Forgotten the title or the author of a book? Our BookSleuth is specially designed for you. Visit BookSleuth Hamlet is perhaps the most famous of all Shakespeare's tragedies, for it is known all over the world and has exerted a compelling fascination wherever it goes. The hero is so real and his dilemma is so basic to human living that the people of every country recognize him . . . " (Marchette Chute) Hamlet: Considerably well done adaptation. This story would appeal strongly to boys, I would imagine (that's not say that girls won't also like it), and unlike Shakespeare's play, this adaptation is easy to understand. Kids under 12 would understand this story just fine. Of course, there is the question of whether or not this is an appropriate story for kids under 12, but that's for parents to decide.

Tales from Shakespeare by Charles Lamb | Goodreads

This most recent adaptation of Charles and Mary Lamb's Tales from Shakespeare will enthrall a new generation of children. My edition had The Tempest, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Much Ado About Nothing, As You Like It, The Merchant of Venice, Macbeth and Twelfth Night with refresher questions about each play at the end. Absolute Shakespeare - the essential resource for William Shakespeare's plays, sonnets, poems, quotes, biography and the legendary Globe Theatre. Records of Shakespeare’s plays begin to appear in 1594, and he produced roughly two a year until around 1611. His earliest plays include Henry VI and Titus Andronicus. A Midsummer Night’s Dream, The Merchant of Venice and Richard II all date from the mid to late 1590s. Some of his most famous tragedies were written in the early 1600s; these include Hamlet, Othello, King Lear, Macbeth and Antony & Cleopatra. His late plays, often known as the Romances, date from 1608 onwards and include The Tempest.Acquired as part of a multi-book deal brokered by Ann-Janine Murtagh, Executive Publisher at HarperCollins Children's Books, and Veronique Baxter at David Higham Associates, Morpurgo’s Tales from Shakespeare will be a landmark event in a decade-long publishing partnership between HarperCollins Children’s Books and Michael Morpurgo. Let me say, before I go any further, that this book is easier to read than Shakespeare's plays, but just barely. Here is a sample paragraph, taken from a chapter about a play I not only haven't read, but that I hadn't even heard of before I read this book, Timon of Athens:

Tales From Shakespeare - RSC Michael Morpurgo introduces his Tales From Shakespeare - RSC

The Winter's Tale is set in the land of fairy stories, where kings are cruel without cause and bears roam conveniently and sixteen years can be passed over as lightly as drawing breath. The story was popular when Shakespeare was a young man, and in his hands it becomes for the first time worth telling. For some of the people are enchanting and so is the poetry--harsh and strong as winter in the first part of the play, and then as lovely and flowerlike as spring." (Marchette Chute) A "NoFear" parallel version of The Winter's Tale is not available.Now was Timon as much avoided in his poverty as he had been courted and resorted to in his riches. Now the same tongues which had been loudest in his praises, extolling him as bountiful, liberal, and open handed, were not ashamed to censure that very bounty as folly, that liberality as profuseness, though it had shown itself folly in nothing so truly as in the selection of such unworthy creatures as themselves for its objects. Now was Timon's princely mansion forsaken, and become a shunned and hated place, a place for men to pass by, not a place, as formerly, where every passenger must stop and taste of his wine and good cheer; now, instead of being thronged with feasting and tumultuous guests, it was beset with impatient and clamorous creditors, usurers, extortioners, fierce and intolerable in their demands, pleading bonds, interest, mortgages; iron-hearted men that would take no denial nor putting off, that Timon's house was now his jail, which he could not pass, nor go in nor out for them; one demanding his due of fifty talents, another bringing in a bill of five thousands crowns, which if he would tell out his blood by drops, and pay them so, he had not enough in his body to discharge, drop by drop." Granted, the Lambs wrote it during a time when women didn't get university educations, there were still smart people out there who could understand the Bard without the contents being dumbed down. The perfect introduction to Shakespeare for younger readers, Tales From Shakespeare explores twenty of the bard's greatest plays. Named as one of The Guardian's best 100 non-fiction books, each play has been carefully adapted for children of all ages.

Tales From Shakespeare (Signet Classic Shakespeare)

A Midsummer Night's Dream: Magic is in the air. Magical forest, invisible fairies bring lovers together, undetected. Love is created by magic when it isn't there. Everyone lives happily ever after. Shakespeare appears to be quite interested in crossdressing, I've always kind of speculated about Shakespeare being gay, his writing, his demeanor, visage, tell-tale signs. The internet, however, says that he might have been bisexual. There is quite a lot of evidence. Enough on that, I'm getting carried away. This was the fun-nest, (maybe because I remember She's the Man). Personally, I prefer the tragedies. I used to think it was because there was something wrong with me, but reading the plays all together like this, it is easy to see the tragedies are each uniquely unforgettable whereas the comedies are similar, repetitive, and start to to run together in your mind after you have read a few … like so many modern romance movies and books? Not that they aren’t clever. They are, but many of the same devices (women dressing as men, twins/doubles, lovers switching) are repeated, undoubtedly because they were successful and popular. OurTales From Shakespearefilmswere originally designed to be a helpful introduction for young people studying Shakespeare, but will now be available for anyone to watch online.The stories are told by Michael along with members of the RSC acting company.

Measure for Measure is one of the most brilliant of Shakespeare's comedies, but the laughter is bitter. It does not deal with people as they would like to be as too many of them are . . ." (Marchette Chute) Note: This play is about Isabella remaining true to her honor and virtue even when compromising could save the life of her beloved brother. Lamb's and Nesbit's versions sanitize the circumstances, and even Shakespeare himself manages to be a bit vague, but you won't want to read your children online summaries that graphically spell out what's going on. Some parents may wish to use AO's slightly expurgated version, or just read the Lamb's or Nesbit's version.