistoryUK/HistoryofEngland/Shakespeare-Richard-II-Rebellion/
- https://www.elizabethi.org/contents/rebellions/essex/
- The danger of this scene:
- Playing Richard video: Fiona Shaw
Questions
What does making Richard female emphasize for an audience? What point does Shaw’s performance say about women in power?
Week 3 Henry V week
- Basic plot- Young king fights a war and conquers France proving himself to the world.
- Olivier vs. Branaugh
-Concept- what if the play was a Hockey movie?
- Henry is like the coach or team captain who gives inspirational speeches
- The underdogs win
- The snooty bad guys lose
- How this translates to staging fights/ directing the characters (website/ youtube interviews)
- Activity= write a trailer or design a poster for Henry with a cool tag line.
Week 4- The Wars of the Roses-
- Summary of the three Henry VI plays
- Wars of the Roses Horrible Histories
- Web quest- research one major character from the 3H6 ASC website:
- Richard of Gloucester
- Henry VI
- Margaret of Anjou
- Richard of York
- Medieval warfare
- Watch one of the Weapons that Made Brittain videos and answer 5 questions.
- The battles of the Wars of the roses
- Costumes
Week 5- Richard III- The rise of the corrupt king
- Close reading- “Now Is the Winter of Our Discontent”
- Slides on Richard’s plot.
- Richard and Machiavelli
- Richard and Emperor Palpatine
- Richard and Modern Leaders
- Richard vs. the Amir of Gloucester
- Propaganda activity- make a campaign slogan/ poster for Richard.
Week 6 History Board Game/ Final Project
New Class: Shakespeare and Star Wars!
Using self-paced online activities, your child(ren) will compare the plot and characters of Star Wars to Shakespeare’s plays. We will also discuss Shakespeare writing by looking at “William Shakespeare’s Star Wars” by Ian Doescher.
Course Description
- Concept: To compare and contrast the plot, characters, themes, and language of Shakespeare’s plays with Star Wars
- Student Description:
- Epic battles, quests for revenge, pirates, funny characters, powerful warriors swinging swords. Star Wars has something for everyone. But did you know that in many ways, Star Wars is based on the ideas and writings of William Shakespeare? In this course we’ll peer beneath the veil of Shakespeare and Star Wars to find the universal stories of love, revenge, power, and growing up, using games, artwork, and dramatic readings by professional actors!
- Did you know that Star Wars is based on the ideas and writings of William Shakespeare? This class will teach you about writing and characters though games, interactive activities and dramatic readings of both Star Wars and Shakespeare!
- Course organization (the class is divided into 6 parts that students can complete at their own pace over a week-long period.
Outline
Unit 1: How Is Shakespeare Like Star Wars?
Class I- Setting the Scene
- That is the Question:
- What is Star Wars about?
- What parts of the Star Wars story are like Shakespeare’s plays?
- Are Shakespeare and the Star Wars movies saying anything similar about war? Families? Growing up?
- Lesson Objectives
- To teach about the characters and plot of Star Wars by comparing them to Star Wars
- To introduce the concept of archetypes, tropes,
- Set the Scene
- Star Wars is about an evil empire trying to take over the galaxy. They have more ships, more soldiers, and a fearsome weapon that can blow up planets. The rebels on the other hand, though fewer in number, are faster, smarter, and have the advantage of fighting for a good cause.
- In addition, the story is about growing up- Luke becomes a Jedi Knight. He takes revenge on the man who destroyed his father.
- The Players (slides)
- Luke
- Obi Wan/ Yoda
- Vader
- Leia
- Han
- R2D2 and C3PO
- The Emperor
- Words Words Words
- Epic
- Parody
- Theme
- Plot
- Archetype
- Character
- Trope
- Theme
Class 2: The Journey of Han and Leia
- Han and Leia vs. Beatrice and Benedick
- Show videos of Han before Leia
- Plot summary of Much Ado
- Clips of the bickering of Benedick and Beatrice
- Read blog and look at the writing.
- Activity- how would you write a love letter to Han or Leia?
