Romeo and Juliet
Published by The Shakespeare Comic Book Co
There is such a drive to encourage young people to take on Shakespeare and so many choices that there must surely be something out there for the most reluctant of readers. The Shakespeare Comic Book edition of Romeo and Juliet would sit in this category. The figures are drawn simply as befits the cartoon design of the series and these would appeal to Year 7s as their first introduction to the Bard.
Simon Greaves, who has edited and illustrated the books, has decided to place the modern English ‘translation’ next to the original text. The trouble with this is that the modern sounds quite clumsy, and some transcriptions obvious – a glaring example when Benvolio asks ‘In love?’ this is translated to ‘Are you in love?’
This book will not appeal to Shakespeare purists who believe the plays should be read in the original, but then, they’re not the ones coming to the Bard first time. So worth a look if you’ve tried others.
Other plays in the series included Macbeth, The Tempest and Henry V.