To me, this one’s obvious. Hamlet is a grim, bookish young man who loves complicated plans more than conflict. Also, like Professor Flitwick the head of Ravenclaw, Hamlet loves songs and plays like this one, which incidentally quotes lines from Macbeth:
Coriolanus- Slitherin
Tom Felton as Coriolanus
I go into greater detail in my most recent post, but Coriolanus is a warrior who tries to turn his wealth and military success into political power. He’s also compared to a dragon or serpent, the symbol of Slytherin House. And, as if that weren’t enough, Ralph Fiennes, who starred and directed a movie about Coriolanus, also played the heir of Salazar Slytherin himself, Lord Voldemort.
Ralph Fiennes as Coriolanus
Helena- Hufflepuff
Hermione- Griffindor
No, I am not talking about Harry Potter’s bookish best friend- I’m talking about the brave and virtuous queen Hermione from The Winters Tale. In the trial scene, she has to go against her husband and her Kung and defend herself and her children in court:
Hermione defends herself in court
Henry V- Griffindor or Slytherin?
Good my lords, I am not prone to weeping, as our sex Commonly are; the want of which vain dew Perchance shall dry your pities: but I have That honourable grief lodged here which burns Worse than tears drown: beseech you all, my lords, With thoughts so qualified as your charities Shall best instruct you, measure me; and so The king’s will be perform’d!
Like Harry Potter himself, you could make two equal cases for Harry the King; that he is a great brave warrior worthy of the Griffindor lion, or a Machiavellian, sly, ambitious snake.
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
I read this version to my five year old son and he enjoyed the colors and characters, which is why I feel confident recommending this version to younger children. It won’t help you pass a test on Midsummer and you won’t get the whole story. But you might get a tantalizing glimpse of Shakespeare’s world of fairies, lovers, and funny fools and honestly, that’s fine with me. As I’ve stated before, parody and short pop-culture adaptations of Shakespeare are great ways to connect with young people, and I see this book as a tool to do just that.
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!.
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?
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.
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
Tom Hiddleston as Henry V
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.
Title Card- “The Violent Rhetoric Of Julius Caesar”Title for my Outschool class on Codes and Ciphers, inspired by the Disney show “Gravity Falls.”Digital business card for my online classes with a QR code if you want to know moreTitle art for my Outschool course on Shakespeare’s comediesCover art for my Outschool class: “Shakespeare- the Lost Play”Title of my Outschool murder mystery gameTitle image for my online course on “Romeo and Juliet.”Title card for my Outchool Intro To Shakespeare cs.Title art for my Outschool course on Shakespeare’s comediesTitle for my Outschool class in swords and Stage Combat.
Great online classes in Shakespeare and science are available for students all this month at Outschool.com.
From now until June 1st, you can get a $20 discount with referral code PAULHT20. Share the joy with other curious minds in the family too! Spread the word and let’s ignite the passion for learning together!
Class Descriptions
Live Classes
For these classes you meet with me live over Zoom:
Introduction to Shakespeare- Tuesdays 9-9:30AM (EST)
This is my 30 minute short and sweet intro to Shakespeare’s life, his plays, and why his work still matters to us today!
Intro To STage Combat (With SwordS)- Tuesdays 9:30-10AM (EST)-
Like the Intro to Shakespeare class above, this is an intro to the basic footwork, attacks, and defensive parries of swordplays for someone just begeinning to learn about swords.
Title image for my online course on “Romeo and Juliet.”
An Immersive Guide To “Romeo and Juliet- Tuesdays from 10-11AM (EST)
This multi-week course delves into the plot, characters and themes of “Romeo and Juliet,” while also providing interactive activities, virtual tours, and webquests.
Shakespeare’s History Plays- SaturdAYs 8:30 AM IST
This is a new course I’m working on to cover all of Shakespeare’s History plays including Henry V, Richard II, and Richard III. More info as it becomes available.
Asynchronous Classes
These classes are Flex Schedule, which means the teacher prepares the activities in advance and allows you to do them at your own pace without direct consultation.
A flexible schedule class that teaches kids the plot and characters of “Romeo and Juliet,” in the context of a detective story where you solve the mystery of the young lovers’ deaths.
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!
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.
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)
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.
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.
Emperor Palpatine as a grim Shakespearean villianSpace-age YorrickThis one is supposed to be Shakespeare with Yoda ears, but oh well.I think Shakespeare makes a fine Jedi knight.Older Obi WanI told it to draw Obi Wan next to Luke with a green lightsaber. I didn’t expect Anikin would tag along.Almost like old Obi Wan is trying to protect young Obi Wan. There’s a metaphor in there somewhere.Princess Leia as Ophelia from “Hamlet”
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:
Me singing “Brush Up Your Shakespeare” in honor of the Bard’s birthday, 2025
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!
If you’re reading this as I post it, there’s a Shakespearean nerd in your life and your wits are about to turn trying to find a gift. I’ve already written about printed editions of Shakespeare and educational apps, so you can consult those if that’s what you are looking for. Now I’m covering the kinds… Read more: What to Get A Shakespeare Nerd For Christmas 2
Before you send your kid off to summer camp, why not spend a few short hours learning Shakespeare in a low-key, no-pressure scenario! I have classes on Shakespeare’s life, Romeo and Juliet, and my celebrated Stage Combat class! Sign up now for all the fun on Outschool.com!
The Shakespearean Student 