Students often find Shakespeare hard to understand, so what better way to introduce literary classics like Hamlet than through
the contemporary style of graphic novels? Books in the Graphic Planet series combine rich, dramatic illustrations with the original dialogue, creating a highly readable adaptation of Shakespeare’s tragedy of love, murder, deception, and revenge.
“To be or not to be - that is the question.” – Hamlet
To help keep track of who is saying what, in the front of the book there are drawings of all the characters matching the names, like Hamlet (Prince of Denmark), Ophelia (Polonius’ daughter), and Horatio (Friend of Hamlet). The book also provides a brief overview of the setting of the play, a “Behind Hamlet” synopsis, and a listing of Famous Phrases, like
“To thine own self be true.” A Glossary and a list of additional works by Shakespeare are included. This is a good
educational resource for students, reluctant readers, and teachers of classic literature.
Other Shakespeare classics in the Graphic Novels series:
A Midsummer Night’s Dream
As You Like It
King Lear
Macbeth
Much Ado About Nothing
Othello
Romeo and Juliet
The Comedy of Errors
The Taming of the Shrew
The Tempest
Twelfth Night
About the Authors:
Ben Dunn is sometimes called the “Godfather of American Manga.” He founded Antarctic Press, one of the largest comic companies in the United States. His artwork appears in Marvel and Image comics. He collaborated with his wife, Rebecca Dunn, on this novel for Graphic Planet.