William Shakespeare's Star Wars
Written by Ian Doescher
4/5
()
Currently unavailable
Currently unavailable
About this audiobook
Return once more to a galaxy far, far away with this sublime retelling of George Lucas's epic Star Wars in the style of the immortal Bard of Avon. The saga of a wise (Jedi) knight and an evil (Sith) lord, of a beautiful princess held captive and a young hero coming of age, Star Wars abounds with all the valor and villainy of Shakespeare's greatest plays. 'Tis a tale told by fretful droids, full of faithful Wookiees and fearsome Stormtroopers, signifying...pretty much everything.
Reimagined in glorious iambic pentameter, William Shakespeare's Star Wars will astound and edify Rebels and Imperials alike. Zounds! This is the audiobook you're looking for.
This audiobook is read by Daniel Davis, Jonathan Davis, January LaVoy, Marc Thompson, and the author, Ian Doescher.
Includes an afterword read by the author.
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Reviews for William Shakespeare's Star Wars
377 ratings77 reviews
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Even those with a limited knowledge of The Bard's works (such as myself) will find this fun and enjoyable. Written as a play, you can easily envision a small theater with limited resources playing out Lucas' big movie. And maybe you'll enjoy it even more than the original one
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Clever read!
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5
If you love both Star Wars and Shakespeare, you need to read this book. - Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Very amusing book, especially for fans of both Star Wars and Shakespeare. (I don't know why those who aren't fans of both would bother to read this, actually.) I think this would benefit from being read aloud, as are Shakespeare's actual plays.
If you read this, be sure to read the afterword, as it has some interesting insights into the author's reasons for writing the book. In fact, you might want to read the afterword first, to go into the play with the insights in mind as you read it. - Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Geeky wonderfulness abounds. Such a treat. The audio production is marvelous. Highly recommend.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5I absolutely adore this book. Laughing, snorting, chuckling, sputtering and forcing my husband to put up with more listen-to-this moments were all par for the course as I enjoyed it to the fullest. As a theatre person and a Star Wars fan, I cannot recommend this series highly enough. There may be a living room staged-reading in my near future.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5I thought this was a fun little book, as both a Star Wars fan and Shakespeare fan I was probably predisposed to like it. I enjoyed picking out lines from the film as well as some cleverly reworked (but still very recognizable!) lines from many Shakespearean speeches.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5If you're both a book nerd and a Star Wars nerd, you need this book. I picked it up one day at a local book store and couldn't put it down until I'd finished it. It takes a lot to make me laugh out loud, but this book had me howling. I've done readings for my similarly weird friends. Love it!
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5What a hoot, especially the audio version. R2D2 especially!
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5I was by chance that I picked this up after seeing a production of Return to the Forbidden Planet a few days prior. Both use Shakespeare style to parody science fiction (the play parodies Star Trek).William Shakespeare's Star Wars is a very entertaining read. It not only follows the plot of the original movie, but it adds additional information to the story line through traditional dramatic forms like asides. Characters like R2D2 are given their robotic exterior, but they are also given moments with the audience that reveal their true purpose or thought processes. I found Obi Wan's self reflection about what to tell Luke about his father to be the most eyeopening. I am not sure sure if I would have done much more than giggle at the title of this work in a books store, but I am sincerely glad I read it. I was able to show the true dramatic plot that all great stories have. This really cries out to be a wonderful stage production.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5VERY entertaining read. For the most part I felt I was reading Shakespeare and I looked forward to scenes I knew by heart to see how they would be portrayed. Definitely worth picking up if you are a Star Wars fan.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5loved it
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Found this at the Hershey Library the other day. A fantastic fun way of looking and reading Star Wars. A fantastic job done conjoining Shakespeare to that of Star Wars, done with perfection. Now to return this and go back for the other two.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Brilliant. Can be simply enjoyed, or, one could use it as I'm doing, to help me develop the skill of reading Shakespearean language by telling a familiar story in it. Do note that, if you're not comfortable w/ Shakespeare, and also not familiar with Star Wars, you're not likely to enjoy this. I especially liked R2-D2's asides. And Friends, rebels, starfighters, lend me your ears..." and other direct tributes to the original writings of the Bard."
