Much Ado About Shakespeare

On this day in the year 1564, a boy named William Shakespeare was born to a glover and his wife. Little did they know that he would come to be known as “The Swan of Avon,” the “Bard of Avon,” or just “the Bard.” How could anyone guess how famous his plays and sonnets would become? They have been translated into all languages and influence and permeate our modern culture in a thousand ways. Below is an article on novels that I hope will bring a new view to anyone who finds Shakespeare’s works hard to read or “boring,” and give fans another way to enjoy his wit and humor.

Eleven-year-old Nat Field has been chosen to perform in an all-boy a production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream at the new replica of the Globe Theatre. Nat is thrilled, but when he arrives in London he begins to feel dizzy and smell strange smells. Falling ill one night, Nat awakes in a strange room, and soon realizes that he’s in Shakespeare’s time as another Nat Field who is also playing Puck at the newly built Globe. Susan Cooper does an exceptional job with King of Shadows, pulling you into the 1590’s along with Nat and leaving you to wonder, along with Nat, whether he traveled through time or not.

Ariel, by Grace Tiffany was pretty weird. It’s a retelling of The Tempest, the main character being the self-centered sprite, Ariel. The characters have the same names, but their personalities as well as the events of the story are changed around quite a lot. I found it interesting and unusual, but not one of my favorite retellings.

In Ophelia, Lisa M. Klein reveals another side to Hamlet, which begins long before, leaves off far past the end, and delves much deeper into the entire play. A different kind of Ophelia is brought out, too, one who isn’t just a girl mad with lost lover’s grief, but an interesting, strong, and smart young woman. As you can probably tell, I found it excellent.

Carolyn Meyer’s Loving Will Shakespeare is unique; telling the story of Anne Hathaway, a young woman who dreams of finding love. Though she is eight years his senior, Anne has always had a soft spot for Master Shakespeare, a bright youth she has known from birth. And the little boy himself has given her several childish signs of affection, but though they are teased, no one thinks much of it. Anne soon becomes betrothed and plans to be happily married, however when disaster strikes, her life is changed immensely. I like how Ms. Meyer gives real personality to a woman who is not known for her own achievements but those of a male relation. After I read it I thought, “Wow, Anne was a living person, too, not just ‘Shakespeare’s wife.’”

Younger readers will enjoy Swan Town: The Secret Journal of Susanna Shakespeare, which is narrated by Shakespeare’s eldest daughter. Susanna is an amateur playwright and longs for adventure and for her play, The Parrot’s King, to be performed. When her uncle Ned gets in trouble, will she have the chance to save the day and have some excitement? It was good but not great, and the Shakespearean insults were just a little too common. I think I would have enjoyed it more if I had read it between the ages of 10 and 13 or so.

The Two Loves of Will Shakespeare, by Laurie Lawlor, is based on the record of a Will Shakespeare registered to marry an Anne Whatley the day before his marriage to Anne Hathaway. In this novel, Will is torn between two women; the sweet, pious, and golden-haired Anne Whately and the dark-haired, bold, and “experienced” Anne Hathaway. Will he choose for love or must he marry only to clear up a trouble? I thought it was interesting and easy enough to read, but not especially wonderful.

Gary Blackwood’s trilogy—The Shakespeare Stealer, Shakespeare’s Scribe, and Shakespeare’s Spy—was brilliant. The beginning of the first book’s a bit slow, but it picks up soon and takes you for a whirling ride through Elizabethan London. An orphan boy, Widge (shortened from “pigwidgeon”), is chosen to be taught “charactery,” a kind of writing so easy to write that one can pen words as fast as another speaks. Once he has learned that, Widge is sent to the Globe to listen and steal the text of Mr. Shakespeare’s plays. To construct the text completely, Widge must return again and again, and soon gets to know some of the actors. As he does, Widge dreams of becoming an actor himself.

Twelfth Night: Or What You Will is definitely one of my favorite movies. The story is about identical twins, Viola and Sebastian, who are separated in a shipwreck and end up on the shores of Illyria. Viola dresses as a boy, taking the name Cesario, and goes to work as a servant of Duke Orsino, then falling in love with him. Orsino, however, loves Olivia, a countess who has sworn to allow no man inside her gate for seven years hence. Eventually Sebastian, too, finds his way to the Duke’s court, and one of the Bard’s classic tales of mixed-up identities and double weddings ensues. The casting is very well done (Ben Kingsley makes a more subtle but interesting fool), and being set in the 19th century does not take anything away from the story.

Kenneth Branagh has made some excellent films of Shakespeare’s plays, including Hamlet, Much Ado About Nothing, Henry V, and Love’s Labour’s Lost. I would really like to see his newest production, As You Like It, which is set in a fairytale-like Japan, but it seems that it will not be widely released in the US.

For modern film retellings, check out 10 Things I Hate About You (based on The Taming of the Shrew), and She’s the Man (a varsity soccer-themed version of Twelfth Night). I have not seen either of them, but I think 10 Things I Hate About You sticks closer to the original story, and She’s the Man looks like a funny and slightly stupid chick flick. It was funny to see young guys driving cars and wearing Hawaiian shirts while speaking the text from Shakespeare’s play in Romeo + Juliet. It was rather violent, though, and at times rather odd. I have not seen it in a long time, but I remember liking A Midsummer Night’s Dream (set in a historic Athens with bicycles). Puck and Bottom were very good.

Other Shakespeare Books for YA Readers:

Dating Hamlet: Ophelia’s Story, by Lisa Fiedler
Enter Three Witches: A Story of Macbeth, by Caroline B. Cooney
The Juliet Club, by Suzanne Harper
Romeo’s Ex: Rosaline’s Story, by Lisa Fiedler
Saving Juliet, by Suzanne Selfors
Shakespeare’s Daughter, by Peter W. Hassinger
Shylock’s Daughter, by Mirjam Pressler
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The Playmaker
The True Prince, by J.B. Cheany