OMG Shakespeare

Macbeth #killingit by Courtney Carbone, William Shakespeare
Series: OMG Shakespeare
Published by Random House Books for Young Readers
Published on January 5th 2016
Pages: 112
Format: ARC
Source: Penguin Random House Australia
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Macbeth, one of the greatest stories ever told . . . in texts?!  Imagine: What if that tragic couple, Macbeth and Lady Macbeth, had smartphones? A classic is reborn in this fun and funny adaptation of one of Shakespeare’s most famous plays!  A prophecy from three witches. A social-climbing couple committing a murder most foul. A cover-up that spins way out of control.
and h8. The classics just got a whole lot more interesting. 😉  tl;dr A Shakespeare play told through its characters texting with emojis, posting photos, checking in at locations, and updating their relationship statuses. The perfect gift for hip theater lovers and teens.   A glossary and cast of characters are included for those who need it. For example: tl;dr means too long; didn’t read.

I received a copy of this book from Penguin Random House Australia in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

I’m not as familiar with Macbeth as someone who calls themselves a ‘Shakespeare scholar’ should be. I studied the play at University and I love watching film interpretations, but it’s been a while since I’ve seen one and I confess I’d forgotten some of the more important facts.

I also am a complete n00b when it comes to emojis. I’m afraid I might just be a little too old to really care about them when I grew up with emoticons, which are basically the same thing, so why bother learning what that’s all about?

That being said, this book was the perfect Macbeth refresher, complete with comedy, because the characters are all talking to each other via text! It’s particularly funny when the characters can’t find the right emoji:

I’d recommend this book as an introduction to Shakespeare for a younger reader or a refresher to Shakespeare for an older, experienced Shakespeare reader.

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A Midsummer Night #nofilter by Brett Wright, William Shakespeare
Series: OMG Shakespeare
Published by Random House Books for Young Readers
Published on January 5th 2016
Pages: 112
Format: ARC
Source: Penguin Random House Australia
Add to Goodreads
Publisher page

A Midsummer Night’s Dream, one of the greatest stories ever told . . . in texts?!  Imagine: What if the fairies and star-crossed lovers of the forest had smartphones? A classic is reborn in this fun and funny adaptation of one of Shakespeare’s most famous plays!  Four lovers who can’t decide who they have a crush on. One mischievous fairy with a love potion. Total chaos in the fairy world, the human world, and everywhere in between!   and h8. The classics just got a whole lot more interesting. 😉 tl;dr A Shakespeare play told through its characters texting with emojis, posting photos, checking in at locations, and updating their relationship statuses. The perfect gift for hip theater lovers and teens.   A glossary and cast of characters are included for those who need it. For example: tl;dr means too long; didn’t read.

I received a copy of this book from Penguin Random House Australia in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

As someone who not only studied this play, but was unfortunately cast as (‘Mrs’) Bottom in my college production (HA HA LET’S CAST THE MOST UNATTRACTIVE PERSON AS BOTTOM HA HA SO ORIGINAL) I know this text pretty well. I found this reinterpretation funny yet I disagreed on some basic points. In my version, Theseus and Hippolyta’s wedding is not a happy affair, because Theseus has defeated the Amazons and is taking her by force.

That aside, I can only be criticising the great Bard himself when I say that even now, having been in the play, I still get confused between Hermia and Helena. Their names are just so similar that when I’m speed-reading it’s easy to get confused!

I felt that this version was a little more light on the details and as such didn’t work quite as well as the Macbeth version. It was still hilariously funny with the limit on emojis as with the Macbeth version.

I felt that this play was a little light on the details and would work better as a refresher for a seasoned Shakespeare reader, but perhaps not as an introduction to the text for a younger reader.

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