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5I loved this! Take Star Wars, Episode 4, A New Hope. Add William Shakespeare's writing and dialog. And you get A ROLLICKING GOOD TIME!!!! I haven't had so much fun with a book as I have this one. It is so funny picturing Han Solo speaking a soliloquy. I would love to see this produced for the theater. If you need a good time, read this. I borrowed this book from my sister but I have to buy it and the rest of the series for my keeper shelf.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The best part about this book is not the "translation" of the Star Wars script into Shakespearean poetry, but how Doescher uses the conventions of Shakespeare to enhance the script. The first time I read an "[aside]" by R2-D2 I laughed with delight. Most of the characters have at least one added moment of private musing which is shared with the audience: Luke on his loyalty to his family vs his desire for adventure, Obi-Wan pondering how much of the truth he should tell Luke, Tarkin about his relationship with Vader, and etc.
For readers who are familiar with Shakespeare, there are familiar (slightly twisted) lines sprinkled liberally throughout the text: "What light through yonder flashing sensor breaks?" Some are a bit awkwardly melded, as when Luke jumps from "Friends, rebels, starpilots, lend me your ears" (Julius Caesar) to Henry V's Crispin Day speech, but even those are more amusing than jolting.
I suspect that Society for Creative Anachronism events and Science Fiction conventions of all sizes will witness a lot of productions of the text -- which will simply add to the hours of fun and pleasure that are the legacy of Star Wars. - Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5This was a readthrough at Ardgour. It's quite good fun - Episode 4 retold in Iambic pentameter with a lot of Shakespeare references thrown in - but could do with slightly more jokes for the length.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Its Star Wars no Its Shakespeare! Whatever it is, it is cute - the author knows his stuff. The problem is, this is a one time read. It doesn't add anything to either Star Wars or Shakespeare, however well done. Its a novelty read.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The concept is pretty funny. The execution is a good reminder of how talented Shakespeare really was. What sets the Bard apart is not his easy-to-imitate meter, but his practice of building multiple levels of meaning into his texts, so single passage can be serious and fast-paced and bawdy all at once. Okay, Star Wars has never been known for its complexity; it's straight up great story. Here, it's still a pretty good story, with some quotable lines borrowed from actual Shakespearean plays and tucked in here and there.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5A FUCKING DELIGHT ACTUALLY.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5I listened to this as an audiobook, which is probably the ideal way to experience it.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Fun in small doses, but then that is how I read Shakespeare anyway...
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Fun read and one that I would live to do with a room of fellow actor to perform a rehearsed reading. Good use of Shakespearean terms and even some misquotes (homages) of famous plays.
All in all though it is a gimmick and probably more for fans of Shakespeare or at least an appreciation of his works AND fans of Star Wars.
Good to finish it around Star Ward day.