- Play the scene from Jedi
Unit 2- The Prequels and Shakespeare’s Histories
- A Crash Course in Shakespeare’s Histories
- The Rise of Palpatine/ Richard III
- Emperor Palpatine in Star Wars rises to power through a combination of manipulation, intimidation, and by killing his opponents.
- Bio of Richard III
- Slide- Richard’s rise to power
- Slide- Palpatine’s rise to power
- Quizlet
Unit 3- The Verse of William Shakespeare’s Star Wars by Ian Doescher
- What is William Shakespeare’s Star Wars
- Introduce the plays
- Explain how Shakespeare’s verse works
- Look at the common verse elements
- Sonnets
- Show the chorus of “Verily a New Hope”
- It is a period of civil war. The spaceships of the rebels, striking swift From base unseen, have gain’d a vict’ry o’er The cruel Galactic Empire, now adrift. Amidst the battle, rebel spies prevail’d And stole the plans to a space station vast,Whose pow’rful beams will later be unveil’d And crush a planet: ’tis the DEATH STAR blast. Pursu’d by agents sinister and cold,Now Princess Leia to her home doth flee, Deliv’ring plans and a new hope they hold:Of bringing freedom to the galaxy .In time so long ago begins our play,In star-crossed galaxy far, far away
- Stychomichia
- Half lines
- Enjambment
- Title Crawl (make a gif via Canva)
- Show the chorus of “Verily a New Hope”
- Sonnets
- Side By Side Comparisons
- Read/ watch segments of the play
- To Be Or Not To Be
- All the World’s a Stage
- St. Crispin’s Day Speech
- Try to turn a Star Wars line into verse, and then look at the reveal.
- Read/ watch segments of the play
Unit 4- Literary Devices of William Shakespeare’s Star Wars
- Using the educational guide, we’ll learn about the following literary devices:
- Extended Metaphors (Luke’s green lightsaber)
- Anaphora (Luke’s call to action in Jedi)
- Premonatory Dreams (Calpurnia)
- Stichomythia Richard III vs. Han and Leia
Unit5- The Hero’s Journey of Luke Skywalker
Class 1: What is a Hero’s Journey (Slides)
- Learn a little about Joseph Campbell’s monomyth. using the Percy Jackson post, Crash course video about monomyth
- Chart Luke’s monomyth journey
- Activity- Mad libs- write a star wars movie!
- Quiz on plot elements from the monomyth (Quizzes or Quizlet)
Class 2 : Hamlet and Luke Skywalker
- Plot comparison
- (use infographic)
- Quote from Doescher:
- Hamlet The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark is Shakespeare’s most famous play. It’s also the play I make the most references to in William Shakespeare’s Star Wars.
- To Be Or Not to Be
- Use my video about the speech to explain the structure
- Note how Doescher repurpuses every line in the Star Wars Trilogy:
- Sometimes it expresses fear:
- Sometimes concern:
- Frustration: “The whips and scorns of time”
- Hope: “The undiscovered galaxy” “Tis a consummation devoutly to be wished.”
- Activity: write your own paraphrase of Hamlet’s speech, using the 6 beats I provided.
Unit 6- Become a Bard Warrior (Slides and Sites)
- Number Lock (door)
- Color Lock to start the engine (control panel)-
- Light speed
- Asteroid Iambic
- https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/60286856/
- Scratch Game with a quote at the end https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/221876944/
- Short video at the end.
Notes
Resources:
Web: https://americanshakespearecenter.com/2011/05/in-the-force-of-his-will-shakespeare-and-star-wars/
Close Reading: Shakespeare’s Star Wars (Empire Scene) https://shakespeareanstudent.com/2024/04/17/close-reading-william-shakespeares-star-wars/
The Journey of Han and Leia: https://shakespeareanstudent.com/2023/06/16/new-podcast-william-shakespeares-star-wars-part-ii-the-journey-of-han-and-leia/
Review of Jedi:
Video
- William Shakespeare’s Star Wars and the Power of Iambic Pentameter – Summer of Shakespeare the First
- The Wampa From “William Shakespeare’s Star Wars”
- Han Solo Does Shakespeare
- Emperor Shakespeare
- Darth Vader does Shakespeare
- Dagobah Cave Vision: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0otvBA0iAA0
- Duel between Luke and Vader: William Shakespeare’s Star Wars excerpt: the Duel from “The Empire Striketh Back.”
