Shakespearean Drama goes Manga

Classical Shakespearean literature is getting the Manga treatment. With this revolutionary approach to English teaching the lure of the graphic presentation effortlessly promotes the educational aspect of these classic plays. The target audience is teenagers who may be reading Shakespeare for the first time and the books are designed to complement the original works rather than taking their place. The adaptations are futuristic, showcasing many modern technologies in the world of print. Writing in The Irish Times Wed Jan 6th 2010, Sara Keating contemplates if Shakespeare’s greatest dramas are a comedy of errors or a literary triumph. “In Romeo and Juliet, for example, Romeo is the rock-idol son of a mafia boss in present-day Tokyo, while in The Tempest, a global energy crisis sees Prospero washed up on the island. Crucially, however, Shakespearean verse remains verbatim, albeit in abridged form”. First published by Self Made Hero in 2007 these adaptations of Shakespeare’s plays offer an opportunity for a new approach to their exploration by students.