May the Fourth be with you. - Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5I absolutely LOVED THIS!!!!!!!!!! I have always loved Shakespeare and Star Wars and BOTH of them combined was GENIUS!!!!!!!! This is actually an easier read than normal Shakespeare, FYI. I have to admit, I preferred the other two books over this one. But it is still so AWESOME!!!!!!!!! This is my MOST FAVORITE BOOK SERIES EVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Shakespeare and Star Wars come together to wondrous results thanks to the fantastic writing and imagination of Ian Doescher. In 176 pages of iambic pentameter verse, stage directions, and some of the best Elizabethan clothed Star War characters ever seen, the reader finds one of the best adaptations of Star Wars ever.The language is Shakespearean, but it's very readable and understandable even if you're not use to late 16th century language (even in quasi-form). The original dialogue of the Star Wars film is covered excellently with numerous additional lines of soliloquies and speeches by a variety of characters added by Doescher to give the book it's true Shakespearean element. However these additions don't take away from the film, they add to it by giving the characters a chance to express their inner thoughts that we never hear in the actual film. The soliloquies are full of spoilers from the prequels along with foreshadowing for the sequels that seem to be Doescher's shout out to Star Wars fans of all kinds.I can't say how much I enjoyed this book and how much I think Star Wars fans will like it as well. If you're a Star Wars fan check out this book and you'll have a smile on your face as you imagine the film being transferred to an Elizabethan theater with all the action, adventure, and comedy taking place.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Another hard one to rate. Clearly, Star Wars deserves a five, but little new ground is tread here (although some was, including emphasizing the destruction of Alderaan as motivation to destroy the Death Star, and R2-D2's personal thoughts), and it is clearly a novelty read. It was fun, both as Shakespearean pastiche and a re-telling of Star Wars. I'm going to give it a three, but I do give it an endorsement as a fun, light read.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Pleasantly well written, not just a gimmick. Begs to be read aloud by Star Wars enthusiasts.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Star Wars as if written by Shakespeare and a very good rendition it is.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The title alone was enough to make my reading list come to a grinding halt. I had to have this book. I don't consider myself a big Star Wars fan, but throw William Shakespeare into the mix, and this book becomes a must-read. And no surprise, I loved it! Star Wars: Episode IV- A New Hope is reimagined in the language of the bard, incorporating key passages from some of Shakespeare's most well-known plays including Hamlet, Macbeth, King Lear, Romeo and Juliet, Henry V, As You Like It, Richard III, Julius Caesar, and various sonnets.What I love most about this book is its potential to help young adult readers with Shakespeare. The Shakespearean unit has garnered a reputation as being extremely difficult, so much so that it's become a type of mental block for students; I was the same way! Even the name Shakespeare was intimidating at that age.But most kids have seen, or at least heard of, Star Wars. They know about the Force. They know Darth Vader. Heck, they may have even heard iconic lines such as "These aren't the droids you're looking for" and "Han shot first!" If kids understand, are amused by, and are interested in the plot, they aren't held back by language. This novel is an extraordinary tool for teachers and parents to help students with the Shakespearean unit by providing a fun and well-written introduction to the language, iambic pentameter, and to several plays and sonnets! Star Wars in Shakespearean language is witty, fun, and fantastic. Elizabethan-style drawings of key scenes are an added bonus throughout the text. My favourite moment was a little joke for Star Wars fans after Han shoots Greedo: "[Aside] And whether I shot first, I'll ne'er confess!"William Shakespeare's Star Wars is a must-have for home and classroom libraries! Ian Doescher has done something extraordinary and his bridging of two timeless properties is certainly something to be celebrated!
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Not knowing quite what to expect upon choosing this short and humorous novelty as a bathroom reader for the middle part of 2014, I was pleasantly surprised to find this very well thought out. Basically, it's Episode IV of the Star Wars franchise rewritten as a Shakespearean play, which seems simple enough, but for someone who has watched the original Star Wars trilogy (THX VHS only mind you), this treatment of the film is delightful and full of wit and sly humor only observable by the fanatic. This wit and humor mostly comes in the form of the carefully crafted "asides" which give the author a bit of license to put some mild critical commentary into the minds of the much beloved cast. R2-D2 has a his usual beeps and squeals, but then a monologue transpires, written in Elizabethan English, which illuminates the reader with a wry observation on the nature of the universe from R2's perspective. There is also much in here for the Shakespeare enthusiast, with some of the more famous bits from Richard III, The Tempest, and Romeo and Juliet being borrowed and put to a new use. I am a little surprised that Lucas Arts approved this project because there are a few jokes that poke fun at the script and directing skills of the film. I would like to think that maybe George Lucas is softening up a bit in his old age and is able to let his fans have a few laughs at his expense. I recommend this book for Star Wars fans, especially the ones who might have been English majors. I look forward to reading the next two, if not only to see Doescher's treatment of Yoda and The Emperor.