- Comparison:
- 1st 10 minutes of Jedi: Star Wars Episode VI Return Of The Jedi Opening Scene HD720p
- Doescher’s version: Darth Vader Reads Star Wars Shakespear The Jedi Doth Return Vader Reviews
Podcast:
- https://open.spotify.com/episode/5BJ6TuhFO699OxWRLZNL2U?si=_cRGo7FzQjakUuZuPT0KwA
- https://open.spotify.com/episode/1E3Eh9OpcR7lpMHI8edU4o?si=p-PrlRzQStqwGnoz4Y88pA
- https://open.spotify.com/episode/5SFDcMAfF14ANVIki6xxr8?si=0YWtFyWoQE2CtG8fAEK22A
AI Shakespeare Star Wars Art
I’m working on my annual podcast on “William Shakespeare’s Star Wars” and some accompanying posts and YouTube videos. In the meantime, I’ve created some Shakespeare-Star Wars artwork via Night Creator, a free, online AI artwork website. It’s enjoyable, easy, and I hope you enjoy these “compositions.” To see more of my AI-generated art, go to this website:
https://creator.nightcafe.studio/u/shakesstudent?ru=shakesstudent
To round this post off, here’s a short speech from “The Jedi Doth Return” that I made using the Night Creator images.
Review: “Star Wars- the Jedi Doth Return .” by Ian Doescher
Introduction
What Is William Shakespeare’s Star Wars?
William Shakespeare’s Star Wars is a series of parody plays written by Ian Doescher that takes the prose screenplays of the Star Wars story and transforms them into Elizabethan verse. Last time I mentioned how much I loved the cheeky references to Shakespeare and Star Wars, and how Doescher adapts the cinematic quality into Elizabethan drama very well. In my podcast, I also emphasized the way Doescher gives each character verbose Shakespearean language that works very well for radio and theater:
I must confess, Return of the Jedi is my favorite Star Wars movie. I’ve seen all 9 films and it’s still my favorite. I adore the effects, the tight storytelling, the emotional farewells, and the dramatic victories. What I want to do with this post, (and the accompanying podcast), is to see whether this edition captures what I love about Jedi. The short answer is- no. It doesn’t capture it, IT EXPANDS IT! In many ways this play is Doescher’s triumph- he manages to capture the tone and characters of Star Wars perfectly, and makes the Shakespearean style his own!
Notes about the play
- The first play in the series, “Verily, A New Hope,” took plot and structure inspiration from Henry V; it tells the story as an epic heroic story of Luke’s heroic deeds, much like how Henry V is about a king who grows from boy to man.
- The second play “The Empire Striketh Back,” takes inspiration from Hamlet and Macbeth to explore Luke’s temptation by the Dark Side of the Force. It also uses Much Ado About Nothing as an inspiration for the burgeoning relationship between Han and Leia
- I would argue that “Jedi Doth Return” is a mixture of all the other plays Doescher took inspiration from. Unlike the previous plays, this feels less like a parody, and more like an adaptation. I feel that Doescher has finally become so comfortable writing in the Shakespearean style, that he rarely needs to flat out parody lines and speeches, and simply uses Shakespearean dialogue to tell the story.
Moments to Watch for:
The Language
I’ll discuss the language of Jedi in greater detail in my podcast, but I’d like to highlight one or two here.
Extended metaphors:
Vader: It is the role I play, my destiny—
The grand performance for which I am made.
Come, author of the dark side of the Force,
Make me the servant of thy quill and write
The tale wherein my son and I are seal’d As one.
Come, take mine ev’ry doubt from me,
And fashion from my heart of flesh and wires
A perfect actor: callous, cold, and harsh.
