“The Merchant of Venice,” by William Shakespeare, adapted by Gareth Hinds
(Candlewick, 9780763630249: $21.99 hardcover, 9780763630256: $11.99
paperback, for teens & adults)
From the creator of Candlewick’s exciting graphic-novel adaptation of “Beowulf”
comes a new take on Shakespeare’s most discomfiting comedy. Hinds presents
the play’s characters in modern clothes and sets the action in present-day
Venice, and his use of cool gray watercolors helps to create a timeless
feel.
He
starts out using very modern language, too, but over the course of the
story, he incorporates more and more of Shakespeare’s original words
(especially for famous speeches like Portia’s “The quality of mercy” and
Shylock’s immortal “If you prick us, do we not bleed?”) Readers are slowly
submerged in the cadences of Elizabethan dramatic language rather than being
confronted with them at the outset.
Hinds abridges the play’s action while keeping major subplots, and he
retains the stark cruelties of both Shylock and his persecutors, which can
be so jolting to audiences. This well-crafted graphic novel can’t replace
Shakespeare’s original, of course, but it’s excellent for studying the
action of the play, for luring in new readers, and for purely enjoying a
grand fable of a story. Recommended for teens or very mature younger
readers.
Review by
Mark David Bradshaw, June 19, 2008
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