Tales from Shakespeare
presented and illustrated by Marcia Williams
Marcia Williams retells Romeo and Juliet, Hamlet, A
Midsummer Night’s Dream, Macbeth, The Winter’s Tale, Julius Caesar, and The
Tempest in comic book style, making Shakespeare palatable for elementary students.
The plays are presented as if they are being held in London’s Globe Theatre,
complete with noisy patrons, Queen Elizabeth I, and Shakespeare himself! She and the playwright are
hidden in the pages, adding a seek-and-find game to the proceedings.
The actors quote Shakespeare’s words, while a summary of the
action is told underneath the pictures. The spectators, who surround three
sides of the page, provide a running commentary on the action. They are often
funny, irreverent, rude, and hungry, as evidenced by the many food vendors
hawking their wares.
With an abundance of action to follow, the pages often have
a crowded feel that can confuse rather than elucidate. The plays tend to work
better when larger picture panels are used instead. This tends to benefit the
tragedies more than the comedies. The Winter’s Tale is the best.
All-in-all, it’s not a bad way to introduce Shakespeare to
young readers.
in which Williams retells As You Like It, King Lear, Much Ado about Nothing, Antony and Cleopatra, Twelfth Night, The Merchant of Venice, and Richard III. 