Let this, the second Death Star, be the stage,
And all the galaxy be setting to
The greatest moment of my narrative:
The scene in which the Empire’s fight is won
Whilst I decide the Fate of mine own son - The Jedi Doth Return Act I, Scene i
3. Parody Lines
The biggest appeal of William Shakespeare’s Star Wars is the fact that it is a parody, and I’ve said for many years that parody and gentle riffing on Shakespeare is a great way to get students to overcome their fear of Shakespeare and engage with him. Students who know Star Wars but don’t know Shakespeare will recognize the familiar characters and plots of the movies and then see how Shakespeare’s language tells the story anew. Similarly, people who know Shakespeare will recognize the way Doescher re-tools famous Shakespeare quotes to give to characters in the Star Wars Universe, like here, where he spoofs the famous “All the World’s A Stage” speech:
In the Educator’s guide, which I’ve attached below, Doescher tells you exactly which lines he has parodied and the plots of the original plays so the students can learn about Shakespeare through these famous speeches. Orson Wells once said: “We sit through Shakespeare to recognize the quotations,” and this edition gives us thrilling space battle, wonderful characters, and witty dialogue to keep us entertained while we wait.
Characterizations
What I love the most about the movie and the play is that it’s a very character-driven story. Instead of long trench runs with pilots we’ve never met, we get duels to the death between characters we’ve known for years. At its heart, Jedi is the story of the Skywalker family reuniting after Darth Vader ripped it apart. It’s also the culmination of Luke growing from a boy to a man. Doescher does an incredible job voicing these characters through the verse, and his use of the language helps highlight each character’s struggle and journey.
Luke/ Vader
Luke has more of a duality in this story- sometimes his speeches are hopeful, positive, and full of decisive language, while other times he is bitter, angry, and mournful. This is a perfect characterization for a young man whom the Emperor hopes to turn to the Dark Side, and these speeches excellently bring out his character. Sometimes Luke even repeats lines spoken by Vader and the Emperor just to drive this point home.
Emperor
As for Emperor Palpatine, his speech is similar to Claudius in Hamlet in the sense that he has many run-on lines that only get to the point at the very end. This man knows he has the ea of the entire galaxy, so he can afford to make people wait for him to finish talking. As Luke himself says: “Your overconfidence is your weakness,” and Doescher does a great job conveying that weakness through the language.
Leia/ Han
My favorite part of The Empire Striketh Back was how Doescher conveys the love between Han and Leia. In that play/ movie, it was done through irritating each other in public, and soliloquizing in private. In Jedi, Han and Leia are more of a couple, supporting each other in their fights and the language has more of a romantic tone.
My Criticism
To sum up, Jedi is a milestone in the William Shakespeare’s Star Wars Series where Ian Doescher learned how to make the language his own, rather than borrowing lines and phrases from Shakespeare. It’s a pity there aren’t more books in this series…. right?
The Education Guide
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Happy Birthday Shakespeare!
Today, April 23 is the established birthday of William Shakespeare! Today I’ll share some of my favorite posts, videos, podcasts, and quirky recipes related to Shakespeare! 
- Shakespeare on Riots
I express my outrage over the January 6th riots - How Accurate Is Medieval Times?
I examine the traditions and history that inspire the popular dinner theater. - Shakespearean Couples Tier List
Since it’s still the month of love, I thought I’d rank Shakespearean couples and see if the allegation is true that Shakespeare has no good married couples. Naturally, this is my opinion, but I will try to back my opinions up with quotations and moments from the plots. Let me know what you think! S… Read more: Shakespearean Couples Tier List - Riz Ahmed explains reinterpretation of ‘To be or not to be’ in modern Hamlet retelling | Radio Times
- Love ‘Hamnet’? You Need To Watch One of the Best-Ever Adaptations of Shakespeare’s Classic Tragedy – AOL
Special Promo!
Get $10 off my classes with coupon code HTHESWW0S710 until May 23, 2025. Look through my classes at https://outschool.com/teachers/The-Shakespearean-Student and enter the coupon code at checkout.
The Shakespearean Student 