Shakespeare - but rewritten so I can understand!

[LifeInAHamsterWheel]

I studied a few Shakespeare plays in school and enjoyed them but found it a slog to work through the language. I'd love to enjoy the stories without having to "work" to understand them. Are there any books that still have the story but have been rewritten in a more modern format? I don't mean the whole story has been updated to suit our modern world, really just the language/style of writing. Or would that be utter blasphemy?!

The classic used to be Lamb’s Tales. That was where you went to get the story, to help understand before you watch the play.

Then watch the play.

Then read the play!

76p on Kindle

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/B0CQDGS7X6/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0

It's sounds silly, but honestly reading kids versions really helped me with some of the plot moves that I never got my head around! (I read them to DD when she was a PFB at 6 months old for bedtime stories).

We got a collection from the works and they are simplified versions that give you the basic storyline and then you can go and build on that.

It may be blasphemy as it either needs to be contextually modern and inspired by or true to form, hope someone comes on and does an example!

I remember reading somewhere or hearing a character say in a film, that you're not meant to read plays, you're meant to see and experience them, and I certainly have gone to the Globe with the £5 standing tickets and felt the language clunking into place after ten mins or so of bewildered staring.

many of them have rather odd stories and half the joy is in the language. but the best way to enjoy it is in the theatre.

failing that, there are good movie versions of many Shakespeare plays - Baz Lurman's Romeo+Juliet; Kenneth Brannagh Much Ado about Nothing etc.

Yes, but I’ve always thought they were godawful. I mean, you read Shakespeare for the poetry, and the Lambs’ versions take it all out, meaning you’re left with ‘Indecisive man sees ghost and feigns madness while trying to decide to murder his uncle’ and ‘Teenagers from feuding clans fall in love and die’.

Admittedly, I’ve no better suggestions!

That's a great book recommendation thank you! I've just bought the kindle version. I'm early 50s so it's a long time since I was in secondary school and I have very little recollection of the few plays we studied. I'm a keen reader but I don't fancy having to "study" at this stage so I'll start with that book and maybe try an original once I've got my head around it!

Yes, I suppose I just generally wanted to know what the plot was! It’s enough that you aren’t confused when you watch the play.

And then once you’ve had the magic of the performance, you can really enjoy the language of the soliloquies, before actually reading the plays- which is still good fun.

And @LifeInAHamsterWheel you get your ear in after a while. I used to struggle to translate into clear modern English for exams as it made sense to me anyway! It’s quite easy to pick up once you’ve done a couple. As an adult your vocab will be richer than when you were at school, so you’ll find it easier.

I love Shakespeare in the theatre, as a PP said, after 10 minutes the language becomes totally clear. I wouldn’t read Shakespeare, the plays were written to be acted.

The cartoon versions on BBC schools are good-

Leon Garfield’s Shakespeare Stories collections are decent - aimed at children, but older children rather than babies. They’re a good starting point. To be honest, though, I would just watch the plays/films. Versions on stage or on film are often cut quite a lot so keep to the main plot and are much easier to engage with than reading the plays until you’re into the style - they’re meant to be watched.

Some of the stories really make no sense - The Winter’s Tale being a prime example, but the language is still beautiful when spoken well,

I use The Shakespeare Stories by Tony Ross with students to help learn the plot. Completely different sre the various Bravo Mr Shakespeare by Marcia Williams - Shakespeare in comic strip form. Also agree woth the Leon Garfield suggestion by PP

Also recommend searching Instagram or YouTube for eg Judi Dench, Helena Bonham Carter, Benedict Cumberbatch etc reading Shakespeare, really brings it to life

Jeanette winterson has done a modern version called 'the gap in time' and it's brilliant, very very violent and uses graphic language. But it's really good.

I agree that you need to watch them, gives them so much context! I have written essays on this haha!

An absolutely AMAZING retelling of Titus andronicus is 'Titus' by Julie taymor. Anthony Hopkins as Titus. It's incredible, absolutely psychedelic and crazy! But it really really captures the story! It uses the original text, so is over 3 hours, but well worth it!

Shakespeare instantly becomes at least 20% more comprehensible when the 'thy/thou/thee/thine are replaced with you/yours. I honestly don't know why most productions don't do so - it's the same number of syllables so the lines still scan the same, and 'you' was also used in the 16thc (thou etc was just the singular/informal version, like ti/chi in welsh or tu/vous in french, which is a distinction we don't mark in english today) so it wouldn't sound anachronistic. Same with art/are.

"Romeo, Romeo, why then are you Romeo? Deny your father and refuse your name," still scans exactly the same way, is still rhythmically poetic and dramatic rather than overly prosaic as fully modernised/simplified translations can be but is much easier to understand!

See the plays - they are meant to be watched, not read. Try the BBC or Shakespeare's Globe for filmed versions.

Look to see what is on in your area. If you're anywhere near Scarborough, I recommend a totally rewritten "Love's Labours Lost", which opens there next week - it's very funny.
Or wait until the summer, as there are always lots of touring companies - Handlebards are one of the best, and very accessible.

Just no! Most of the point of Shakespeare is the language.

But the language is the whole point.
If all you want is plot, the Lambs wrote "Tales from Shakespeare."

I read a lot which is why I was hoping to "read" the stories but of course I never thought of watching the plays! I'm not in UK but will suss out any upcoming performances in nearby cities and I might be lucky. Thanks everyone.

I think every generation of actors has to get Shakespeare out of their system. Olivier in the 40s, Branagh in the 80s (Mel Gibson, too).
But I was really impressed with The Hollow Crown adaptations of some harder Shakespeare plays. Actors like Benedict Cumberbatch, Ben Whishaw and even Tom Hiddleston just got on with it. Of course, they’re mostly RADA, don’tcha know (!).Sophie Okoneko as Queen Margaret was completely relevant to the 21st century. Patrick Stewart’s “This sceptered isle” brought me to tears

So, IMO if you want the plot just Google it. But if you want to live the drama start with a good film adaptation.

Edit: I bought the box set of The Hollow Crown DVDs as I’m not in the UK either.

You may find films of performances online, but even film adaptations like Branagh’s Henry V or Much Ado About Nothing or Baz Luhrman’s Romeo and Juliet or Joel Coen’s recent Macbeth would be a start? Most of what’s on YouTube seems to be US college productions of dubious quality, but there will be good stuff scattered through. Plus the Globe theatre and the RSC both have YouTube channels — see what they have? Also check out your local cinema for theatre relays. I saw a Donmar Macbeth recently with David Tennant.

Not sure about books but can you access The Hollow Crown in any format? Particularly Benedict Cumberbatch as Richard III. Superb. Suddenly all makes absolute sense.

@latetothefisting "Romeo, Romeo, why then are you Romeo?

I'm sorry...this is nothing like as beautiful as "wherefore art thou"

a) the language is hardly "most" of the point - every other 16c play had the exact same language if you're solely talking about the grammatical archaisms, it's the plot, characters, symbolism, turns of phrase, historical interpretation, etc that are why Shakespeare's plays have endured

b) the exceptionality of Shakespeare's 'language' is in the flow, the rhythm, the metaphors, the colourful insults, the thousands of new words and terms Shakespeare coined or at least popularised, the imagery, etc. None of which would be affected by changing art to are.

c) If you think Shakespeare is only worth anything when written in the exact same words he originally penned, presumably you don't see the point in translations into other languages (not only for Shakespeare but for any literary work ever)? As they are never going to keep the exact language and grammar, but focus instead (as much as possible) on retaining what they can of the types of language in point b)