Hamlet

No Fear Shakespeare is the young, hip division of Sparknotes that translates Shakespeare classics into "the kind of English people actually speak today." If you want to journey even further into the bowels of hip-dom, pick up one of No Fear's Graphic Novels--illustrated by established artists and presented in backpack-friendly paperbacks.

Although I don't expect my students to start spouting soliloquies, I do want them to be at least passingly familiar with Shakespeare and his language. So, this term we're studying Hamlet--just a little taste of it for fifteen to twenty minutes every Thursday. I started off by telling them the story the way I would if we were sitting around a campfire, with lots of jokes and hand gestures to keep them excited. Now I'm showing them the story again, this time accompanied by pictures from the Hamlet graphic novel. Next week, we'll watch scenes from the movie, and then we'll finally start reading parts of the play ourselves. (I meant to bring in an audio CD last week, but it just didn't happen. Boo, me.)

If you think "graphic novel" is the fancy new term for "comic book," think again. This version of Hamlet is surprisingly imaginative and smart, as well as emotionally gripping. I studied Hamlet as part of my playwright training in college, and I still learned new stuff! For example, the scene in which Ophelia cracks up and starts handing out flowers...Ophelia tells us that rosemary is for remembrance, but then she passes out a whole bouquet of buds without much comment. The graphic novel puts little scrolls next to the flowers to let the reader know what they represent. Ophelia gives the queen columbines and fennel--a sign of adultery. She gives the king rue, for repentance. (The illustrator shows Ophelia giving him a knowing little wink here.) She gives herself a daisy, for unhappy love. And she speaks of the violets that whithered when he father was murdered; violets stood for faithfulness.

I especially love the way the prince himself is portrayed--a slim, trenchcoat-wearing, heavy-lidded youth with pale skin and crazed dark eyes. This is no Mel Gibson or Kenneth Branaugh. This is Hamlet as he's always appeared in my own mind's eye: impossibly young and heartbreakingly fragile. When he dies, you feel the tragedy of his wasted life.

Whether you're teaching Shakespeare to others or just enjoy the classics yourself, No Fear Shakespeare's Graphic Novel of Hamlet is a refreshingly accessible resource. And, at about $10, it's easy on the wallet.