In order to be faithful to the Bard's work, our Shakespeare titles feature the entire script, unabridged, in the original setting. We call this "Original Text".
Our Original Text books are produced as full-colour graphic novels so you can “watch” the play unfold as you read it. Shakespeare's plays were written to be performed and reading the graphic novel is similar to watching a performance of the play.
Does it matter that you might not understand some of Shakespeare’s phrases? Well, in the graphic novel format it is clear who is speaking and usually who they are speaking to as speech balloon tails point to the speaker. We can usually see what characters are feeling by looking at their expression and we can understand much of the drama from the style with which they are drawn. So where you might not understand what is being said at first, you might understand the emotion and the intent behind the words.
Additionally, the style of lettering helps to create mood and understanding. Sound effects can help to capture the drama of a scene. This can be achieved with stylised fonts and this can enhance the whole graphic novel reading experience too.
The text in speech balloons is in upper case across all our titles which is typical of most comic book lettering. Aesthetically this allows lines of type to sit closer together in the speech balloons (this is especially useful with large amounts of Shakespeare’s speech).
Shakespeare’s language is rich but rewarding. Reading aloud to yourself can make the rhythm of the text and meanings clearer. Breaking down sentences into smaller parts can help you understand the structure and meaning.
Students may want to use the Original Text graphic novel alongside the playscript to help with understanding in the classroom.
Lovers of Shakespeare’s plays, purists, and readers who want to experience the unaltered text will appreciate our Original Text graphic novels; you get all of the text and all of the excitement!
But to make classical literature appealing to all, we also provides an additional two versions of each Shakespeare title: “Plain Text” and “Quick Text”.
“Plain Text” is the entire play translated into plain English.
“Quick Text” is a much reduced dialogue version of the play.
For those wanting the authentic Shakespeare experience however, we’d suggest jumping straight in with Original Text. Look for the orange circle on our books. 🟠
Our Original Text books are produced as full-colour graphic novels so you can “watch” the play unfold as you read it. Shakespeare's plays were written to be performed and reading the graphic novel is similar to watching a performance of the play.
Does it matter that you might not understand some of Shakespeare’s phrases? Well, in the graphic novel format it is clear who is speaking and usually who they are speaking to as speech balloon tails point to the speaker. We can usually see what characters are feeling by looking at their expression and we can understand much of the drama from the style with which they are drawn. So where you might not understand what is being said at first, you might understand the emotion and the intent behind the words.
Additionally, the style of lettering helps to create mood and understanding. Sound effects can help to capture the drama of a scene. This can be achieved with stylised fonts and this can enhance the whole graphic novel reading experience too.
The text in speech balloons is in upper case across all our titles which is typical of most comic book lettering. Aesthetically this allows lines of type to sit closer together in the speech balloons (this is especially useful with large amounts of Shakespeare’s speech).
Shakespeare’s language is rich but rewarding. Reading aloud to yourself can make the rhythm of the text and meanings clearer. Breaking down sentences into smaller parts can help you understand the structure and meaning.
Students may want to use the Original Text graphic novel alongside the playscript to help with understanding in the classroom.
Lovers of Shakespeare’s plays, purists, and readers who want to experience the unaltered text will appreciate our Original Text graphic novels; you get all of the text and all of the excitement!
But to make classical literature appealing to all, we also provides an additional two versions of each Shakespeare title: “Plain Text” and “Quick Text”.
“Plain Text” is the entire play translated into plain English.
“Quick Text” is a much reduced dialogue version of the play.
For those wanting the authentic Shakespeare experience however, we’d suggest jumping straight in with Original Text. Look for the orange circle on our books. 🟠