Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet

July 1, 2008
Gr 7 Up-These plays are well organized with clearly identified acts and well-defined visual scenes. While Shakespeares original language remains intact, much of the dialogue has been left on the cutting room floor. This editing causes some confusion in identifying individuals and following plotlines. Its unfortunate that theres no list of the characters and their relationships for novice Shakespeare readers. Tragic drama is immediately apparent in Macbeth, which has a distinctive dark feel, accentuated by bold lines with strong black-and-white contrast and terse text. Images such as the bloody bodies and Macbeths hallucinations grip readers. The plotting Lady Macbeth is downright frightening, and readers looking for high drama will find it here. Quotes at the beginning of each act in "Romeo and Juliet" nicely set the stage for the ensuing drama. For example, the title page for Act I shows Romeo saying Is she]a Capulet? O dear account! My life is my foes debt. In contrast to "Macbeth", images appear pale and often with little animation. Many of the secondary characters lack personality and are sometimes drawn without faces. Friar Lawrence wears a similar expression when both picking herbs in Act II and approaching the crypt in Act V. Adaptations by Philip Page and Marilyn Pettit (Barrons) or Lisa Appignanesi (Abrams) have more compelling artwork."Barbara M. Moon, Suffolk Cooperative Library System, Bellport, NY"

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